Hooked on Your Lips

__Georgina__

"I'm sorry, Gina, but she makes my heart race."

"I really can't do this anymore. I'm sorry."

There Justin stood in all his glory, telling me he couldn't be with me anymore because he had fallen out of love with me.

He claimed to have found someone else that he loved. Someone who supposedly made his heart race. My jaw dropped in stunned silence. I felt like I had been punched in the gut. There was no way this was happening.

Yet, i couldn't unhear what he had just said. His words hit me like a ton of bricks, and my chest tightened with emotion.

"It's been three years, Justin. Three years of being together."

A knot formed in my throat, and tears pricked at the corners of my eyes.

"And in those years, i could swear i was your amber. But now, this new woman is suddenly your shade of gold? Justin! "

I yelled his name in desperation, deluding myself into thinking it might stir his conscience, but no, it didn't. His expression didn't falter.

Justin just stood there in silence, giving me a weird look. It wasn't so weird as much as it was repulsive. It was a look of pity, and i hated it.

I caught his gaze and defiantly held it. My gaze was burning with unspoken emotions as i bared my heart to him, and dared him to see the depth of my feelings. I literally surrendered my vulnerability to him. But all i saw was a man who couldn't wait to be with someone else, and the tears finally slipped.

He stood a few feet apart from me. With hesitant steps, I cautiously approached him and attempted to take his hand as a gesture of connection, hoping to re-establish intimacy, but he pulled back like i irritated him, his rejection stinging.

At that moment, i immediately knew that was it! It was time for me to accept reality, and the truth that was now staring me in the face like a blinding sun - Justin and i were through. I sobbed uncontrollably as realisation hit me.

A relationship i had nutured and invested so much in, had been dissolved. The realisation that my feelings were never reciprocated all these years bruised my fragile ego. It was really weird how you could actually feel it in your chest and stomach when something hurt your feelings, because that was exactly how I was feeling right now.

I wasn't sure if he was beginning to manifest guilt or remorse, but Justin couldn't say anything else but kept looking down at his feet. At least, he was man enough to tell it to my face and not pretend, or lead me on. After a while, i wiped my face and mustered the courage to leave. I'd go pick up the pieces of what's remaining of my shattered heart.

Dejected and heart-broken, I left without sparing him a final glance.

The chilly wind blew through my hair as i willed my legs to move. It buffeted me and nearly knocked me off my feet. My bag, which had my phone in it, hung loosely over my shoulder. My dark, long hair flew across my face, and i tucked it behind my ear. I wrapped my arms around my body as i walked dejectedly around the park with no destination in mind.

My body shook, my lips quivered, and my teeth clattered against each other, but i welcomed the freezing cold and the numbing pain. I guess I deserved the cold for opting for a cold-shoulder floral top as opposed to a jacket.

It was late, and the park was deserted. You could only hear the distant honking of cars from LA's impatient drivers. I refused to go home and somehow wounded up in the park. The usual me would never have agreed to walk around the park alone by this time, but i was battling with something far worse than fear right now. I'd never known pain so absolute as this one. My eyes stung from all the crying, and i had ran out of tears at this point.

Not even the incessant chiming of my phone could push me to answer it. I knew it was my friend calling me, but I wasn't in the mood to talk to anyone right now.

I walked towards the park bench and plopped down on it. I felt completely drained. I just needed some air. I needed to breathe in a different environment other than my house.

I was clearly still in shock and disbelief. My boyfriend dumped me for someone else whom he claimed to love. Where did I get it wrong? To the best of my abilities, I had been a devoted and supportive partner to him. Except that I wasn't enough for him. I guess I was a ball of misfortune, since I couldn't even keep my own man. I buried my face in my hands and continued sobbing.

After a while, I suddenly perceived a presence beside me and lifted my head to see a white handkerchief being offered to me by a stranger.

"Here you go, ma'am. It's from my boss."

The man said. I looked at the stranger in surprise and appreciation, and collected the hankerchief from him, muttering a 'thank you' between hiccuping sobs. He was good-looking, and was dressed professionally almost like he was on duty. He could pass for the head of a security team, or a chauffeur.

"He said to tell you that whatever it is, it will pass."

The stranger said in a very official tone. My face knotted into a confusing frown as I looked around, wondering who and where his boss was.

"Have a good day, ma'am."

The stranger said, and left, before I got the chance to ask who his boss was. I wiped my face with the hankerchief, hoping the tears would stop now. The persistent ringing of my phone was now too hard to ignore.

I finally picked up, hoping I'd be able to maintain my composure. The moment my friend noticed the hurt in my voice and asked what the issue was, I bawled.

"I'm so sorry, Gina. I'm coming to pick you up right now."

"We'll talk about this. Please don't cry anymore."

Angel said to me in a sympathetic tone.

Angel had been a very sweet and loving friend to me since I could remember. We met at an event and we'd hit it off ever since. We lived together, and had been through a lot together - Celebrated each other's wins and losses too.

She was a sales attendant at Walmart, and I was a professional make-up artist. Well, maybe I should add 'popular' to it, because I was well-known for my impeccable job, and i was also good at it.

I could hear the rustling sound of movement which indicated that she was preparing to come pick me up. As soon as I got off the phone, my tears returned.

No sooner had I gotten off the phone than Angel arrived. She pulled me into a hug and i cried on her shoulders. After a while, she quietly led me into the car and drove us home.

Strangely enough, I couldn't shake off the thought of the mysterious stranger who had sent me a handkerchief, with some consoling words.

Who was he?

__Bryan__

"It is time for your meeting, sir."

I heard my PA say, and I stopped what I was doing and looked up at him.

"What? What meeting?"

I asked, my face knotted in a frown.

"Bryan please, don't tell me you forgot about the meeting with your client?"

Jude asked in disbelief.

Not only was Jude my PA, but he was also my investment adviser. I specifically hired him because he was a PA with investment expertise and he balanced dual roles with ease. He didn't come cheap though.

He was the only one apart from my family, who addressed me by my first name. Him and i had what i would like to call a fairly close relationship. I wasn't exactly one to keep friendships as I had my focus on four things: wealth, health, power and ego. If you weren't a source to achieve those four, I couldn't care less about your existence.

Despite my privileged upbringing, I chose to establish my Law firm, 'Anderson & Associates', independently, w