DREA (GxG)

30. {Congratulations!}

August 7th

9:33 A.M.

The breakroom used to be my favourite place to hang out at work. A place where I could escape the monotony of the office and enjoy the tranquillity that it offered. Despite not being a huge coffee drinker, the rich, aromatic scent was strangely comforting. It was a scent that stirred in me a sense of peace, a scent that made the breakroom my haven.

Today, it is not so. It has not been so for more than a week now. The breakroom now feels like a battlefield where my enemies and I are constantly at war, trying to overpower each other.

My stubbornness paired with a false sense of feeling better than the past few days made me risk the breakroom this morning. I knew it was a gamble. Still, I decided to take the risk and it was a decision I would soon come to regret.

I came in seemingly fine and went to share a coffee with Caroline after she pleaded with me to. As usual, she pestered me about the details of my trip to Miami, which I refused yet again to disclose to her. She was convinced that I had found a boyfriend there, and despite her persistence, I made her no wiser. At least, no more than letting her know that I was no longer available.

"Available?" she questioned. "So, you did find a boyfriend."

"Yes, available. I'm now UNavailable." I grabbed a mug and the kettle, pausing for a moment before I poured it. Caroline was looking at me with interest again and I could see another question brewing behind those ocean-blue eyes. "Taken," I said for her again.

"By?"

"That part is irrelevant."

"Oh, come on, Julia. I would tell you."

"I'd rather you not."

"I told you about Margot,"

"And I'm now regretting that very poor decision on your part."

"You asked," She quipped.

"My mistake."

"What is his name?"

"None a ya..."

"What?"

"None a ya business."

She frowned, defeated.

I laughed and poured my coffee. As soon as I lifted it to my lips, a sudden wave of nausea hit me. It felt as though my stomach was in a knot, twisting and turning, rebelling against the mere thought of consuming the beverage. First, it was chicken nuggets, then it was water now it's coffee. I can no longer have anything nice and this is a quick, immediate and harsh reminder of why the breakroom had become my enemy. Because enemies tried to kill each other and I'm pretty sure this is what dying feels like.

"Oh no..."

"You okay?" Carrie stopped talking to study me. "You look a little pale."

All the scents in the room hit me all at once after that. As if a switch had been flippedped and I gained a superpower to smell the gentlest faintest of aromas. One time, I used to only be able to smell the coffee but now, I smell everything but the coffee. Even while it's inches from my own nose, in my hand. There are eggs and bacon which typically isn't bad but when it's mixed with the smell of fish it isn't all pleasant. There's also milk and some sort of cereal. Peanut butter and jam sandwich. Teas in various flavours.

Then the scents and fragrances of every person in the room hit me and it was game over.

The contents of my stomach rose despite my efforts to suppress it forcing me to hastily hand my coffee to Caroline. She jumped back with a startled yelp as the hot liquid spilt. "What the hell!"