Friday afternoon, Alex left.
She came in the morning to attend some meetings and sign some documents as she was unsure if she would be here Monday next week.
"I don't know, Cara. I'm really not sure if Monday I'll be here." I remember her telling me this.
"Take me with you, Alex. I'll pay for my flight and my accommodation. I want to be with you. I want to see your Doctor, I want to talk to him, please, Alex." I begged her.
"You know, paying for those will never be a problem, right? It's just that, My Mom always comes with me whenever I do this, she never leaves my side and she will wonder why you'd be there. I mean, she probably knows you as Brian's girlfriend, so..."
At that point, I was not hearing her reasons, all I wanted was to come with her, be with her, hold her hand while she get through it.
I've never seen how chemo works or how is treatment being performed. I googled it and YouTube it, it's basically an infusion into your vein but it makes you weak, nauseous, etc. And I want to be there, I want to take care of her, I want to be the one caressing her back when she needs to hurl, I want my hand to be the one she squeezes when something hurts.
She said it'll take only a few hours but she cannot travel right away that's why they need to spend a few more days in London before they get back.
"You know, I would love you to be there. But, I'm sorry. I'll, I'll see you when I get back, okay?" Those are the words she said before leaving the office.
The remaining hours in the office consist of me being in a trance. I was doing some work but I'm not sure if I was doing them correctly.
For the whole week, Brian's face is nowhere to be found. I heard he took a leave of absence and nobody knows when is he going to be back, even Alex has no idea.
When the clock hit five, I heard the chairs of my colleagues slide through the tiled floor and the voices get loud.
"Are you ready?" Lisa positioned in front of my table, her brows raised.
"Uhmm... Ready for what?" I asked as I gathered my stuff.
"Please don't tell me you did not forget the interns get together tonight!" Her arms crossed her chest and I could tell from her face that she was warning me or something.
I did. I did forget.
When Alex mentioned the chemotherapy on Monday, my mind couldn't get off it.
I seriously searched it online as Alex wouldn't tell me much about it. Though she said, it's gonna be her third time doing this, and will be advised by the Doctor after if it is working or same or worst, not.
So every night, I was googling. Playing scenarios in my mind. I didn't notice any changes in her appearance aside from her becoming thin and her skin being a bit dry. Her hair looks the same though from her face, you'll really see how much weight she lost and the dark circles on her eyes being prominent.
"Cara?" I was startled to hear Lisa raising her voice, Tom was now behind her.
"N-No. No, I did not forget. I was just... gathering my stuff, making sure I didn't forget anything."
I didn't want to go, to be honest. I want to wait for Alex's update when she lands in London, she told me she would message me right away and update me the whole time she'd be there.
But I promise the interns I will go with them tonight.
Maybe, I'll go in a couple of hours and leave them, just to make an appearance.
"Ok, let's go." Lisa said in her usual and cheerful voice. Tom gave me a big smile.
Lisa gave me the address and I drove there by myself, Lisa rode with Tom.
The newly opened pub was just a few blocks from the office. Since it was still early, there were still few parking slots in front of it.
As I step through the doors of this newly opened pub, the air carries a vibrant mix of fresh scents that immediately capture my senses.
The aroma of newly polished wood welcomes me, giving off that crisp, clean smell that makes everything feel brand new. There's a faint hint of paint lingering in the air, a reminder of the recent renovations and care put into making this place shine.
Despite being new, there's a sense of warmth and coziness taking root. Maybe it's the soft fragrance of the upholstery or the gentle scent of the fresh flowers adorning the tables. It's a feeling that this place is already starting to become a welcoming spot for everybody.
"Not bad for being new in town, right?" A girl appeared in front of me without noticing it as I busied myself admiring the place.
She looks familiar.
Like someone I might've seen before. She's got dark hair that falls in soft waves around her face. But what really catches your eye is her green eyes—they're bright and stand out, like shiny emeralds.
"Oh, you don't know me. I'm an intern two floors below yours. My name is Audrey, Cara, right?"
Audrey held out her hand and I accepted it.
"That's why you look familiar." I blurted out.
"You should hang out more on the 10th floor." She said letting out a soft laugh. "Come on, everybody's here."
She guided me to the big table in the center of the pub.
"She made it!"
"She really came!"
I heard some of them say when we approached the table but not sure who they were.
Audrey introduced me to the interns. I'll be honest, I didn't know their names and the faces were just familiar.
The 2 girls I saw with Lisa on the 10th floor were present here and I learned their names were Amanda and Chloe. They didn't even smile when I was introduced to them.
My seat was in the middle of Lisa and Audrey.
We were given a menu, apparently, they are serving barbecues and steak here. I got myself a steak and ordered a pint of beer.
Some of them are still busy with the menu. I took my phone out and checked if I had any messages from Alex.
None.
She's still probably on the air.
"I'm glad Lisa persuaded you to come." Audrey lean over a little bit on my side and whispers.
It's not that loud here but the people who are playing darts were screaming at each other from time to time.
"Oh, uhh, yeah. I promised her I'll join you guys tonight." I also leaned over to her for her to hear me.
She smiled at me sweetly before she waved at the waiter and ordered for herself.
"So, Is it true? You and Mr. Brown are not together?" She spoke again. This time, she scooted her chair on my side so we were elbow to elbow.
"No, we're not. He's a friend from college." Deep inside I was wishing, this was the last time I would explain this to anybody.
"Cool."
To my surprise, her arm wrapped around my chair, she was not touching my shoulder but still, it took me by surprise.
If Alex saw her, she would definitely give her her death stare till she removes her arm.
Audrey continued making small chats, from time to time, I would be asked by the others about random stuff.
I felt my phone vibrate, hurriedly, I took it out of my bag.
It was Alex.
We just landed.
Even before I could hit reply, I didn't notice Audrey was looking also at my phone.
"Who's 'My Boss'?"
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