Falling for the CEO

"Isabelle, will you walk Sterling out please?" Mrs. Strahm asked as she headed for her office.

"Of course." I smiled.

Sterling and I had always been close so it was a pleasure to see him out. He was my first friend when I came to the orphanage after my mother had gone crazy. He was always by my side since our first meeting. Even after he left with his father and step mother he still came back here regularly to see me.

He had changed a lot as he grew up. Sterling grew more and more handsome. He was a young copy of his father with his jet black hair and icy blue eyes. He had become quite the athlete over the years which gave him a fit physique. He kept his black hair a little shorter on the sides but longer on the top, allowing him to spike it up from time to time.

I had changed myself. My chocolate brown hair got longer over the years and it was now down to my waist. My grey eyes had always been a noticeable feature but seemed to stand out more now that I was older. My cheeks had become another prominent feature of mine as I got older and my features began to stick out more. They were high placed and gave me a sharper look, at least that's what I had been told.

Throughout the last twelve years we grew closer and closer. However, I was beginning to get interested in boys being more than friends. I had discovered how much fun dating could be and I knew I wanted Sterling. I was too scared to tell him my true feelings though. I didn't want to lose my best friend.

"Walking me out again Izzy, how sweet of you." Sterling's voice pulled me out of my thoughts.

"It's what friends are for right?" I tried to hide the fact I was blushing.

"Well, let's go then." He smiled as he waited for me to stand by his side.

He opened the door of the orphanage and we both walked outside. Since I was sixteen Mrs. Strahm wasn't as watchful of me anymore. She had a new group of youngsters to keep an eye on.

"How's school going Izzy?" He asked as we stepped off the last stair.

"It's not too bad." I answered. "What about you?"

"Just getting everything I need to finish up before graduation in three months." He responded. Sterling was a senior in highschool, his eighteenth birthday was going to be next month.

"Sounds exciting." We stopped and faced each other. "What's your plans after that?"

"My father wants me to go to college. Then once I come back I'll get a role at the company." He seemed to be a little excited about the idea.

"Nice." I smiled but part of me felt disappointed. I didn't want him to leave.

I could see his eyes looking me over intensely. He could read me like a book sometimes. "There's still more than enough time for me to come see you before I go. I'll come see you every holiday too." He spoke with sincerity in his tone. "I promise."

"Don't make promises you don't know if you can keep." I looked away from him. "You're going to be busy Sterling. I don't expect you to stop your life to come pay a visit to an orphanage."