Blueprint

Part 18 - Purposes

Engulfed in the cool waters of my bath, the foaming of the soothing lavender soap coating the surfaces and across the span of my shoulders, I lean my head back against the white-tiled wall. My eyes closed, I bask in the heavenly scents and the silence of the current atmosphere. The last exam of the semester was over, and now I feel somewhat accomplished. However, my problems were only beginning to cook in a pot heated by flames coming straight from hell. While the weather outside grew hotter, the tension boiled and the pot screeched with overflowing hot water.

I sighed heavily to myself, hoping that the bath and the lavender scent would soothe the tension in my muscles. From time to time, my mind would naturally drift towards Harry. While he may appear to be looking out for me, his methods were infuriating. He was strongly invested in the success of this case, and I wondered if it was solely because it was his job, or because he had other benefits in seeing this case win. Undoubtedly, he was determined to make sure it remained in the shadows and was resolved with the least amount of details being exposed to the public. I really wondered about that and the implications of it.

A vibration originates from the toilet beside the tub. Eyes shooting open, I warily stare up at the ceiling, debating on whether I wanted to answer the phone or not. However, if Akira was the one calling, my refusal to answer the call would result in worse repercussions in the end. Considering all of those possibilities, I reluctantly and lazily reach out my arm, my soapy, wet hand reaching for my phone. I feel it was necessary to emphasize that it was my phone. The one Harry gifted and returned to me was put away and turned off, because ever since the day at work, when he stopped by and made it clear that he wasn't going to let me do my job, I didn't trust him. Despite wanting him to pin me down and drill me into whatever surface was nearby, my temptations were flagged as dangerous now, as they should be. Though Harry had previously expressed he liked me, that he enjoyed my company, I was extremely unwilling to believe he cared about me. Judging by his approach to stop my investigation into his case, I think he was comfortable making me feel small, weak. He just had to have dominance, and I, just to prove him wrong, am considering exposing everything if it meant I could prove I was capable.

"Hello?" I calmly, softly spoke into the phone, uncaring as to the moisture that was soaking the electronic device. My head leans back into the tiled walls and I stare into the nothingness of my closed eyelids. The darkness was oddly satisfying, shielding me from the lights that were inducing an ongoing migraine.

"Athena."

Akira's voice was beginning to carry an aura of stress and disastrously overwhelming agitation. At the very least, I was growing infuriated every time I heard her voice nagging me to do this or that. While I admire everything about her, I now felt like her newborn puppy, and she was teaching me the basics of being a domesticated animal. After a while, however, the basics were turning into more advanced and complex tricks. I wanted to stick around despite the tiring, distressing nature of the work she assigns.

Pressing my lips together in thought, staring up at the ceiling again, I mutter, "This is she."

"I know it's a Saturday," she begins apologetically, but somewhere in the spaces between our conversation, we both knew she wasn't going to verbally apologize for calling me on the weekend. It just wasn't something Akira would bring herself to do, and not like she had to, being my superior and all. "I am having a party tonight at my house. I invite mostly the journalists that I know will impress my competitors, and will also impress my clients. You are one of them, so I am hoping you can make it."

I didn't have any plans tonight. This was something that wouldn't require me to go out of my way, or to move around anything scheduled, since there was nothing to move. I just knew the kind of crowd that would be present at this event, fully aware of the kind of person Akira was. Biting the inside of my cheek, I consider the outcomes of my next two choices; yes or no. Yes: I would have to go out and find an outfit suitable for the night, and I will have to spend the night struggling to maintain a conversation with whatever powerful business partners Akira has. No: Akira would use subtle hints to guilt me into saying yes.