15 MISSING HIM

Adam's POV,

Three Weeks Later

Day in, day out—nearly a month has passed without Julian stepping foot in my office. In fact, he's rarely even in the company. He only shows up for a few hours and disappears, claiming he has meetings with clients. He never comes back afterward.

I hate that I gave him permission to do that again. I also hate the fact that I pushed him away that day.

Every time I feel the urge to see him or hear his voice, his parting words haunt me: "Fine, Mr. CEO, I'm done with you." It seems he wasn't kidding.

In these few weeks, I've finally come to terms with something I can't deny anymore. Something about him has been growing in me. No matter how much I try to stop it, I can't. I want to bring him closer to me again.

I thought about it all night yesterday and made a decision: I'm going to make him my secretary. I'll promote Ms. Cooper to another position so she doesn't feel undervalued. Problem solved.

Suddenly, an unmistakable voice startles me.

"Matt... are you in? Can I come in?"

I can't believe she's here, despite my clear instructions for her to stay away from my office during work hours.

Meredith Amell—the woman my mother insists on tying me to—never seems to understand boundaries.

Three weeks ago my mom was at it again°°°Adam Smith! I want grandchildren to keep me company now that you killed my son... now that he's gone. If you're too busy to find a wife, I'll find one for you!"

Her words always stab at my heart, reopening old wounds. The last time she said that, I had a complete breakdown. Julian came to my rescue, distracting me and making me forget the chaos I felt inside.

°

Meredith is beautiful, funny, and everything most men would want—but not me. Ever since my mother introduced her into my life, I can't stop thinking about someone else when I'm with her.

Wishing it was him.

"I've really missed you," Meredith says, hugging me while I'm seated. I would push her away because I don't enjoy this kind of contact, but I'm not heartless enough to do so.

"You said you'd call me, and I've been waiting for so long. But you never did, so I came to check on you—even though you told me not to. I promise I won't distract you while you're working. I'll just sit quietly."

She talks too much—just like Julian. Only she's not him.

And I never said she could stay, so what's with this "I'll sit quietly" nonsense?

"If I don't call, it means I'm busy. For that reason, I think you should leave. I don't even know how long I'll be working today. Besides, I took you to lunch an hour ago. What's with all this 'I miss you' nonsense now?"

She's making me say more than I usually do.

"But I still miss you. Don't yo—"

Suddenly, the door opens, cutting her off. It's not as if someone knocked and we didn't hear it. Someone just barged in, and there's only one person bold enough to do that.

Meredith doesn't even budge; she keeps hugging me as the door opens slowly. It's as if she wants whoever is there to see that she's close to me—and they're not.

"What's up, H.H.? I realized that even with all the fun in the world, I would still mis—"

He stops mid-sentence, freezing when he sees the scene in front of him.

My mind goes wild, desperate to know what he was about to say. Even though I can guess, I want to hear it from him. Just to know that am not the only one missing our company for each other.

You would still what? Miss me? You finally remembered me, didn't you? Ugh! Why did Meredith have to come here today? She ruined everything!

Lately, I feel like if someone could read my mind, they wouldn't believe it belongs to me. People look at me and think I'm some untouchable god, but that's far from the truth.

"Holy crap! I'm sorry—I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to barge in," he says, closing the door and stepping out.

Why is he making such a big deal out of this? He's overreacting!

"Julian, come back here," I call after him, using his first name for the first time. But he doesn't return.

"Excuse me," I say, gently pushing Meredith aside.

I can't believe he saw me in that position. Now he's going to think I have someone.

"Why are you so tense? Even if he spreads the news to the company that he saw us, so what? We're together, aren't we?"

You don't understand anything, so just stop talking! I scream inwardly.

"How come he didn't knock? That was rude! Do you always let your employees enter your office whenever they please?" She rambles on.

"Meredith, I'm sorry, but I love someone else. I don't want to waste your time," I say suddenly. It wasn't planned—it just slipped out. "I think we should stop seeing each other. It's really a waste of time."

"What?!"

"I'm sorry."

"Is it that gu—"

"No! Not him. It's just that he's friends with the person I love, and he might tell her." I lie.

She makes a scene, complaining about how much she loves me and how she's going to tell my mother what I've done. But I don't care, as long as I don't waste her time anymore.

She leaves eventually.

As expected, my mother calls shortly after.

"I heard you love someone. Is it true? If so, bring her home already. Otherwise, you'll have to marry Meredith!"

"How can I bring her home when I haven't even told her how I feel? You're not dying, Mother. Once I confess to her and ask her out, I'll bring her home."

"Better make it quick."

"Yes."

She hangs up, just like that—no greetings, no farewells. We haven't seen each other in a month, but she doesn't care. She never does.

I put my phone down, my mind drifting back to Julian.

He called me that again—H.H. Just what on earth does it mean? Ever since he first used it, I've been searching everywhere but haven't found anything that makes sense. I even asked Ms. Cooper, but she couldn't figure it out either.

Whatever it is, it's stuck in my head, just like him.