My heart was pounding dangerously fast as I sat staring at the elevator doors. He winked at me, did that mean I'm off the hook with Tiffany? I still had my ridiculous smile on my face like some lovesick puppy.

I unsteadily got to my feet and wandered to the kitchen still lost in a daze from his smile. He had a mesmerizing smile, it should be illegal for him to smile. I made myself a cup of coffee, milk, and no sugar, the same way he drank his coffee. I am such a hopeless case.

"Williams," I shrill voice pierced through my bliss.

The sound of my name startled me and I spilt the hot contents of my mug down my white shirt. "Ahhh," I yelled pulling the soaked material with the scorching liquid away from my skin.

Tiffany stood behind me with her arms crossed over her chest, she arched a plucked eyebrow at me in a pitiful way. "There are just no words to describe the mess that you are," she shook her head looking me up and down.

I kept my mouth shut, sending coffee drops flying everywhere as I shook my soaked hands.

Oh, I have a few words for you. Miss Priss hissed at her.

"Did you finish the paperwork I gave you yesterday?" she asked still glaring with disapproval.

"Yes, of course," I tried to keep the sarcasm from my voice.

"Good," she turned on her heel only stopping to give me one last glare, "Don't be late again and stay away from Axel. He is out of your league."

"I..." but before I could finish she walked away, "...bitch," I silently breathed out to myself finishing my sentence.

The other women in the office stared at my coffee stained shirt and laughed, but I didn't care what those hyenas thought. These girls still abided by high school rules, and I was no longer the head cheerleader.

"Baby girl, what did you do to yourself?" a friendly voiced asked from the desk next to mine.

"Nothing out of the ordinary." I shrugged, looking at Lori.

She was a bit older than the other woman working here but she had a heart of gold. Lori was one of my few friends in the city and took it upon herself to act like my big sister.

Lori chuckled at my reply. "What are you smiling about?" she asked sceptically.

"Nothing," I mumbled with a blush.

"It's that boy isn't it?" She pressed the matter with a knowing smile.

"What? No," I yelled in a whisper at her.

"Uh-hmm, you know you can't lie to me." She winked before she returned to her work.

I laid my forehead down on the cold surface of my desk. Was I really that transparent? No wonder people had been giving me the cold shoulder all morning. I was the idiot that showed up late with the boss's boyfriend.

Yes, crossing him of the plausible list. Miss Priss concluded my thoughts.

I was a fumbling tard for the rest of that day, and I made it my life's mission to avoid my boss. The hour of freedom finally arrived and I hightailed it out of that Vogue hell hole. Standing outside the building I took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. I opened my eyes and there he was, casually leaning against his car staring at me with his blue eyes hidden behind those darn glasses.

I wished my chameleon powers would activate so I could vanish into my surroundings but there I stood, caught in his gaze. It didn't last long before his eyes shifted, a smile grew on his face, and Tiffany came walking past me out the building.

She faltered in her steps when she saw me, but quickly regained her composure as she walked towards Axel like she was walking the catwalk. She threw her arms around him, and I noticed his body go rigid but he wrapped her in his arms regardless.

Well shit, Miss Priss pouted at the scene. 

I looked down and started to walk to the bus stop. The sound of my name being called froze me to the spot, slowly I turned to look at him absolutely mortified.

"Do you need a ride?" he asked foolishly like he was doing me some favour.

I gave Tiffany one look and the expression on her face gave new meaning to the phrase - hell has no fury like a woman's scorn. I could only imagine little puffs of smoke coming out of her ears, she looked livid.

I determinedly shook my head at him. "No, thank you," I yelled back quickly before turning and walking away, quickly. What the hell was he thinking? Does he want me to get fired?

At home, I ditched my shoes immediately. "Bex," I whined walking to her room to fall down next to her on her king size bed, face first.

"Sup loser?" she greeted me, poking my side with her toe.

"Mmmm," I mumbled into the mattress smacking her foot away from me, "I hate your brother," I continued my mumbling.

"What? Get your face off the sheets and speak," she said poking me again.

I rolled over onto my back and halfway onto her. "I hate your brother," I said again.

She squirmed out from under me and shimmied to lie down next to me. "What did the moron do?" she asked popping her gum.

"He acknowledged my existence in front of the Tiff-monster." I threw my arm over my face at the thought of the impending doom that awaited me come Monday. The Tiff-monster was our secret little pet name for my boss, it was Bex's idea.

"Huh, how did that happen?" she turned on her side staring at me with wide eyes.

"How, are you kidding me? It would have been nice to have a little heads up that your secret brother that showed up here unannounced was, in fact, dating my boss," I ranted with dramatic hand gestures.

Bex sat up looking panicked. "His new girlfriend is Tiffany Harris?"

I sat up with her. "You didn't know? Well sur-fucking-prise," I said before dropping back down with a thud.

"What happened with your shirt?" she asked falling back down as well.

"I mean he completely ruined my life," I ignored her question continuing my little rant.

"Your shirt?" she asked again pointing at the mother of all stains on my chest.

I huffed and pulled the shirt off over my head in one ungraceful yank. "Shirt is gone, now back to this destroyer of lives," I said, throwing the shirt to the floor.

She laughed at me and I snapped my eyes open at her. "What is so bloody funny?" I asked exaggerated.

"Oh. nothing, what do you want to know about him?" her voice still thick with laughter.

I closed my eyes again. "Everything. The first rule of war, know thy enemy."

