LIZA
The last five months were such a blur. All the adjustments she had to make. All the arrangements to make sure Kelsey fluidly took on her place as publisher. The taunts from Diana about... Well pretty much everything. And just coming out to the world as a 40 year old poser, which in her own mind was an absolute sign of being a fraud, while Quinn took advantage of her position. It had all been hectic. The only thing that had made the whole ordeal just a little bit easier was all the nights she had spent in Charles's arms just talking, whispering and making love till daybreak.
And now that their relationship outburst had pretty much fizzled out and even the media had gotten tired of posting *boss and assistant have affair* kinda articles, Liza's life had just fallen into a comfortable, happy rhythm...
After a lot of side-ways comments and jabs Diana had pretty much come to accept the fact that Liza and Charles were a thing. A thing for real. And she had embraced her with open arms and Liza had realised how much she had grown to appreciate Diana - her 40 something companion and maybe even a mentor. This friendship had been very new to her though. Especially the hectic brunch appointments in the middle of work when Diana would ask her a couple of questions about how it was going with Charles and then just start rambling about the one man in her life - Enzo. And while she nodded along, Liza just secretly hoped that Diana would be this happy forever.
Well, Kelsey on the other hand, was a bit of an issue. Being publisher was either not her thing... or had been forced on her a little too soon. Making decisions was Kelsey's strong point for sure and Liza admired her ability to quash ssituations with ease. But standing up to Quinn was a major road block. For Quinn was the reason Kelsey even had her job and denying her anything would basically mean resigning. And while Kelsey sweet talked while she was around Quinn, Liza was the one who bore the brunt of her anger. All the ranting and shouting. She was just tired of it. But with 4 months and a lot, a real lot, of practice, Kelsey had learned her way around the system. And that basically meamt Liza was off the hook for now and that made her happy.
Charles, however, was the biggest change in her life. For whatever anyone did to her, he was the one who somehow managed to make it better. She could even remember the number of nights she had come home all sweaty, annoyed and beat, just to find Charles waiting for her with a bucket of ice cream and an old rom-com. Just seeing him often made her feel better. It was weird. She wasn't exactly ever used to being pampered. And she wasn't used to wanting to love someone this much either. So whether it was a bad day at work or just some other drama, wrapping herself up in his arms, solved most of her issues.
Josh had been a good friend. The baby was growing fast. And it looked exactly like Josh. Seeing him with a baby just endeared him to her more than ever. She felt proud... proud to see him handle something with such responsibility. And just happy that he had gotten what he wanted. Clare was an amazing mother too. She always knew what she was supposed to do. And her and Josh were very much in sync. And oh God did Liza love the baby. She almost reminded her of Caitlyn. And while Liza was happy, she was always worried that at some point Josh would be pushed over the edge and bail on everything again. And she didn't want that. He was finally moving on. He deserved to be happy without her. Just as she was without him.
Lauren, as vibrant and outgoing as she always has been, was an excellent publicist. She made sure millennial was represented at every possible publishing event and just basically pushed Kelsey to get out there and make her mark on the world. Lauren had nearly not cared for Liza's age and she was the first. Her words exactly had been, "It's the person inside that matters Liza. And you're as young as any of us. Although you could probably be just as much of a mentor as Maggie could be... whoa. Anyway.", and with that she had just hugged her and gone back to her job. She was simple and honest and just beautiful in her own spunky way.
Maggie was just the sweetest. There was a champagne bottle always at the ready everytime Liza landed a new author, because hey who need a a reason to celebrate, right? And her moral support and typical bff pep talks had kept her going.
And now with all the pieces of the puzzle falling in place, Liza's life was so much simpler. All the people she loved were with her. She worked hard at her dream job. And it all just kept getting better. She heaved a sigh, a sigh of contentment. Her life was exactly where she wanted it to be.
"Hey, you ready to go?", said a soft voice behind her, as his arm slowly caressed her shoulder. He bent down to slowly kiss her cheek, before he wrapped his arm around her waist."You look perfect tonight.", he whispered, as they both looked at the couple before them in the mirror. The lady dressed in a maroon satin dress, with the arms of a handsome man in a fixed wrapped around her. Ooh did they look.
She turned to face him, looking all the way up to see his face.
"I love you.", she said, rising up on her tip toes as she brushed her lips against his. He slowly slid his hand up her back, biting her lip lightly before he pulled back. "I love you so much too. But I think Diana is expecting us soon."
Charles held out his hand, tightly enveloping hers in his own as he lead her to the door.
"Remind me to make her wear my blue garter. Could be her something borrowed and something blue, you know.", and with that she lifted her dress and stepped out the door.