A lockdown love story

Tea with a stranger

Chapter nine

Lilah didn't get much sleep. For yet another night she found herself searching high and low for an apartment. She thought anything would be an upgrade from the other viewing, turns out, they were all too similar. Apart from one...

She left a lengthy and polite voicemail to Mr Parker requesting for him to set up a viewing. Lilah was using her last ounce of hope on it. But now, it was officially morning, and she had a job to attend.

She tightened the belt for the black pinstriped trousers and slid her black oversized blazer to compliment her fitted white cotton shirt. Her simple outfit was soon glammed up by her glowing makeup and signature gold jewellery. She smiled down at her locket, it contained a picture of her younger brother and her parents, she missed them dearly but New York was where she belonged, for now. She scrapped back half her layered hair, leaving two curls to frame her face. It was hard to believe last night she was consumed by panic and now she looked professional, she had a skill when it came to masking things.

Lilah gasped when she saw Duke holding a mug in the kitchen. He laughed at the surprised girl. "Good morning, Lilah." He said with an endearing smile.

"You're chirpy for someone with a hangover." She replied, flipping the kettle on. Duke chuckled and stepped to the side, allowing her more room.

"A hangover is merely a state of mind." He shrugged. Lilah cocked her head, his words almost made sense. You can push through pain, so you can easily survive a sensitive mood. "I assume the blanket was your doing?" He questioned with narrowed eyes.

Lilah smirked and retrieved her mug from the cupboard. "I couldn't leave you cold, now could I?"

"Cole certainly would." He laughed. Duke had a deep laugh, it suited him. On the outside he was intimidating, tall, broad and strong. However, as soon as Lilah started talking to him he wasn't nearly as tough as he looked, he was calming. "He's okay you know. I mean Cole can be hard to deal with, but he's good at heart."

"I'm sure he is." Lilah quietly replied, pouring the boiling water into the mug to brew her morning tea.

"I imagine everyone has tried to sell his good side to you." Duke smirked.

"Pretty much." Lilah laughed. It was undeniable Cole had some good friends around him.

"Well I'm always honest and I promise you he's not always an arsehole. And he shouldn't have spoken to you like that."

"He was right though. This is his apartment after all."

Duke tutted at her. "Doesn't mean he has to be a dick about it." He said with raised eyebrows. It felt like he was Lilah's friend in that moment. "Give me your phone." He told her, already holding his hand out. Lilah sighed and granted his request. "That's my number." He said while he typed away on Lilah's phone. "If you ever need someone to knock some sense into him. I'll gladly do it." He chuckled, handing Lilah her phone back.

"Thanks Duke." Lilah smiled, remembering what it's like to have a nice morning. Lilah and Scarlet always had a chat over tea in the morning, it could be discussing their day or whatever crazy things Scarlet had floating about in her pretty head.

"No problem." He reassured, shooting her a wink. He picked up his jacket and headed for the kitchen door. "Oh, we're going for drinks at the bar later, you should come down."

Duke closed the apartment door leaving the two roommates who were on rocky territory alone. Lilah very much doubted she would take him up on his offer. She was still embarrassed about how Cole exposed their situation to his friends. She assumed they would have known already, but holding it against her in front of strangers was hurtful to her. Duke's kindness made her feel more reassured, as they thought Cole in fact was the one out of order, but Lilah was still hesitant to spend time with them, it's not like she'd be around much longer.

The sound of Cole's bedroom door clicking open prompted Lilah to grab her bag and bolt to the door. She made sure to pack everything she needed so she wouldn't forget and have to face him. The less time they had to spend together the better.

Cole sighed in disappointment when he saw the shadow to Lilah's petite body leave their apartment. He hoped he could have justified his words, maybe even apologise, but it seemed Lilah didn't want to be in his presence at all. Out of all the days complaining about each other this was the first time he actually wished she'd stay.

***

"You need to hold your ground girl." An assertive voice told Lilah over the phone.

"It's not that easy Letty." Lilah replied as she dodged the busy people of New York. Scarlet had grown tired of the stories she had heard about Lilah being pushed into meetings and ordered to do things she shouldn't be doing. A big part of her felt guilty. When Lilah was in the process of deciding which job she would accept Scarlet swayed her to Carmen and Co. It was the job that would keep them together in the city, she hated the thought of her best friend leaving. Now she felt like the most selfish person on the planet.

"You should use some of the frustration you have for Cole on Carmen. You'd be junior partner before you know it." Scarlet chuckled, Lilah giggled along thinking of the many things she wished she could insult her roommate about, but at the risk of being kicked out, she kept her lips sealed.

"I'm about to walk in. I'll talk to you later." Lilah said as she put the phone down.

The office was manic, more than usual, which put Lilah on tender hooks before she had even sat down. The poor interns couldn't get the coffee machines working quick enough, Lilah felt sympathy for their struggle, she too had many weeks dealing with the same problem. In true Lilah style she forgot her normal route and aimed for the struggling girl but Carmen's stern voice cut through the air. "Lilah, here now!"

Lilah couldn't figure out if she in particular was in trouble, or if Carmen was just stressed in general, either one had a bad outcome. Lilah quickly made her way over, giving the intern a quick piece of advice. "It's a stubborn machine, check the filter." They sighed and thanked her immensely.

"Good morning Carmen." Lilah politely greeted as she put her bag on her desk.

"Keep your things, we're heading for a meeting." Carmen said as she scanned over some documents luring over Lilah's stacked desk. "I know they're boring. But believe me, you will want to be in this one." She continued with a devious smirk. A sentence like that should bring reassurance to her, but it only made her more nervous.

Lilah followed Carmen down the usual halls, she thought back to her first day in the office. She nearly got lost trying to find the back office and now she could navigate with her eyes closed. The glass rooms were always so busy, she still didn't know what everyone did but she knew they were important.

Carmen stepped to the side of the door and waited for Lilah to stand next to her. Lilah furrowed her brows at her bosses strange behaviour, but when Carmen opened the door it became clear.

Lilah's jaw dropped when she saw who was sat at the desk. Davina Louis.