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Tick
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I lightly tapped my pencil on my desk, staring at my paper as my eyes failed to read what was there. I was mentally exhausted from the amount of work I was doing, it made me so tired that there was a certain point that one day I nearly passed out. Thankfully though, that was around when the pandemic was plaguing everyone from the workforce to everyday activities. I scanned the paper again, hopelessly trying to get this over with, and yet again I failed to comprehend what was on my paper.
I sighed, a break would do me some good. I sat up a little, pushing my chair out and standing up. I left my office, the door lightly rubbed against the carpeting. I pulled my door shut again, walking towards the break room. "A quick break will do me no harm.." I muttered to myself as my heels clicked against the porcelain tiles. I wasn't sure exactly how long I had been at work, as I chose to stay overtime to finish things up, but I knew it had been far too long. Again, I pushed the door open with little effort, taking a deep breath as the lounge's somewhat sweet air hit me. Everything was relatively silent, all except for the smooth hums of the air conditioner and fridge. I jumped slightly as a louder noise came from the television for a moment, but I realized someone left it running on low volume.
If I weren't so busy with work, I'd sit down and watch whatever was running at the moment... Actually, it was probably a 30-minute ad break, so, maybe not. I sighed, shuffling over to the small kitchen area. I pulled a cup out from the cabinet, as well as a new filter. Thankfully, the coffee grains were already on the counter, so I didn't have to worry about searching the other cabinets. I hummed lightly, scanning the countertops for the creamer. A faint smile crossed my face upon finding it and pulling it over. Then, with everything I needed, I made myself some coffee. Along with the silent hums of the fridge, it was accompanied by the brewing of the coffee. This machine was an older model, it hadn't failed yet, so it's what the company stuck with.
I pursed my lips, Watching the machine for a couple of moments before turning to push the coffee grains to their original spot. The coffee would take a little bit of time to make, so perhaps I could sit down on the couch... though, the ads wouldn't provide any source of entertainment, maybe I was just better off w-
"Hey, (y/n)!"
I jumped slightly, a bit of adrenaline pumping through my veins as the woman in front of me just laughed. I scoffed, glaring at her, Marci. "What the hell, Marci?! You have to stop doing that!" I groaned, turning away and pinching the bridge of my nose in annoyance. Again, I heard her giggle, "Aww~ c'mon, your reaction was priceless!" She coed. I grumbled with a sigh, watching as Marci reached into the cabinet and grabbed herself a cup. Oh, sure, of course, you can have some of my coffee! I thought bitterly.
Marci was like the opposite of me. She slacked off a lot, and as a result, she was in the office more. Then again, she considered herself a 'friend' of mine since we were neighbors. Believe me when I say, I didn't choose to live by her, she was the one who was new in the office. Leave it to the hard worker to drag a sluggish lump of laziness around. I perked up slightly whenever the coffee stopped brewing, turning back towards the machine and grabbing the pot to pour in my cup. As I lifted the coffee pot, the aroma of freshly brewed coffee wafted up to my nose, filling me with a sense of comfort and anticipation. Carefully, I tilted the pot and watched as the dark liquid poured into my mug, the stream of coffee leaving a small trail of bubbles in its wake.
The rich color of the coffee was almost hypnotic, and I couldn't help but take a deep breath of the warm, earthy scent before finally setting the pot down. As expected, Marci was hovering behind me with her cup, so, I slid the pot across the counter and towards her. I then grabbed whatever I wanted to add to my own coffee (Unless you like it black- DON'T say like your soul, I hear that joke constantly)
Marci poured her cup, The sound of the coffee pot was unmistakable, a soft but steady gurgling noise that filled the room with a sense of warmth and comfort. As I pushed the creamer her way, I listened. Marci carefully lifted the pot and began to pour the coffee into her mug, the liquid making a gentle splashing noise as it hit the bottom of the cup. The sound was soft and soothing, like a gentle melody. "So... Are you doing much this weekend?" Again, that somewhat comfortable silence was quickly pushed away.
"Marci... You know that I work. I still have papers I want to finish."
"Yeah, I know."
The room got silent again, I subconsciously watched as the steam from my coffee wafted and twirled softly through the air. It felt longer, but truly, it had only been a moment. "Has no one told you how much of a workaholic you are?" I rolled my eyes slightly, assuming she'd been joking, but when I looked back she still stood there with the same somewhat deadpanned expression. "What? What's wrong with having a strong work ethic?"
"You know what I mean, (y/n)."
"No, no I don't."
Marci groaned, we would banter sometimes and she always gave up. I assumed this time would be no different, as long as I acted oblivious to what she meant. "A strong work ethic is fine, it's great, and it's easy to encourage. But there's a difference between a hard worker and a workaholic. You keep this up, and you'll just burn yourself out! Jeez..." I sighed, unsure of what made me more upset, the fact that she was being smart with me or the fact that she was right. Maybe if I agreed, she'd get off my back about it. "Alright, alright... something small. Ok? Ok."
"Saturday?"
"No, Sunday."
"Let me guess, so you can work yourself all day until you sleep?" I scoffed and yet again, she was still being serious. "Oh, come on, (y/n)! At least let me treat you to breakfast! Less places are open on Sunday anyways!" I sipped on my coffee, "Sunday's final." Marci grumbled in annoyance, not bothering with yet another round of banter. She sipped on her coffee some more, and so did I. We enjoyed the silence we had, doing our own thing. She pulled out her phone humming slightly and setting her cup on the counter. "Ah, shit. Buildings closing soon, we'd better head out now." Marci left her cup by the sink and quickly left the break room. And again, I was alone, in complete silence as compared to earlier. The air conditioner wasn't on like before, and now only the soft hums of the fridge sounded near me. The TV was so hushed that it wasn't audible. I shuffled closer to the sink, pouring my coffee down the drain. I know it hadn't been too long, or so... it's what I thought. The coffee didn't steam anymore, it had gotten cool and closer to the room's temperature.
I grabbed Marci's cup, dumping the contents, and turning on my heel. I pulled my phone out from my pocket watching as it lit up. 11:54. The building closed at 9:00 PM, so I sped up a bit to get back to my office. Maybe, Sunday wouldn't be so bad. Maybe I'd enjoy myself, but the possibility of embarrassment or something else... it would be much more likely. I wrapped my coat on my arm, neatly stacking the slim remainder of the papers I had and putting them into a folder. I then placed the folder in my bag, and slung the bag on my shoulder. I glanced back down at my phone as I pushed the door open and walked out, Marci had already left.
I itched to walk faster or maybe sprint, but I knew I had enough time to get out of the building, Courtney would make sure of it. And so, I carefully made my way downstairs, minding that I still had heels on. I didn't want to end up falling because I misstepped. Just as expected I got downstairs with a few minutes left. And the receptionist was still there.
"Finally checking out, (y/n)?"
I nodded, a soft smile sketched on my face. She smiled back, Grabbing her own coat and typing something quickly into her laptop before turning it off. "You might want to grab an Uber, by the way. I know you could just walk, but it's late as is." I hummed in response, "Got it. Stay safe, Courtney, I'll see you Monday." With that, I pushed open the doors to the building stepping out and shivering lightly at the sudden blast of cold air. I kept walking as I opened the Uber app, I'd rather be safe than have something happen.
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A/N: The prologue DESPERATLEY needed an update! And, here it is! Finally- Not to mention, (y/n) got a well-deserved new art piece! This prologue is much better than before, I'd like to think this one makes more sense haha, but that's all up to what you guys think :)
Words: 1624
Published: Early 2021
Edits: 5
Last Edit: December 13, 2023
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