I woke up kissing my sheets. Miss Mason's Tabby doesn't bother me anymore. Fucking Amanda from HR can take her smirk and stick it up her ass. All that matters in the world is- Josh is my boyfriend. And that I am getting a pay raise. I can finally live without coffee, or (maybe not). Today was a new beginning, and as if Michael Bublé had written the song for some lucky ass like me, I shot the volume up on the radio.
Miss Mason banged at our door.
"Eva, did you turn deaf by chance, dear?" She inquired.
Do happy people turn deaf out of shock? If that was possible, maybe I was the deaf-est person alive! I turned the volume down to prevent any further intrusions into my happy dream turned reality.
Oh, it's a new day. It's a new life, and I am feeling good. So damn good I could dance naked at Times Square and not feel embarrassed. Happiness has its own high. It's narcotic, and it's ecstatic, and it's chivalric. It felt lethal, and at the moment, I was brimming with the joy of being in love.
"What's with Michael Bublé and you?"Roms asked as she walked to the kitchen counter.
"Nothing, I am just too happy at the moment," I said, beaming with a smile as enthusiastic as I could afford without straining my cheekbones.
"Oh! Some man did that to you, didn't he?"
She shot me one of those stares you give to the girl who had just done 'it' for the first time. To ensure we are on the same page, 'It' isn't Pennywise. Back in time, I had started doubting whether all of our 'It's were the same because I had practically seen couples making out at football games and getting high in washrooms, still pretending that 'it' was just 'sex'. Most of the high school passed like that-. Sex was Voldemort- The one who must not be named, but feared. The horcrux you ask? STI.
"Don't look at me like that!" I said defensively.
"Like what?" she said, her tone playful.
I wasn't ready to tell her. I needed time to believe it before I could break the news to everyone else.
"Like I got some juicy gossip!" I turned away and hit the radio off. Michael Bublé could take a five, and I needed a breather.
"Don't you need to go early today?" Roms asked, her eyes stuck to the texts she was getting on her phone.
"Shit. I almost forgot. I will get going then!" I said, heading towards my bedroom.
The Bexley special skirt of hell hanging in my closet stared at me. No matter how happy I get, nothing in this world is going to make me fall in love with this hell of work attire.
***
"Hey, Amanda!"
The first person I saw when I walked in at Bexley's was Amanda. Now, she wasn't pretending to be the obnoxious, ignorant bitch who didn't know me. I was tired of calling her Miss Richards all day as if calling Will, 'Mr. Turner' wasn't enough.
"Who do we have here? The Most Creative Employee!" She sneered.
Half a minute later, the elevator opened, and a pair of sea blue eyes greeted me with warm smile.
"Good morning, Josh!" I walked toward him, my arms ready to pull him into a hug.
That is until he averted my touch and walked away to get a word with Amanda. Maybe he wasn't prepared for PDA! And so was I. He was taking his time, but no matter how hard I convinced myself to deny it, I couldn't. I was jealous of Amanda.
I spotted Cassie at a distance near the janitor's closet. At least I will have a small talk with her! Somehow Cass always had wise words for me in times of distress.
"Morning, Cass! How have you been!" I said with a huge grin plastered on my face. I nearly tumbled on a chair when I made it halfway through. Stupid chairs!
I waved at her as she adjusted the mop to a side. She was in her two-size loose overalls. When I said HR had the worst dress code possible, it applied all ways. Cass has a thing for pulling off everything she wears, so her millennial hips know how to rock the outfit. Mine is a different case, millennial or not.
"Eva, darling! I am as great as always. How have you been?" Cass pulled me into a hug, and I was growing weary of all the other questions she would ask.
"I am great," I said.
My head is spinning with questions. I was not the happy person I woke up to be.
"Cass, got a minute?" I asked when we walked out of the lobby.
"Yeah, what's the matter?"She asked worriedly.
"Oh, nothing. Just some dating advice!" I said. Well, that's true, to a point.
"Well, you have come to the right person then! Before the bitches butt in, let's get done with this." She winked.
