Tina settled into her couch as she woke up in the midnight, her mind racing with thoughts of the Vinium Partners. The silence of the house was almost deafening, punctuated only by the occasional tick of the clock on her wall.
Just as she was starting to feel even more restless, her phone rang, shrill in the silence. She picked it up, not knowing who to expect. It was Trevor's warm voice on the other end.
"Hey, how's everything going?" he asked, his tone gentle. "I wanted to call you earlier but I slept off for some reason."
Tina smiled, feeling a sense of relief wash over her. "Everything's still in progress," she replied. "I'm just waiting to hear back from them."
"You've got this, Tina. You're an amazing entrepreneur. I don't want to take you away from your sleep, so... just... Keep me posted, okay?" Trevor's encouragement flowed through the phone lines, boosting Tina's spirits.
Tina thanked him, feeling a sense of gratitude towards him. She wanted to say that she wasn't asleep, but she didn't. When the sun comes up, she'll decide that. She hung up the phone, only to be bombarded by calls from her family for some reason. What if she wasn't awake? Maybe she shouldn't have told Diane that she was almost always awake by midnight. They were all excited to hear from her, and Tina was happy to share her news, even if it was just a progress update.
The rest of the night passed in a blur, with Tina waking up still in her couch. She sighed as she attempted to get up, now feeling a sense of anticipation building in her chest as she remembered what day it was.
The morning dawned bright and early, and Tina was up and ready to go right after her warm shower. She dressed in her best business attire, her heart pounding with excitement. This was it – the day she would finally find out if all her hard work had paid off.
As she arrived at her office, Lamont greeted her with a warm smile. "Good luck today, Tina," he said, his eyes shining with encouragement.
Tina smiled back, feeling a sense of gratitude towards her friend and assistant. "Thanks, Lamont. I'm going to need it."
The morning passed slowly, Tina's nerves building with each passing minute. But finally, at 11 AM sharp, Quentin and his team arrived. Tina's heart skipped a beat as she greeted them, trying to read their expressions.
The meeting was tense, Quentin and his team asking more tough questions than yesterday and scrutinizing Tina's every move. But she held her ground, confident in her abilities and her business plan.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Quentin nodded, a small smile playing on his lips. "We're willing to take a chance on you, Tina," he said. "Welcome to Vinium Partners."
Tina's heart soared as she shook hands with Quentin and his team. They spent the next hour discussing details and signing files, but Tina was on cloud nine, barely able to contain her excitement.
As Quentin and his team left, Tina turned to Lamont, a huge grin spreading across her face. "We did it, Lamont!" she screamed, pumping her fist in the air.
Lamont laughed, joining in her celebration. "Congratulations, Tina! You deserve it."
Tina's phone rang, shrill in the silence. She picked it up, still grinning from ear to ear. "Hello?"
"Tina, congratulations!" Trevor's voice boomed through the phone lines. "For some reason, Quentin called me and gave me the news. You must be over the moon."
Tina laughed, feeling a sense of joy she hadn't felt in months. "I am, Trevor. Thanks for calling. I'm still in shock."
Trevor chuckled. "You deserve to celebrate. Why don't I take you out for dinner tonight?"
Tina didn't even think about it as she agreed, still feeling like she was walking on air. She hung up the phone, turning to Lamont with a smile.
"Go take a break, Lamont. You deserve it. And set up a dinner for tomorrow night with the team to celebrate our new partnership."
Lamont grinned, nodding. "Will do, boss."
Tina's excitement kept building with each passing minute as the day was ending. She met Trevor for dinner, babbling excitedly about her new partnership. Trevor listened, his eyes shining with warmth and admiration. She barely gave him the opportunity to get in a word or two, and when she'd realized that, she stopped herself, flushed now.
"Sorry," she muttered, rubbing on her cheeks.
He smiled. "What are you sorry for?" he asked. "I've missed you, so you talking about yourself for minutes unending isn't a problem for me. As long as you're talking to me and looking at only me, it's fine."
As they finished their meal, he reached across the table, taking Tina's hand in his.
"Tina," he began. "There's something I've been thinking about recently to ask you." At the worried expression on her face, he added, "Don't worry, it's nothing bad. I just... I know we've not even been like a whole month back together yet, and that's fine. You know, you've always been in my heart, even the years you've been gone. I don't think we should use big words yet, since you probably have a lot of things to do now. But I think we both know that we've known each other before now, and we've liked each other before now... So..."
"So?"
He sighed, then looked her in her eyes as he finished his sentence, "Why don't we just be official again? What I'm saying is, will you be my girlfriend? Again."
Silence settled on their table as the words echoed in their ears. Trevor looked at Tina, feeling a bit nervous, wondering if he spoke too soon.
However, for Tina, her mind reeling with shock as she took in his words. His words were unexpected, but at the same time, she understood what he was saying. Why were they trying to take things "slowly" when they already knew a lot about each other? They could learn a lot more about each other by being official again. As she looked into Trevor's eyes, she knew exactly what she wanted.
"Yes, Trevor. I'd love to."
As Trevor grinned, pulling her into a romantic kiss. Which was broken by the vibration from Tina's phone.
"I'm sorry," she apologized, to which he just shrugged, still holding her hand. "I'll switch it off. I forgot."
Just as she was about to switch it off, she discovered it was a message from Enna. It read, "When are you coming to visit? Oh, and are you and Trevor getting married anytime soon? I knew you'd get back together! Coming to my wedding really did make your life better."
Tina chuckled a bit.
"Who is it?"
"My cousin's wife, Enna," she answered. "I'll talk to her later."
For real this time, she said to herself.
Turning her attention back to the love of her life, her smile widened as she reached out to touch his handsome face. Then they both leaned in for a kiss, one deeper than the one they had a few seconds ago.
Breaking it off, with a smile on his face, he asked, "My place?"
She nodded in response to which they kissed again, not able to get enough of each other's lips.
Feeling his warmth in all ways, Tina knew that this was just the beginning of an amazing new chapter in her life. Her and Trevor's.