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spine-buster · 4 years ago

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The President Wears Prada (William Nylander) | Chapter 9

November 14th, 2019

Aberdeen Bloom was looking at herself in the mirror.

She wore a beautiful, shimmery navy blue dress she thought completely colour-appropriate for the occasion and used the same pair of heels she wore to prom to complete the outfit. She’d taken an Uber though the walk would have only been seven minutes (she didn’t want to do that in heels) to the Ritz-Carlton Hotel on Wellington Street, where the dinner was taking place in the Wellington Room. Many of the official guests were already there: Kyle and his wife Shannon; Peter, his assistant; Brandon and Laurence and their wives; Cliff Fletcher; Brad Lynn; Leanne Hederson; Hayley Wickenheiser; Mike Babcock and his wife; all of the Leafs community representatives who just happened to be Leafs alumni. Then, all the big wigs from MLSE there: the entire Board of Directors, Larry Tanenbaum included; and the entire “Leaders” team anybody could see on the official website. The people that she didn’t recognize she could only assume were the major donors – the reason they were all there.

John and his wife Aryne thankfully saw her almost immediately and hugged her, keeping her company until Brendan arrived. He had texted her that he was two minutes away, and when he did, she went to meet him at the door. He exited the town car with his wife Catherine, looking absolutely glamourous. Lou waved at her from the front seat.

“Hello Aberdeen,” Brendan smiled as he approached her, his wife’s arm tucked into his.

“Good evening Mr. Shanahan.”

“Brendan,” he quipped. “Aberdeen, I’d like you to meet my wife, Catherine. Catherine this is Aberdeen, my executive assistant.”

“Hi Aberdeen,” she smiled widely, extending her hand to shake. “It’s so nice to finally meet you. Brendan has told me so much about you.”

“Only the good things, I hope,” she joked.

“Brendan can only say good things about Etobicoke girls,” she winked. “You look fabulous, by the way.”

“Oh, thank you!”

The three of them walked through the foyer and up the stairs together, with Catherine almost immediately seeing someone she knew, letting go of Brendan’s arm and going over to say hi. “Do you want me to get you anything? A drink maybe?” Aberdeen asked.

“Not right now. I just need to know where my wife and I are sitting.”

“We’re at table one, just to the right of the stage,” she informed him. “We’re with Kyle and Shannon, Peter, Masai and Ramatu, and Larry and Judy Tanenbaum.”

“Perfect. Thank you. And the prizes are all here?”

“Yes sir. If you go into the Wellington Room they’re all along the wall like you requested.”

“And my speech?”

Aberdeen tapped at her clutch – a borrow from Kasha. “Right here.”

“Good thing I always keep an extra one,” he said, tapping his chest to where his inside pocket was. He let out a breath. “Everybody here?”

“Seems like it, but I know we’re still waiting for a few more people. I haven’t seen some familiar faces.”

“Okay,” he nodded. “Well, feel free to mingle, Aberdeen. This is a good opportunity for you to meet people. When we’re all seated for dinner, I’ll let you know if you need to do anything – if that. Just enjoy your time.”

She was a bit taken aback by that statement. “W…what? But I’m on the clock. You said so yourself.”

Brendan laughed. “I want you to mingle and have fun. Network a bit. I know all of these people. I don’t need to be reminded of who they are,” he explained. “There’s only a hundred or so of them anyway. The Night With the Blue and White in January – that’s much bigger. This is child’s play. So have fun,” he smiled at her. “Now if you don’t mind, I’m going to go find my wife.”

“Okay sir.”

“Brendan,” he looked over his shoulder slightly as he walked away from her, approaching his wife who was chatting with an equally glamourous looking woman.

Aberdeen didn’t know what to do with herself. He wanted her to network? Not work? Really? She tried to find a familiar face in the crowd, but John and Aryne were speaking to another couple, and even Peter, Kyle’s assistant, was engrossed in a conversation with Leanne Hederson. She felt awkward approaching them even though she knew Leanne and spoke with her on multiple occasions. Being in an office was one thing, but in such a formal setting like this, the vibe was much different.