I know what follows.
~
We took the elevator and ended up talking at the top floor terrace- our chat time hideout. A few people came here to smoke, but the only rule was 'You don't get to be a sneak'... and as if by a binding vow, everyone pretended to be strangers here.
"A friend of mine has started going out with this utterly handsome co-worker of hers..." I said abruptly; as we stood staring at the city lines.
"Well, congratulations to them! Now, they only have to worry about being supportive, less annoying, and responsible enough to use condoms. Kudos!" Cass beamed.
"The thing is...they haven't made the relationship public yet," I said, suppressing the depressed tone of my voice.
"Well, well. Trying to save the mysterious edge."Cass laughed.
It was getting painstakingly annoying.
"Cass, the thing is, it's bothering her a lot," I said adamantly.
"Eva, if you want to fall in love and not get hurt, then you are probably stupid. There's no way to save all the hurt that comes with a relationship in secrecy, but the happiness it brings forth is incomparable!" Cass said in her poetic voice. The thing with poets is they are a bit too optimistic about all the 'hopeless' things.
Both of us go back to our work, she quite amused and I, a little disappointed. Nothing helps.
"Eva, Mr. Turner's asking for you. Hurry on, girl!"Rachel said as she walked towards her cubicle.
I don't stop by at Josh's. I don't even bother checking the espresso machine. I walked straight to Will's office. I knocked and entered to see him going through a file.
"Good morning, Mr. Turner!"I said out of habit.
He looked a little too amused today. I saw him smiling faintly, when he lifted his eyes. The room reeked of his cologne. Is there a Will Turner edition room freshener too? It almost seemed like that, or maybe he had emptied the whole bottle altogether. Not that I was complaining. It's musky sandalwood, a natural aphrodisiac.
"How have you been, Eva?" he asked in a husky tone and I stood on the opposite end of his desk.
"I am great!" I said, beaming at him.
"That you are!" He said playfully.
Someone's in a good mood! And it's not me.
"You seem a bit too occupied in your head, "Will asked.
"Well, what can I say?" I shrugged.
I hadn't imagined having small talk with Will. From our previous encounters, I recalled getting irritated at his half-ass behavior. He branded the 'Jerk of year' banner very well, for the longest time.
"Go on. Try me. I am pretty good with free advice!"Will chuckled, and I eyed him suspiciously.
"Yeah, as if you will know about issues concerning 'matters of the heart' !"I mocked.
"Aren't you judging me a lot lately?" He smirked.
"Ah! Go on then, tell me how to be not jealous of all the girls my boyfriend talks with!" I said mindlessly, not realizing I was oversharing. Fuck! I must be desperate to say it all aloud. Oh, my gods!
I find Will staring at me wide-eyed. His jaw opened, and then he stood up from his swivel, walking towards me abruptly.
"You have a boyfriend?" His eyes pierced through me.
I know I don't look like the type that dates. I am the type that gets fucked. Metaphorically. Was a boyfriend that big of a bomb in front of a man who looks a little like Adonis? Isn't it kind of natural to date? Or did Will Turner wish for me to stay single my whole life?
"Why, I am not supposed to die alone! Am I?" I asked, a little too defensively.
"No. No. That's not it." He shook his head.
"It was just kinda unexpected."
"Who's the lucky guy?" he asked plaintively.
"Josh, from Marketing." All the color from his face drained off at the mention. Will Turner was a different class of moods. It didn't come as a shocker.
"Then why are you still pretending to kiss my ass?" He scoffed.
"What do you mean?" I was offended! He was supposed to be a friend!
"That you don't have to act like you want to complete the bucketlist!" He seethed.
"But I never said I didn't want to-"
Shut up. Shut up. Shut up. The voices in my head screamed.
"Now I know why. It's about that girl."
He added and then stormed out of the office. Fuck. He figured to soon...
"What the hell did I do?" I stayed puzzled.
What happened to the advice? I didn't trade my secret with him to leave with no answers. It is so fucking exhausting. I felt my heart break. Screw guys. I sighed.