Bashing Trinity

BASH

I feel the instant coldness of the stainless door handle on my office as I push it open. As I enter, I feel a sudden unsettling in the pit of my stomach when a familiar flowery-scent hits my nostrils.

A gasp from has my head snap, and my eyes are transfixed on the woman in front of me. Everything stops. My surrounding blurs. The beating of my heart races. My eyes widen in shock, and I am surprised that my jaw still attached to my head.

I’m not expecting to see her here in this building, let alone in my office. I wasn’t thinking about her when Dad told me to be nice to my assistant. What’s this supposed to mean?

I shut my gaping mouth close and cough awkwardly. “Trinity.” Her name comes out a whisper, and it feels foreign in my ears.

She blinks many times before she clears her throat. She smiles at me—a tight smile; just a plain smile; a forceful one. “Mr. Hughes, good Morning, and welcome to your new office,” she greets with courtesy. Mr. Hughes? “I hope the interior fits your liking, but we can still request and change—”

I raise my sweaty hand for her to stop. My heart beats faster than before. My lungs expand further, that my ribcage can crack any moment, and it makes me difficult to breathe.

I look at her for seconds, and she meets my gaze then breaks it quickly.

“You didn’t come to the party my family threw out two days ago,” I said almost silently.

She grabs some files on top of my desk with the iPad on top. She hugs them to her chest gracefully and says casually, “I sent Lizzy a message that I couldn’t come. So, as you know, I’m your new assistant; temporarily, and my office is just adjacent to yours,” she puts a little emphasis on the temporarily while pointing at the door on my left.

Her stares give me shiver; her green eyes are shooting an icy glare on me.

She changed a lot. Her hair is cut short just above her shoulders. The color is still the same, though. Her face still has freckles, but they’re lesser, maybe from the makeup she applies on. Her lips are still full, painted with red lipstick.

She taps on her iPad. “You have a meeting in less than ten minutes.”

I take a deep breath. “Trinity, just leave the meeting for a while, can you?” I move closer to her because I badly want to pull her into a hug and feel her warm welcome.

She swallows hard. “Okay, you’re the boss. I placed all the paper works that left by Mr. Peter Williams.” She gestures to the file on top of my desk.

“I’m not interested in that either.” I snap. “What happened to you, Trinity?”

She looks taken aback. “What happened to me?” she asks back, pointing her finger to herself. “Nothing bad happened to me, Mr. Hughes. If you don’t want me as your temporary assistant, by all means, please, just ask the HR for my replacement,” she adds sternly.

“That’s not what I mean.” Why is she acting like she doesn’t know me? “Stop calling me Mr. Hughes. You’re my best friend for God’s sake—”

“Were,” she cuts me off. “Ex-best friend, Mr. Hughes. You are my boss now, so only it’s proper to address you as—”

“I am your boss, so do as I say,” I tell her in an authoritative tone.

“Sure.” She looks down at the empty chair in front of my desk.

She places back down the file she took a while ago and smoothens her dark blue pencil cut skirt that ends just above her knees. She wears a white blouse with a dark blue blazer. She looks beautiful, elegant, and very professional.

my flight to the U.K, but you were not there. You went to

doesn’t say anything. I guess she’s listening.

our friendship, Trinity, but you didn’t even answer my calls nor replied to my

four years ago,” she says

I mean, you just wasted our friendship for years with just

that? Your friends, classmates, and girlfriends thought I was just

I listen to them even once? How many times did I fight for you against them? How many times did I choose you against my girlfriends? How many times did I defend you against those freaking losers, Trinity? How many times?” My voice fills in the room. Before I came, I did not exactly expect to fight early in

have friends now. I’m sure you made friends with Brits.” She doesn’t look affected. She’s

such an immature.”

an

my gaze on her. “Watch your tone and your language when you’re in my office, Trinity. I’m

apology, Mr. Hughes,” she says silently.

“Don’t I get a welcome back hug?” I ask, hoping she gives in now that we finally talk

inappropriate. Meeting in less than four minutes, Mr. Seb Hughes will introduce you as the new CFO.”

the second note. “Dinner with Luke; to discuss the engagement?” I read

my chest. “You’re engaged?” I grab her hand a bit stronger, and there you go. The fucking engagement ring

life is

find out, but she doesn’t meet

almost collide with Lizzy when I walk my way to the conference room.

than two minutes. Get inside and take a

in my pocket and look at the monolithic view of the building outside, ignoring Lizzy’s

my shoulders in defeat, I swallow hard the lump in my throat. I lose Trinity forever.

of coming back?

don’t answer

with a worried tone of a sister like she used to when we were just kids. I feel a hand rubbing my

look down at her five-foot-eight inches framed. I shake my

will never be okay,

and you should be. It’s never been too late,” she says and walks

I can’t help but steal glances at Trinity whose busy writing something on the notepad. I find out that she didn’t follow her dreams to be an architect,

studied hard to pass them because she hated numbers in every way possible. I walk out of the conference door after talking with Dad for a few minutes.

at Dean, marching towards me.

first day, and still having a jet-lagged. I think I’m excused, right?”

of this company, and your family owns this. You can work

amusement. “Like my dad would agree.”

good talk, Bash. Just call me.” He pats my shoulder.

Thanks, Dean. You’re not

know you don’t like me, or maybe you don’t trust me for your sister, but I can’t blame you to be an overprotective brother over her, but man, I love her with all my life, and I don’t care if you are against us or not, and it’s not that you are gonna stop

before we fall in

laughs again. “You will be fine.