“Girl Friday?” a voice asked from behind her.

She closed her eyes and immediately cringed. Turning around, she saw Ethan Baker standing behind her. She tried not to vomit in her mouth. “You really need to stop calling me that.”

“You got an invite?”

“Why wouldn’t I?” she asked.

“I thought this was only for important people,” he said.

She rolled her eyes. A waitress approached them with some flutes of drinks, and Aberdeen took one, knowing she’d need alcohol to get through whatever conversation she was about to have with Ethan. Ethan took one too, taking a quick sip. “Thanks, Ethan. I can always count on you to bring me back down to earth when my head is getting too big,” she quipped.

“You look good though,” he said.

She furrowed her brows; she didn’t know a compliment was capable of coming out of his mouth. “Uh, thanks?”

He gave her a very obvious up-down, taking her all in. This was getting more awkward by the second. Was he already drunk? He focused in on her arms. “You have tattoos?”

“Uh, yeah.”

“Why haven’t I seen them?”

“I guess you weren’t looking.”

Ethan furrowed his brows. “Has Brendan seen them?”

“Of course he has. It’s not like they’re offensive. They’re lines from poems,” she said, almost immediately regretting it. She knew she was going to have to explain them at one point or another, but she wanted to prolong that as much as possible.

“What are they?” he asked, turning his head to the side as if that would give him a better look.

She sighed. “The one below the right elbow is the last line from the poem Ulysses by Alfred, Lord Tennyson – ‘to strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield’,” she said, flashing the delicate ink quickly. “And the one below the left elbow is from the Roman philosopher Seneca – ‘we are waves of the same sea’.”

He squinted at them, taking in the information that she was telling him. “They’re a bit dumb, Brendan Girl.”

Aberdeen’s breath hitched in her throat. She didn’t need stupid idiot Ethan Baker to approve of her tattoos by any means, but even unacknowledging them or changing the subject immediately afterwards would have been nicer. He had no idea what they meant to her; no idea about their significance. And now, he even gave her another stupid nickname. Even stupider than the last. “Wow, you really know how to charm a girl, huh?”

“That’s what I’m here for.”

“And all this time I thought you just watched video playback all day.”

“More important than getting coffee, wouldn’t you say?”

“Hey, Aberdeen!” a voice suddenly called out from across the foyer. Both Ethan and Aberdeen looked to see Jason and Jennifer Spezza approaching them. Aberdeen had never been so happy to see his goofy smile in her life. From behind him, she saw William wearing a perfectly tailored three-piece blue suit. God, they fucking matched. Of all colours he had to wear tonight…

“Hey Jason,” Ethan said, trying to take over, even going so far as extending his hand so Jason could shake it.

Jason completely ignored him as he leaned in to give Aberdeen a quick kiss on the cheek. Aberdeen eyed William standing behind him as he did so, who was looking down at Ethan’s hand. “Aberdeen, you’ve met Jen at the SBA,” he said, motioning between her and his wife.

“It’s so nice to see you again, Aberdeen,” Jen smiled as she gave her a kiss on the cheek. “I love your dress.”

“Oh, thanks Jen!” Aberdeen smiled, patting it down slightly, suddenly a bit self-conscious. Much like Aryne Tavares and Catherine Shanahan, Jen looked absolutely glamourous and flawless. Aberdeen, on the other hand, felt like she stuck out like a sore thumb. She was appropriately dressed, but these women just exuded a confidence and elegance she was sure she didn’t have. At least yet. She eyed William patiently waiting for a greeting and decided to indulge him. “Hi William.”

“Hey Aberdeen,” he said, leaning in and giving her a kiss on the cheek. “Do I look good?”

“You look like you should be in an Abba tribute band.”

Jason, Jen, and William laughed at her comment; Ethan did not. He had never been in on the joke. “Well, we match,” William commented, eyeing her body in the dress.

“You know what they say…great minds,” Jason quipped.

