She Gets Me | #DarkRomance | RomePi™

֍3: The Christmas Party֍ 📋

~TORREN~

Right after I finished my text message responding back to one of the supervisor's issues concerning a client, I looked up to see what appeared to be my psycho neighbor.

Even though I only caught a partial side view and a full view of his back as he made his way through the crowd, the hairs standing up on the back of my neck convinced me that it was indeed him just as he disappeared.

To spot him sort of caught me off guard.

I was left with an uneasy feeling warning me to be very careful. My anxiety began to rise as a bit of a queasy feeling rumbled in the pit of my stomach.

I would be lying if I insisted his constant rejections of me didn't frustrate me to no end, but in truth, they did.

With no definitive reason for his blatant disdain for me, his dismissive attitude was beginning to take a serious toll on my psyche.

In my opinion, it's impossible to fix a problem without first identifying how it became an issue in the first place. Because I had no idea how to approach him, I opted to focus on something more productive since a sit down with him most likely was a futile exercise.

Finally, I decided to enjoy my lunch and leave my concerns about my neighbor for another time as we scarfed down the most delicious spicy dishes and then quickly headed back to work.

After I made it back to my office, shiny bright red foil commanded my attention from across the room.

Someone had placed the item on my keyboard making it impossible for me to miss it. Further examination revealed that it was a holiday card. I opened it to see what cheesy 'Season's Greeting' awaited me, but it was an invitation to the company's Christmas party to my chagrin.

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(3rd Person - POV)
~TORREN~

She had already distributed her season's greeting cards about a week prior to receiving the invitation.

Torren always selected cards with traditional Norman Rockwell scenes on them because they reminded her of the holidays spent with a rather large family and friends. Such a nostalgic selection was nice, but they were nothing compared to the ornate detail of the one resting on her desk. It had a red foil background with a scene of puffy white snow, a sleigh pulled by white horses, and people enjoying a white Christmas. The letters sparkling on the card were beautifully inscribed in silver foil right above the scene.

"It's that time of the year again and we look forward to showing the management team our appreciation for your hard work and dedication. You are cordially invited to attend the company Christmas Dinner which will be held on Friday, December 22nd. We will meet at Il Tavolo Della Famiglia at six o'clock sharp. Remember to bring warm smiles and a hearty appetite as we celebrate the holiday season together."

Not showing up for the company gathering was seriously frowned upon, so Torren had to prepare her mind to visit with her co-workers for at least two hours after the close of a typically frantic day.

As she admired the artwork on the invitation, the previous year's Christmas Dinner came to mind. Her boss and several of the managers enjoyed themselves a little too much resulting in them stumbling around speaking gibberish after getting completely wasted.

She was hopeful this year wouldn't be another show of crazy drunk people, but Torren knew to prepare herself for whatever might come on that day.

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~CHRISTMAS DINNER~

A party guest joined them and Martin had the illustrious responsibility of introducing the gentleman who had casually strolled up to his team's tables. He explained to his upper management team leaders that the man was a good friend of his and a co-owner of the building housing their offices. Furthermore, he elaborated that since his friend was unable to join his family for the holidays, he'd invited him to spend time with their crew.