“Thank you, you’re an angel,” Laura said, cradling her mug and sighing.
“Long day?”
“Yes, the little ones were having a lively day and then we had a staff meeting to discuss new literacy standards.” Laura groaned into her mug. “But less about me and more about you. What happened? How did your client meeting go?”
With everything that had happened, Star had almost forgotten that the big meeting had been the start of her day. “Perfect,” Star said. “They loved the presentation, were over the moon with the results from the focus group studies, and have commissioned us to get this campaign out at the start of the Christmas season.”
“Amazing!” said Laura. “I’m so proud of you.”
“I didn’t think I could do it and I have. When Lucas first told me he was giving me this client, I thought he was mad. Then with all the Jackson fiasco, I thought I’d blown it, but it’s all come together.”
“And only because you’ve put all the hours and hard work in.” Laura walked to the fridge and pulled out a bottle of alcohol-free bubbly. “It’s time to celebrate,” she said, unscrewing the lid and getting two champagne glasses out of the cupboard. “So what did Damian say?”
Star choked on her bubbles, and began coughing furiously. Laura laughed, patting her on the back. “So he was pleased, then!”
“No, he kissed me,” Star spluttered, not quite having got her breath back.
“He what? Did you just say he kissed you?”
Star nodded, a warm flush creeping up her cheeks. “One minute we were arguing, the next he was kissing me."
Laura looked shocked but her eyes held a glint of excitement. "Where did this happen?"
Star could no-longer look her friend in the eye, "In his office, up against the door," she mumbled.
“That sounds kind of hot,” Laura said, fanning herself. She’d always been a staunch Damian supporter. “I think you better tell me everything,” she said. For the next twenty minutes, Star recounted her morning, and then her meeting with Damian and the kiss.
“So how did it feel?”
Trust Laura to get to the crux of the story … Star blushed at her friend’s question but remained silent.
“That good, huh?” Laura said, looking at her friend sympathetically.
“It felt like coming home,” Star said quietly.
“Oh, hon, he always was your home. That was why I never understood why you did what you did.”
“I had to let him go – you know that. I couldn’t hold him back.” Tears filled Star’s eyes, the loss and longing too strong to hide from her friend. When Damian had left, it had been simple to suppress her true feelings, switching all her attention to Lily and her needs. When Lily died, Star’s grief had doubled. If it hadn’t been for Skylar, Star knew she would have collapsed, but the tiny baby her beautiful sister had left had needed her, and that was what had pulled her through.
But now Damian was back, and all those feelings she’d hidden from the world were now racing to the surface once again. It was suffocating. What was she going to do? Just the thought of Damian and their kiss had her body clenching with need. How was she going to face him and work alongside him day to day?
Laura squeezed her shoulder, before sitting down next to her.
“It will all sort itself out. Life has a funny way of doing that. Look at Toby and me,” Laura said, just as a bundle of energy flew back into the kitchen.
∞∞∞
The next few days went by without incident. Star threw herself into the Morris project and kept out of Damian’s way, while he seemed to have decided the same was in order. Star should have felt relieved, but instead she felt empty. She had to stop herself from looking for him. Every time she saw a dark head of hair, her heart would begin to race and she’d spend the next half an hour trying to calm herself down. It wasn’t helping that her dreams were also peppered with the past. She was waking up every morning, her body trembling with longing. Damn Damian and that kiss; he’d awoken her body and now she was trapped.
By Friday, rumours had started to fly. The Board was unhappy; it had leaked that Lucas wasn’t on vacation but had had a heart attack and was no longer in charge of the company. Stock prices had plummeted and rumours were flying around about hostile takeovers and clients leaving. Everyone knew they were exactly that – rumours – but Star knew the impact this would be having on Damian as he tried to keep the rumours from reaching his father. Lucas needed rest and a stress-free life after his operation. This was not going to help.
Star took Skylar’s latest batch of cookies to Pam. Skylar had also drawn a picture for Damian and Star had awkwardly promised to give it to him, in addition to Skylar’s handmade get well soon card for Lucas. Pam was on the phone when Star approached, but Pam waved at the seat in front of her, so Star sat down. It wasn’t long before Pam put the phone down and grinned at Star.
“I thought you were avoiding me,” Pam said mischievously.
“Not you,” Star replied honestly, glancing at Damian’s door and putting the cookies on the desk. “These are for both of you – Skylar was very clear about that,” Star said, rolling her eyes.
“It seems he made quite an impression,” Pam said, noticing the drawing that was clearly labelled “Damian”.