***

The dinner was going off without a hitch. She sat in between Brendan and Peter at the table, looking out onto all the guests seated at theirs. Brendan made a nice speech before dinner, as did Larry Tanenbaum. They had a champagne toast and were served a delicious appetizer. Aberdeen was looking forward to the incoming filet. She excused herself from the table to go to the bar, wanting to grab a ginger ale before the main course. She wouldn’t drink in front of Brendan, despite his insistence that it was okay.

As she waited, she saw Ethan approach the bar too, but she tried to ignore him. He ended up standing right next to her, so interaction was inevitable. She truly wondered why he wanted to interact with her so much if all he did was put her down. It was clear he had a sick ego, and that putting people down fed that ego. But why did he pick on her? And did he pick on anyone else? Maybe people in his own department?

She decided not to say hi to him – not to start an interaction at all. Maybe he’d ignore her and be on his merry way. But as with every interaction with Ethan, that would not be the case. “You having a good time at the table with the big boys, Brendan girl?” he asked, leaning one arm against the bar.

“It’s fun,” she nodded her head, trying to say as little as possible.

“I still can’t believe you’re in that position. That he hired you over some of the more qualified people that applied,” he shook his head.

How the hell did he know? How the hell did video analyst Ethan Baker know any of the other candidates who applied to the posi—oh my God. ‘Oh my God’ Aberdeen thought to herself. He applied to the position. He knew who the other candidates were because he applied to the position and didn’t get it. Brendan hired her instead. That’s why he was the way he was with her. “Why is it so unbelievable?” she asked, now having to mask the fact that she knew why he was always being a dick to her.

“Do you even know, or did you even hear of who Larry Tanenbaum was before you worked here?”

“I’m sorry, but did we all not watch him lift the Larry O’Brien in June?” she asked. “Do you honestly think I’m that dumb?”

“I don’t think you’re dumb. I just think you’re unqualified,” he clarified, because that made it so much better. “It’s a great job. I just hope you know how lucky you are.”

“I do,” she said. That was all she heard since she started this job.

“And besides – it’s a good thing that your friends with the guys now, you know,” he said, the jealousy coming back in his voice.

“Why’s that?”

He shrugged his shoulders. “It makes the job easier. Maybe one of them will take pity on you. You’ll never survive Brendan,” he said matter-of-factly.

Her mouth dropped. She’d been surviving so far, albeit with some hiccups along the way…what made him think she would never survive Brendan? “E…Excuse me?”

“You seem nice…smart,” he said. “You can’t do that job.”

The bartender finally placed her ginger ale in front of her – and thank God he did, because she’d had enough. Fuck him. Fuck Ethan Baker. “Gotta go,” she mumbled, turning on her heels to leave.

“Bye Brendan Girl.”

***

“It was so nice to see you, Aberdeen,” Jennifer Spezza hugged her one last time as Jason waved at her from the curb. She was still inside, keeping warm; he was out on the sidewalk, hailing a taxi. “You’re getting an Uber, right?” she asked.

“Yes ma’am,” Aberdeen nodded her head, flashing her phone.

Jen looked towards William. “And you’re staying with her until it comes?”

“Yes ma’am,” he nodded his head.

“Good,” she said definitively. She pushed the door open with William’s help. “I’ll see you soon, Aberdeen. Stay safe!” she called out as she ran as quickly as her heels could let her towards the taxi. Jen sent one final wave as the taxi drove away, leaving Aberdeen and William alone.

Will was, of course, the first to look at her. “How far away is the Uber?” he asked.

“Two minutes according to the app,” Aberdeen said as she glanced at her phone.

“And you don’t…I mean, you don’t want to walk home?” he asked, a glimmer of hope in his voice.

“Not in these heels,” Aberdeen giggled. “My feet are already killing me.”

“I could carry you.”

Aberdeen gave Will a look. “We’re not going to do that to your back.”

“Come on,” he smiled mischievously. “I bet I could do it.”

“Too bad we’re not going to try,” she said, glancing down at her phone again. “We should go outside to wave the car down.”

