Always, Tulip

▫️Two

"Are you sure it's okay to miss work though?" Louis was a friendly guy but I still didn't want Leila to get out of her way just to check up on me. I wasn't a baby though I didn't understand why almost all my friends saw me as one. It was really unfair since I didn't even know how to argue with anyone.

"Louis knows you're unwell anyway, so it's no big deal." I suddenly remembered something and ran out of the room for a second to take my purse from the chair where I'd left and rummaged thought it in search of something. I had almost forgotten.

"Here," I dangled the anklet to Leila whose eyes widened and she rose up from her seat when I walked towards her.

"No way, where did you get it?" She took it from my hand and stared at the jewel in awe. I knew she'd like it. Leila was confident with herself and she stood out in the crowd with her beauty. Standing beside her I looked like a boy with my face bare and lack of any feminine accessories.

"From a shop back home," I barely replied before she leaped on me and crushed me in a tight embrace. She pulled apart to pinch my cheeks and I attempted to glare but she laughed at my antics.

"Thank you Elle, it's pretty." She pulled away and stared down at the piece playing her fingers around it.

"Let me try it now," she sat back and excitedly unclipped it securing it on her left ankle. It complemented her quite well but then with her attire, it wasn't appropriate for the office.

"This is so pretty!" She twirled around then looked my way. "Take a picture for me, please." She quickly unlocked her phone and handed it over to me where I snapped a few photos.

She was still fanning over her anklet when a strange message came from her phone. It was from Louis though I didn't understand a single thing of what it meant. It didn't look work related either but before I thought further, Leila snatched the phone out of my hands and her cheeks reddened when she saw the notification.

"Does Louis need you back?" I asked cautiously when the creepy smile on her face died down. She shook her head as she fumbled with her phone and shoved it back into her small bag.

"When is your delivery coming up?" Leila evaded the topic and I didn't pry further. I knew she had a queer relationship with Louis and at one point I thought they were lovers. That was just my assumption and with my lack of knowledge about men, I was no good judge.

"At three!" I shrieked when I noticed it was already two. I still had to check the stock for the delivery. That was the task that I was so anxious of because I had to talk to new people. Lora had always handled this and I prayed for half of her confidence.

"I'll be gone by then, will you handle that by yourself ?" I nodded encouragingly as I chugged down the soup before it went cold. Later on I cleared the room for the delivery as Leila handled the register.

"Elle, I got called back." Leila popped in half an hour later and she took her pouch by the couch throwing her items randomly in it. She massaged my shoulders briefly then after she was certain I looked okay, she left.

"See you tonight," she waved over her shoulder on her way out and the door closed after her. I was planning on moving back to my apartment soon after I got better and relieve Leila of the burden of dropping me to work.

My fingers twitched as I went through the final records and I suddenly started to get more anxious. The delivery was coming up, some nature books and also a display book for this Friday. Leila had helped me redesign new ones after my sample card got lost.

My mind went back to two days ago when I had left home. I thought back of the man who had helped me throughout that evening. The grey color of his eyes that stood out the most filled over the form I was going through and I shook my head to focus on recording the numbers.