*Andrea*
I am standing in front of a table. Behind it is a man in his late fifties sitting behind a laptop with several files piled on the side. The broken bottle was very expensive. It costs over five thousand dollars. I’d have left the drink for Mr. Blonde if I had known it cost this much.
“Is there any need to be here? She broke the bottle, so she should pay; why was I called in, too?” Mr. Blonde asked. I looked at him, scoffed, and crossed my hands. He didn’t look pissed, he was calm.
The only chair in this tiny office was offered to him. He sat with one leg over the other. Total disrespect to the pretty girl in front of him. “Mr. Hump, you know better than anyone that I hate being dragged for what I know nothing of,” he said sternly, now facing Mr. Hump, whose hands were shaking, and he kept placing one hand over the other to hide it.
“Don’t try to force him to make any stupid decision,” I said. “What? Something you know nothing of? Are you drunk, or did you hit your head somewhere while walking down to this office?” I turned to Mr. Hump, who fumbled with a pen.
“Don’t let this little liar deceive you. The CCTV camera can prove that he knows everything about this. He broke the bottle.” I said, pointing at Mr. Blonde, who was typing on his phone.
Wow! He was in the mood to send out messages. My eyes scanned him. He wore a golden Rolex wristwatch and a tux suit. He doesn’t seem like a broke man, so why not pay and get this over with?
I didn’t like this situation, but I had no other choice.
Mr. Hump massaged his temples, and I wondered why he wasn’t saying anything.
I rolled my eyes. A worried expression is cemented over Mr. Hump’s features. I still saw no reason why the manager or director, whatever he was, couldn’t speak nor look in the eyes of Mr. Blonde. Mr. Hump’s phone beeped, and he picked it up.
I stared at the next building through the window. I shouldn’t have come here. Mr. Hump finally cleared his throat.
“We don’t have to look at any CCTV cameras.” He said. I turned and raised a brow. “There is no way I will be…”
“No, you don’t have to pay,” he cut me short. I uncrossed my hands, “really?” He nodded, and I turned to Mr. Blonde, “he has good judgment. Now you have to pay. Don’t feel so sad; you caused this after all.” I said.
“Who said I have to pay? If we are being honest, we are both guilty here.” He said.
“Speak for yourself. Don’t you dare drag me into your shit?” I said.
“No one has to pay. Miss…” he struggles for my name, “Anna,” I said, not giving my real name. “Miss. Anna, I apologize for any inconvenience caused. It wasn’t your fault nor Maste…” Mr. Blonde clears his throat, “I mean, it’s not Dave’s fault that the wine broke.” So his name was Dave; I eyed him.
“Mistakes are unavoidable most times. We can’t blame either of you. The mall will cover the cost, and we hope you continue to shop with us.” He said.
It would have been better if Dave was asked to pay. I walked out of the office with Dave following suit. “You must feel good. The manager is just so generous. At least we got what we wanted.” He said behind me.
“Can you not talk to me?” That was a statement more than it was a question. I increased my pace, and he did the same. We passed by some stores in the mall. “Why? We aren’t strangers,” he said.
“We aren’t friends either,” I said. “But we’ve seen each other twice. Doesn’t that make us…” I stopped and turned a slightly mocking smile, tugging at my lips. “what? Should we exchange numbers now?” I asked him.
He is towering above me. His head is slightly bent.
“The last time we met wasn’t so pleasant, and this is also nothing to write home about. I was thinking we could shake hands now. Who knows where we’ll see each other again.” He said.
My eyes lingered on his face, studying his perfect features. This man was close to perfect. “Go fuck yourself. Shit head.”
I stormed off.
He didn’t walk after me this time. I didn’t need anyone to tell me that he was staring at me. I felt his eyes on me till I walked out of the mall.
The first time I met him, I had gotten beaten, and now, our second meeting didn’t go so well. I wished we would never cross paths again.
I hailed a cab and went home. Immediately I got inside, Alison squirmed, her eyes shimmering with excitement. She pulled me into a hug, “What’s going o…n,” she moved in circles, and I couldn’t help but laugh with her.
She stopped.
“What happened?” I asked. Alison is usually never moody, but this calls for questioning.
“We got tickets to the show,” she moved to the table in the middle of the room and picked two pieces of red paper. “We got tickets, babe.”
“You sent me a text saying that already,” I said.
“Can you believe it? We’ll be going to a show where the wealthy attend. All the wealthy men and families will be there, and single guys will be there, too. Know you might get a catch,” she said.
I made an o with my lips and walked to the kitchen to get a water bottle from the fridge. I still felt exhausted from the drama at the mall.
I took consecutive gulps, “is it much of a deal?” I asked.
“Of course,” she walks to the kitchen. I closed the fridge and walked back with Alison following close behind me. She sat on the same couch as me.