William opened the door for her, and they walked out together. Aberdeen looked to her left to try to see if the car was coming. William was only looking at her – how she looked between the street and her phone to see if the car was getting any closer. How her hair blew in the wind of the night. “Tomorrow’s going to be the last time I see you for two weeks,” he said, his voice low. He tried to imprint how she looked right now into his mind so he could remember it on the road trip.

“I know.”

“Did Brendan tell you why he wasn’t coming with us?” he asked.

“No. But it’s probably because it’s too long to be away from his family,” Aberdeen said. “His kids are his life. He wouldn’t miss a school function or any of that.”

William watched as she waved down the Uber, who pulled up to the curb. He wanted to get into the car with her. He wanted to go back with her to her building, no matter how short the ride was. Just to be able to stare at her a little bit longer. Just to spend more time with her, since he wasn’t able to spend all the time he wanted to spend with her tonight. “I’m going to miss you,” he said.

He could see her bite her lip. She looked up at him, her hand already on the handle. “Will…”

“Aberdeen? Aberdeen is that you?” a voice rang out suddenly, interrupting the moment.

Aberdeen and William looked to their left. A man was standing in a stylish peacoat, his group of friends continuing to walk ahead of him at a slower pace. He had a bewildered look on his face, like he couldn’t believe what he was seeing. William looked down at Aberdeen. She looked like she’d just seen a ghost. “Zane. Hi.”

“Oh my God. Didn’t think I’d ever catch you outside the Ritz Carlton,” Zane smiled, approaching closer to them. “How’ve you been?”

“I’ve been good,” she gulped, trying to clear her mind of all the memories that were popping up. She felt William’s hand on her back and it brought her back down to earth. “William, this is Zane. Zane, this is William N—”

“Zane Kennedy,” he interrupted her, shaking William’s hand almost too enthusiastically. “Aberdeen and I dated in university, but we’re friends now.”

Aberdeen wanted to protest. They weren’t friends. They were the furthest thing from being friends. They’d barely spoken since the breakup, since he was such a jackass about it and broke her heart. She hadn’t been with anyone since – well, besides William. That’s how much it affected her. And she was sure William was the only person capable of helping her get over him.

“You don’t say,” Will said, his tone slightly sarcastic. He looked down at Aberdeen and didn’t see any friendliness in her eyes. He only saw contempt for the statement Zane just made, which made William know he was lying.

Zane focused his attention back to Aberdeen. “What are you doing out here?”

“I…I just came from an event,” she said. She felt William’s arm snake around her waist even more, making her shiver.

“An event? With the bank? Or did you finally figure out what you wanted to do?”

Now she was getting angry. She always knew what she wanted to do; he just didn’t think being a writer was a serious career choice. She mustered up all the confidence within her. “No, not with the bank. I work for the Toronto Maple Leafs.”

Zane was taken aback at the news. “The…Toronto Maple Leafs?” he asked. “Like the hockey team?”

“That’s why she was going to introduce you to William Nylander before you interrupted her,” William piped up, smiling slightly.

Zane was smart enough to get the hint William was making. He smiled. “You know, I thought you looked familiar,” he told William.

“You’ve probably seen me on TV once or twice,” Will quipped.

Zane could tell where this was going. There was a lot he could have said to Aberdeen, but with William there, he decided against it. He did have to admit one thing, though. “Well, you look good Aberdeen,” he said, licking his lips quickly.

William could feel a rush of irritation and impatience coursing through his veins at Zane’s comment. “She does, doesn’t she?” he asked rhetorically. “She looked even better inside without her coat on, but only us lucky ones got to see that,” he said, staring directly into Zane’s eyes. “Now if you don’t mind, I have to make sure she gets home safe, or else I’ll have to answer to Brendan Shanahan and to Jennifer Spezza, and, well – between you and I – I’m more scared of Jennifer Spezza.”

“That’s cool,” Zane said, backing up. “Have a good night, Aberdeen.”