"You could just have asked me if you wanted to know about me, and for the record, I am not your enemy," a deep voice spoke.

You know that sinking feeling one gets right as the rollercoaster drops and things spiral out of control? Well, I had that feeling at the sound of his voice.

I snapped my eyes open to stare at him standing in Bex's doorway. "What the ffff, you're just bloody everywhere, aren't you?" I snapped at him, my chest rising and falling with each heartbeat.

Bex held a pillow to her face, laughing like a maniac into it. I threw her a savage look before returning my attention back to Axel. "Why on earth did you ask if I needed a ride in front of Tiffany? Do you want her to fire my ass?" I asked, pointing a finger at him.

I got off the bed and walked right up to his tall ass, finger still raised and poked his chest like it would prove some point. His eyes never left my movements. "Melia?" he spoke calmly.

"What?"

"Where's your shirt?" he asked, trying very hard not to stare at my chest.

I blushed, a deep red, realizing I was indeed confronting him in my bra. "Your girlfriend made me ruin it," I hissed pointing fingers again, "and why do you even care?" I threw my hands in the air before stomping out of the room.

I walked into my room with my unstable temper in tow, standing in the middle of my room I forgot what I came in here for.

Ooh, slam the door shut, it would put a more dramatic flair to the tantrum. Miss Priss yelled, not helping the situation.

I sighed and walked to lock my door. Great, now what?

Pyjamas? Miss Priss offered.

Yes, I like that. I stripped off the remainder of my clothes and pulled on some leggings and a large t-shirt. I stared at myself in the mirror, this seemed idiot proof and conservative enough. The girl staring back at me was pretty. I had always known I was considered pretty, beautiful even. It's just a shame the fire that made me special, that made me more than just another pretty face had burned out.

My annoyance with Axel ignited something in me, not yet a flame, but something smouldering.

A knock on my door made me jump, and I scrambled, bewildered, before deciding to make a dive for my bed. I did not want to be caught staring at myself in the mirror, that would be weird so I figured the bed would be innocent enough.

"Yes?" I called out, my heart still pounding from my pointless scramble.

The door opened revealing Bex and I let out a sigh of relieve. "You look like you were caught doing something stupid right now." She giggled at my poor attempt at acting indifferent.

"Shut up," I said, giving her another savage look, "is he gone?"

"Yes, you should really not make a habit out of being scantily dressed every time he comes by. He might just get the impression you're a merry ho-ho, or worse, into him," she said with a cringe.

"Why are we friends again?" I asked rolling my eyes at her.

She shrugged and plopped herself down on my bed next to me. "What you got there?" I asked skeptically as she kept her hands behind her back.

Sudden fear took a choke hold on me. "Bex! If it is another bloody demented frog, I swear--"

"Relax will you, that was a one-time joke and a horrible one at that, how was I to know you would be that traumatized," she said rolling her eyes at me.

I was still ready to bolt. "Okay." I tried to see behind her back.

"Ta-da," she yelled, shoving two spoons and a tub of cookie dough ice cream in my face.

I jumped at her sudden movement. "Ugh, you're such a spas," I yelled, grabbing the spoon from her hand.

We ate in silence for a few moments. "Fine, just ask your questions," she finally exclaimed throwing her hands in the air.

I wiggled on the bed giving her a big smile. "Okay, any other siblings I should know about?"

"Nope, just my dorky baby brother."

I nodded. "So he is younger than you?"

She nodded with the spoon in her mouth.

"By how much?"

She frowned at me. "Three, so yes Melia he is a year younger than you," she said pointing her spoon at me.

I bit my lower lip at her remark. Do I care that he is a year younger? Meh.

"Okay, what's his deal?" I asked trying to sound uninterested, shoving a spoon full of frozen yummy into my mouth.

A sharp pain shot through my head. Brain freeze, why do you want to kill me? Miss Priss feigned death. I pulled a face looking at Bex with one eye closed.

She giggled at me. "One would think that you would have learned by now that shoving ice cream down your trap leads to this." She rubbed the ice cream from her chin as it dripped during her laughter. "What do you mean, what's his deal?" She asked again.

I thought about it for a second. "Well, he seems uncomfortable with himself," I voiced carefully.

Bex sighed before she looked at me with sad eyes. "It's not really my place to tell his story, but Axel had a rough childhood," her voice was sad, she clearly loved her brother a lot.

"Bex, did you—" I started with wide eyes.

She shook her head waving her hands. "No, my childhood was fine. It was hard for a while right after our parents died in that car crash, but our parents were the best and our kid aunt that took us in was just as great. Axel's issues aren't family related," she defended quickly.

I nodded lost in my own thoughts, processing what she just said. A smack followed by a burn on both my thighs pulled me back to reality. "Bex, dammit," I yelled rubbing my stinging thighs where she just slapped me like an ass.

"Oh, you big baby, now get ready we are going out tonight," she declared leaving no room for argument.

I groaned internally knowing I will regret the whole thing in the morning. "Bex, nooo," I pleaded with her.

"Nope, go take a shower and put some big girl panties on coz you're going, end of story." She hushed and pushed me off the bed.

"Fine, but no monkey business." I surrendered with a pout.

She winked mischievously. "Wear something sexy." With that, she skipped out of my room.

I have a bad feeling about this. Miss Priss noted as we stared at the shiny plastic crown. I sighed, yup, nothing good can come from this.