Night of Destiny (Anastasia Tillman)

Secing that you've done me such a huge favor, | don’t see how I can turn down the offer, Elliot. It's so nice of you to put in a good word for me. Shall I buy you lunch as thanks for the recommendation?” Lorelai asked, sliding the lunch invitation in as naturally as she could.

Elliot wasted no time in rejecting her politely, “No, thank you. | have something else planned for noon. Maybe next time.” “Well, when exactly is next time?” She was not going to give up on spending time alone with him..

“It depends,” he answered vaguely. He had no plans on accepting her gratitude. “I'll let you know when | have the time.” “Really? I'll hold you to that,’ she said cheerily, flirting subtly as she backed off. She knew that pressing him further would only irritate him, or worse, make him suspicious of her. Nevertheless, she did not leave the office after that and merely fanned herself so that the faint fragrance of her perfume would waft over in his direction. “By the way, I'm at little parched from rushing over here. Could | have a cup of tea, please?” Realizing this, he turned to address Rey, “Go fetch two cups of tea.” When the assistant left the office, Lorelai rose from the couch and walked insouciantly over to the glass wall, basking herself in the afternoon sunlight that spilled generously into the office. She knew her years of toning her figure in the gym had rendered her completely irresistible to men, especially her cinched waist and her subtle curves which inspired most of their scandalous thoughts.

If Elliot was looking at her, or even daring a glimpse, it would be more than enough for her.

However, when she glanced into the reflection on the sparkling glass wall, she saw that he wasn’t even looking in her direction.

In fact, he had his head down as he flipped through work documents.

The only thing that she saw on that glass was her own disappointment. She spun and returned to the couch, then picked up her cup of tea. Taking a sip, she asked, “I'm not bothering you, am I, Elliot?" “No,” he replied distractedly as he glanced up at her, then signed the document with a flourish. “I'll be taking my tea in a bit.” He was just about to reach for his cup. when his phone rang. He took a look at the caller ID and smiled warmly.. Knowing immediately who was on the other line, Lorelai pointed out hastily, “Is that Anastasia? Don't let her know I'm here; | don’t want her getting the wrong idea.” Elliot chuckled. “Anastasia is better than that.” Naturally, he did not plan on telling his wife about Lorelai's visit either. He picked up his phone and greeted in a voice like velvet, “Hey, sweetheart.” “So, | just had an informal meeting with Larry, and | told him to get an office ready for me. Guess we'll be going to work together from now on, honey.” His eyes positively glimmered when he heard this, and he chortled as he said, “You know what. I'll get him to set up an office right on my floor so that we can see each other all the time!” Unfortunately, his suggestion was rejected by his wife, who countered, “No, | don’t want to be on the same stuffy floor as you. | want to have my own space on the same floor as Bourgeois.” He was admittedly hurt, but he brushed it off and gave an exasperated laugh, “Alright, we'll do it your way.” Across from him, Lorelai held her teacup to her lips and glanced at the man who was standing by the glass wall. She took in the sharp lines of his silhouette longingly, and her heart twisted with bitter jealousy when she heard the gentle way he spoke to Anastasia.

She had not seen him for close to a dozen years, but his figure was imprinted in the back of her mind, and she never forgot him even though her father had forced her to stay abroad for years. If it weren't for her father, she would have returned to Elliot's side years ago.

Alas, fate had a cruel sense of humor, for her existence got in the way of her father stealing the Presgrave family fortune. She never even got the chance to tell Elliot of her feelings for him, and all this while, she remembered him as the boy-next door who had sent her heart racing since they were children..

She could still remember how they used to run around the Presgrave Residence gardens together, and how he would take her hand to help her to her feet whenever she fell; he would comfort her when she cried, and stand up for her when she broke a vase or two. He was the only religion she ever knew as a child, the one. person she wanted to devote herself to on a daily basis.

But the universe clearly hated her, because by the time she saw him again after all her years abroad, he was already married with a kid, and he had become devastatingly handsome, more so than she remembered.

“Yes, | promise I'll take a break when | need to and that | won't be a workaholic,” Elliot murmured into the phone with a lovesick grin on his face. He then went on to ask about her morning, and after reminding her to keep warm during her time of the month as well as exchanging sweet nonsense with her, he hung up reluctantly. He turned around, and he seemed surprised to see that Lorelai was still there. Following, he walked over to the couch and took his seat.

“So, it was Anastasia after all. You're so lucky to have found a wife like her. She's wonderful,” Lorelai praised with a smile.

There was a bright gleam in Elliot's eyes as well as he said, “She’s the best. I'm telling you, | don’t know what I did to deserve someone like her.”