When We First Meth

I'm Not Delusional

Delusional?

How are he call her delusional?

She wasn't delusional. All Tessa could be described as was a passionate reader who wished she could find the kind of love the female characters in her books had. But he was rude enough to be an asshole. Here she was, thinking he was a sensible human since he was one of the smartest students in her erotica writing class.

Her jaws clenched. "Stupid Darell Powers."

She glanced at her wristwatch, which catapulted her heartbeat to a frenetic pace. Late - an unforgivable sin in the fast-paced world of social media marketing, particularly when working for an Erotica publishing company where deadlines were sacrosanct.

Desires Inc. It was one hell of a company.

She could already envision Oscar Hernandez, her notoriously stern boss, with his furrowed brows of disapproval. The thought scattered shivers down her spine. Oscar had this compelling presence, his handsome features accentuated by piercing blue eyes and a head of neatly styled blonde hair, which somehow amplified the intensity of his displeasure. He was the cliche book boyfriend, Darell had described earlier.

Tessa's footsteps echoed a frantic beat as she hurried through the bustling streets of the city; each second ticking away seemed to echo ominously in her ears. The whirlwind of colors and sounds swirled around her in a disorienting haze as she desperately flagged down a taxi amidst the ocean of people.

Her breath came in quick bursts, heart pounding against her rib cage as if mirroring the chaos of the urban jungle. She finally managed to hail a cab, almost throwing herself into it in her haste. "Please, can you go as fast as possible? I'm extremely late," she urged, anxiety lacing every word.

The taxi swerved into the stream of traffic, skyscrapers looming like giant sentinels watching over the frenzied activities of the city dwellers. Tessa felt the urgency knotting tighter within her as they neared the iconic building that housed her workplace. This towering entity stood as a beacon of creative pursuits and unyielding demands.

Squeezing through the throng of people was akin to wading through a turbulent sea. Each step seemed to be a battle, as she forced her way towards the monolithic structure that held her destination. She could feel beads of perspiration forming at her temples, her breath coming out in erratic puffs as she tried to navigate through the crowd.

Once inside, the elevator seemed to offer a brief sanctuary, a tiny moment to catch her breath before facing the storm that awaited her. Yet, as the doors slid open on her floor, she felt the familiar piercing gazes that seemed to bore into her skin, scrutinizing the patchy patterns of vitiligo that adorned her complexion. Faces twisted in concealed disdain, their silent judgments echoing louder than any spoken words. Tessa cast her eyes down, a bitter cocktail of shame and anger pooling in her gut.

As she reached her office, a wave of trepidation washed over her. There, occupying her space with an air of expectancy, sat Oscar Hernandez. The morning sun accentuated his almost ethereal looks, adding an unsettling grace to his stern demeanor.

Tessa could feel her heartbeat in her throat as she stood at the doorway, unable to find words. Oscar’s eyes met hers, and in that fleeting moment, Tessa couldn't decipher if the flicker in his blue orbs was that of annoyance or something softer, tinged with an understanding that transcended spoken reprimands.

Breathing felt like an effort as she awaited his verdict, bracing herself for the storm that was about to unleash. It was a race against time, a frantic chase for approval and understanding in a world that seldom paused to embrace the beauty in imperfections.