Page 66 of Irresistible Temptation
I looked down at the yellow pad of paper, the corners turned up and the pages slightly worn. I could see where the pen had left impressions from Will writing songs and melodies.
“What am I supposed to do with this?” I said, arching a brow, and feeling like an imposter holding an artist’s canvas.
“Well,that’sa pen,” said Will sarcastically as he pointed to the black ballpoint pen that lay on the pad of paper. “You have to take the lid off and then you can do this thing called ‘write’ with it.”
I gave him a vulgar gesture, and he laughed out loud.
“Write your feelings out,” he said.
I twisted my mouth to the side as I weaved the pen through my fingers thoughtfully.
“My feelings, huh?” I asked, mostly to myself.
“Youdohave them. You were able to tellmehow you felt about Juliet. Now, you can tell her. Writing it out helps. I swear.”
I stared down at the page before popping the top off and securing it on the bottom end of the pen. It was worth a try. I might not be able to write a poem or a love song like Will could, but I could at least try to write something that made sense. If anything, I could write a termination letter. Though, it was the last thing I wanted to do, I knew Juliet could no longer work for me. That is, if she had even stuck around. I hadn’t heard from her in days, but could I blame her?
Will settled into his seat across the way, finishing his bourbon, and grabbing one of the folded blankets in the side storage. He draped it over himself, and closed his eyes, passing out almost immediately. I envied him for doing exactly what I had wantedto do five minutes ago, but now my mind was racing with words that sounded stupid.
Curse you, Will.
I pressed the ballpoint to the page, watching the black ink spread slowly before I dragged the pen up and down, between the lines. Every word I wrote seemed wrong, and I spent most of the next half hour crossing each one out. As smooth as I was as a businessman, knowing how to charm and shmooze any top-level executive, I was failing miserably at the wholefeelingsthing.
I tried writing a letter to Juliet, but it ended up sounding like a novella my grandmother used to read. Then I moved onto listing all the things I liked about her, which made me feel like I was in elementary school. My last attempt was writing down all the reasons why she could no longer work for me, but if I were to turn it into a letter of termination, human resources would definitely have some questions for me.
I sighed frustratedly, looking over at Will, who was sleeping with his mouth slightly agape and a loud snore escaping his nose every thirty seconds or so. I took the pen in my hand and tossed it at him, it landing with a thump against his chest. He sat up startled, looking down at the pen that slid into his lap.
“What the hell?” he said, rubbing his eyes sleepily.
“You can’t just tell me to write my feelings and then pass out, asshole. Ineedyou.”
He reached down and pressed the button on the side of his seat, bringing him upright.
“What do you have so far?” he asked, extending his hand in a “give me” motion.
I reluctantly handed it over.
Will squinted as he looked over the few pages I had destroyed with scribbled out words.
“Hmmm…” he said, scratching the back of his head.
“I told you I’m not good at this…” I groaned.
He flipped back to the first page to the letter I had written Juliet, though almost all of it was crossed out, except for the part that said I was falling for her, and had been since I met her.
“This is it?” he asked, raising a brow.
“It’s all I could think of.” I shrugged.
“Then it’s all she needs to hear. You don’t need me writing your words for you. Not for this.”
“You’re not just trying to go back to sleep?” I asked, crossing my arms.
“Well, yes. But I do think it’s good as it is. Sweet and simple. To the point. It’s like a song with a catchy chorus that you can’t get out of your head. Don’t complicate it.”
I laughed to myself. Of course, Will would turn it into some musical metaphor.
He grabbed the blanket and brought it up to his chin before readjusting the seat to as low as it could go. I tried to relax, do the same as him, but sleep never came. My thoughts kept drifting over to Juliet and how I would be seeing her in less than twenty-four hours.
