Chapter 11: All A Mistake

“You want to know why it is such a huge deal that he stayed over at your place?” Amanda mumbled and faced her. Sarah folded her hands in her lap, unclasped them, and then threaded her fingers together. Her entire body was filled with fear. There was a low ringing in her ear and she was shivering like it was cold; at the same time, she was also sweating. “Why?” Sarah barely managed to croak the word out. She chewed her bottom lip to keep calm. “I have heard that he doesn’t sleep anywhere except for his own bedroom. If he doesn’t have his own sheets and pillow, he doesn’t even lie down on the bed. All these times he goes out for business, he simply works...” Sarah shook her head in disbelief. “That’s impossible.” “Trust me. I can sniff out rumors half a world away. And everyone says that the man doesn’t even drink outside his home. You said he came into your apartment again and again? Hell, it took him forever to drink with his own secretary, but he knows you one night and sleeps with you every night since?” Sarah was gnawing at her lip. She couldn’t wrap her head around the situation. Why was she so important to a guy who was pretty much responsible for the lives of thousands of employees working in his company? A guy who openly didn’t indulge in debauchery despite having more women throw themselves at him than the Miss Universe competition? She was nothing special. She was not super part. She didn’t light up a room when she walked in, and she certainly didn’t have anything resembling a sparkling personality. So, why her? “I didn’t ask for this,” she mumbled with her fingers on her lips and shook her head slowly. She had never imagined that one night would come back to bite her in the ass. But thinking back, as she remembered more and more, she started to analyze and dissect every interaction they had. Why hadn’t she asked this question before? “Sarah…” Amanda’s hand touched her shoulder and Sarah almost jumped. “Shit,” she cursed with open eyes. Amanda shook Sarah until she was out of her stupor and clenched her hands around Amanda’s arms to stop her. “I can’t.” Sarah shook her head vigorously and pulled away. “It’s too much, okay?” she asked, pacing the floor. “I didn’t ask for this. He is someone whom I should have never met. I can’t handle him. He appears everywhere I am and he cares for me. You can’t ask me to deal with that!” She took a shuddering breath. “How do I know he won’t turn around and tell me it was all a mistake one day? His presence in my life scares the hell out of me, Amanda!” Amanda blinked at her, mouth slightly open and speechless. “I like the guy who was sitting with me in the club… when I didn’t know him and his background.” Sarah wiped her face with her hand. “Not the man he actually is.” She kept pacing, and despite Amanda’s efforts to calm her down, she didn’t. There was nothing left to say. - - - - - The next day in college, Amanda ignored her. Sarah couldn’t fathom Amanda being upset at her. She was prepared to grovel at her friend’s feet, but how was she supposed to do that while being ignored? “Are you not going to speak to me?” Sarah asked, rushing to keep pace with Amanda. Amanda furrowed her brow in concentration. “No.” “Glad to know you will speak to me,” Sarah told her friend quickly. Amanda scoffed. “Hah! I am pissed at you because of your actions yesterday,” she said with a shrug of her shoulders. “Okay.” Sarah took a deep breath. “I can see that you are upset. I didn’t tell you everything—” “I am not mad about that,” Amanda was quick to correct. They stopped walking. “Then what is it?” Sarah asked nervously. Amanda looked at her less severely than before. “I am just disappointed. I didn’t expect you to get all proud when you started dating Colton.” “Dating?” Sarah scoffed in disbelief. “That’s the part that bothered you?” Amanda retorted. “Amanda, you have to be kidding me! I didn’t ask for any of this to happen. I don’t even get time to process what is happening to me?” “Maybe not, but you overreacted when you walked out of your class and quit in front of the professor. Did you know the professor called me yesterday? He was really upset that you were leaving without notice and even asked if he had done something wrong.” Amanda sighed. “And you weren’t nice to me yesterday either. I can only imagine what you said to William.” Amanda looked like her daughter had let her down; Sarah could see it on her friend’s face. “Correct me if I am wrong, but friends don’t make other friends feel like shit for trying to help.” Sarah finally nodded. “You are right. I overreacted, okay? But you have to admit that those students are real jerks.” Amanda chuckled. “Yeah, they are rich. They are allowed to be. But that doesn’t make it okay for you to be so rash and rude, okay?” Sarah blinked in surprise. “When did you become so philosophical?” Amanda rolled her eyes and extended her hand. “Hand over the notes you promised me and I will think about being your friend again. Lord knows you need me.” Sarah pulled the notes from her bag. “Thank you, Amanda.” “Ah, I will send you some information later on. Be sure not to miss the chance!” Sarah spent the rest of the day speaking to her professor and apologizing. While she didn’t want to teach any longer, she also needed to hand over her responsibilities to some other student. Right before lunch, she received a message from Amanda. [You have an interview at this location. Consider us strangers if you don’t attend.]