Chapter 11
\nThree Years Later, He Came Back Begging novel Chapter 11<\/p>\n
Since they had to work on Saturday, the office was almost empty by Friday evening. Most people had finished up and gone home, except for a few who were frantically tweaking sketches for a client and, of course, Bonnie and Helen.<\/p>\n
Helen was just waiting around for her boyfriend to pick her up. It was their anniversary, and they had plans to celebrate that night.<\/p>\n
She glanced over and saw Bonnie still glued to her laptop, so she grabbed some snacks and settled next to her, keeping her company while Bonnie worked.<\/p>\n
Ever since Bonnie broke up with Lawrence and cut ties with her family, she hadn\u2019t taken a single penny from them. She followed her professor on projects, picked up part-time gigs, did freelance design work online, and even tutored students prepping for design exams. Bonnie wasn\u2019t just one of those students who got good grades; she was actually great at making money too.<\/p>\n
You could call her a little rich kid, just without the family backup.<\/p>\n
But even with a decent pile of savings, she never slacked off.<\/p>\n
Helen nodded at the screen. \u201cIs that due tonight?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot really,\u201d Bonnie replied, crunching numbers on a calculator. \u201cAs long as it\u2019s done by tomorrow. But I want to go swimming then, so I don\u2019t want to come back here.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bonnie was never the type to sit still. She liked biking in spring, swimming in summer, hiking in the fall, and skiing in winter. She always found a way to keep busy.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re seriously a time management genius,\u201d Helen laughed, giving her a thumbs-up.<\/p>\n
Helen, on the other hand, was the total opposite \u2014 basically allergic to exercise.<\/p>\n
Bonnie smiled. She was used to it. Working out helped her sleep better at night and made it easier to shake off stress. Once something becomes your habit, it\u2019s almost impossible to quit.<\/p>\n
Helen\u2019s phone buzzed. \u201cNed\u2019s here. I\u2019m heading out. Don\u2019t forget to have dinner, okay? Your stomach\u2019s going to hate you if you skip again.\u201d She got up and waved goodbye.<\/p>\n
Bonnie nodded. After Helen left, a couple more coworkers cleared out, some reminding Bonnie that cab rides home after nine could be reimbursed.<\/p>\n
Soon the office was almost silent. Bonnie stared at the CAD drawings on her monitor. Next to the shaded Phase II land, Phase I sprawled beside it.<\/p>\n
As she walked out of the office lobby, a wave of muggy air hit her, wiping away the last traces of air conditioning.<\/p>\n
She looked up and saw Lawrence standing in the smoking area. He had a cigarette between his fingers, the ember glowing dangerously close to his skin. One hand was in his pocket, and his gaze was heavy and tired.<\/p>\n
He wore a black shirt and tailored black slacks, the sleeves rolled up. She couldn\u2019t see the brand of his watch from here, but she knew it wasn\u2019t the one he used to wear three years ago.<\/p>\n
Her mind wandered back. When they first started dating, Lawrence had given her a bracelet \u2014 icy blue jade, almost luminous. There was no way she could afford something like that, but she didn\u2019t make a big deal about it. She could never match him when it came to money, but she cared more about the meaning behind things.<\/p>\n
She didn\u2019t need to put on a show.<\/p>\n
Still, she saved up and bought him a Longines watch.<\/p>\n
Lawrence had grinned back then and told her he\u2019d never wear another watch. Even if it stopped working, he said, he\u2019d still keep it on his wrist.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"template":"","class_list":["post-679","chapter","type-chapter","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/kampoengnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/chapter\/679","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/kampoengnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/chapter"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/kampoengnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/chapter"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/kampoengnews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=679"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}