William opened the car door behind her as she watched Zane rejoin his friends who had been looking on at the interaction. She shuffled into the backseat, watching as William waved dramatically at Zane before getting into the backseat beside her. “It’s a very quick drive, I know. But I promise I’ll tip you a lot,” she said as the driver signalled to merge onto the road again.

She looked over at William who was still seething slightly at the comments Zane made. She was realizing a lot of things lately, and here was yet another one: no matter how hard she tried to suppress what was happening between them, she would still have feelings for William, and he would still have feeling for her. It was inevitable. Nothing could stop it. She could say anything, do anything – it didn’t matter. William was competitive. William was persistent. William was determined. William was…William. It would be hard, she’d give him that – because absolutely nothing could happen while she was working for Brendan and the Leafs – but she could finally admit to herself, at least, that there was something there. Something that William absolutely refused to hide. And in him refusing to hide it, it just made her own feelings bubble slowly towards the surface, like lava oozing out of a volcano.

But nothing could happen. Not now, if not ever. Regardless of how William felt. Regardless of how she felt.

“You dated that guy?” William asked, his voice breaking her thoughts.

“Yeah. For most of third year university,” she admitted.

“He’s a bit of a dick.”

She laughed. If William could ascertain that after a minute long conversation, she could only imagine what opinion he’d have of Zane after an entire conversation. “You’re telling me.”

“Why’d you guys break up?” William asked.

She gave him a look. He just had to know. He just really had to know. “We outgrew each other. He also didn’t think writing was a serious career path. He told me I should consider a Master’s, or go to law school like him,” she explained. “He was the one who initiated the breakup, saying that he wanted to take the last year of university to, like, be one with himself and figure out if law school was really for him. But a month after we broke up, he was hooking up and dating this girl we knew, Alessia – a total smokeshow but dumb as a rock. Anyways, judging by his pretentious jacket, he got into law school.” She paused, considering the timeline of the events. “I think it was just three weeks, actually.”

“You deserve better than that,” William said after a moment of silence, digesting her words. He wanted to stop the Uber so he could run back to Zane and punch him in the face. He couldn’t believe someone would have the gall to treat her like that. And then to see her in the street and approach her like an old friend? How dare he.

“I know I do,” she said as she looked out the window.

William took a few deep breaths as he looked at her, wanting to say so many things but unable to decide exactly what to say. She still looked so beautiful and he didn’t know how to use his words. He was so desperate; so desperate to touch her even though he knew she’d flinch away; so desperate to kiss her even though he knew it was wrong. He didn’t know how he was going to last two whole weeks without seeing her when she’d become such a staple in his life. He had to physically restrain himself from placing his hand on her arm. “Can we FaceTime when I’m gone?”

Aberdeen whipped her head to look at him. From the look on her face it was as if he just proposed they elope in Las Vegas. “Will, no.”

“Aberdeen, please—please—”

“No way William. No way.”

“It’s not like you’re going to be at the office when we do—”

“Will, that’s…that’s really inappropriate.”

“Aberdeen—”

“William—”

“Can’t you tell by now I don’t care that it’s inappropriate?” he asked. His hand had inched towards hers and was merely centimetres away before he had the wherewithal to pull it back dramatically. Not being able to hold her hand was absolute fucking torture for him and he didn’t know how he was going to survive it.

“Well can’t you tell by now I do care?” she retorted. “It can’t happen Will. There’s no way.”

He admitted defeat. There was no way he would win this, no matter how much he begged. No matter how much he tried to explain himself. “I’m just gonna miss you, Aberdeen. And I’m gonna want to see you.”

“I know you will,” she said. “But it can’t happen Will. I’m sorry.”

The Uber driver pulled up to the curb outside Aberdeen’s building, where William had dropped her off at almost the same time last night. Aberdeen thanked him, getting out of the car. William slid towards where she had just been and rolled down the window. “I’ll see you tomorrow, right?” he asked. They were facing the Bruins tomorrow. She needed to be there.

“I’ll be there,” she said, unable to hold her smile. “Get some sleep, Will. You’ve gotta score tomorrow.”

“Only for you, minskatt.”

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