“Of course. It is,” she said.
“Then thank God James got us tickets,” I said.
“I know. James is a sweetheart. I have always wanted to attend something this big.” She looked at the tickets lovingly and then at me, “to think I’ve been thinking he doesn’t love me,” she said.
“Alejandro is going to be there. You’ll see.” She said.
“He won’t, I can assure you,” I said. I may not work weekends, but I am aware of some things he will do tomorrow.
“Then, let’s hook you up with someone else.”
“Alison, what are you thinking?” I asked and stood.
“Come on, think about it. You can’t just stay single because of a man who has been acting cold towards you. Or did he speak casually to you today?” She asked.
I grabbed my purse and started heading to my room.
“He doesn’t need to speak casually to me. He’s my boss, remember?” I asked. True, we had dinner and sex, but that was before I started working for him.
“So we find someone else.” She said,
I placed my hands on the door knob. I had no strength left to banter with her, so I agreed.
I took a quick shower. I sat on my bed wearing blue shorts and a bracelet. I stared out the window. I tried to pretend that Alejandro’s cold shoulder didn’t affect me in front of Alison. I felt bad now that I was alone.
I missed those times when he spoke to me with excitement in his voice and eyes. He said he didn’t regret what we did, but now I felt he did. Maybe he just realized that I was too young for him or something else.
Sigh.
I shouldn’t bother about this. I willed myself to think about something else. I placed my legs on the bed and rested my back on the frame.
I picked up my phone and scrolled down TikTok, hoping to find something funny, but my Fyp was filled with videos about love and heartbreak. “Five ways to Know He Is Thinking About You,” I was tempted to watch, but I skipped it.
I was still scrolling down TikTok when my phone rang. An unknown number? I furrowed my brows before answering it.
“Anna, I’m sorry about what I did.”
“I’m sorry, too.”
Two female voices spoke one after the other.
I removed the phone from my ears and stared at it. I placed it back in my ears. Though the voices sounded familiar, I found it quite weird, “I think you got the wrong person.” I said.
“Anna, please forgive us. We weren’t in our right senses when we tried to bully you in the restroom.” one said.
“And I’m sorry for stopping you with a mob while you hurried home. Please find it in your heart to forgive us.” They said.
It finally rang a bell.
Why were they apologizing suddenly, and how did they get my phone number and fake name? This wasn’t the time to ask about this.
“Please. It won’t happen again. We’re sorry.” They said.
The chances of such nonsense happening again were slim; I had never thought of them after that day. I didn’t need to.
“It’s fine,” I said.
They thanked me and ended the call.
Maybe they finally felt guilty. I went back to watching TikTok and slept, leaving my phone on. I woke up in the middle of the night, put it off, and went to the restroom.
I was famished, and it was already 2 am. How did I sleep without eating? I walked to the kitchen, but there was nothing to eat.
Disheartened, I returned to my room with the last pack of cookies.
Morning arrived soon. Alison was awake before me. She was in the kitchen preparing breakfast when I arrived, “I knew you must be famished. I was too tired to make dinner last night.”
“You weren’t tired; you were just excited,” I said.
She laughed but said nothing. “Breakfast is ready; have a seat.” She said, and I sat. She made pancakes, which were accompanied by scrambled eggs.
Alison already had the clothes we needed for the show ready. We did each other’s makeup and left together. “You have to smile. Don’t push any guy off. Don’t hesitate to give out your phone number when asked. Remember, you can block the stupid ones later.” She said while we were in the cab.
“Calm down, Alison. You sound like this show was made just for me,” I said.
“Of course, you are part of the reason for the show.” She said.
When we stepped down, I marveled at the sight I saw. The place was a bit crowded with reporters and men and women of class. One car after the other pulled over, and each person who stepped out was flocked by reporters.
“Let’s go,” Alison said.
No one spared us a look; it wasn’t surprising; it wasn’t like we were a celebrity or any renowned personality.
“Smile,” Alison said. Some finally noticed us, and I saw some gaze longer at us. I did not doubt our looks. I smiled just as Alison wanted.
“Keep it natural; you look like a clown,” Alison said. I paused. She laughed and nudged my hand. “That was a joke.” She said.
“But keep it natural.”
Everyone was in pairs: a male and a female.
“No one is allowed in without a date,” Alison said as if she could read my mind.
“But I don’t have a date,” I said. “I’m none existent to you?” She asked. “I thought you’d be with James,” I said.
“I ditched him for you.” We took slow steps, as did the others.
“Oh… aren’t you a darling.” I blew her a kiss.
“We meet again, Anna.” A voice said behind us.
What was Dave doing here? We turned.
“Do you know him?” Alison asked, and I shook my head.
“Yes. I do.” Dave said.
“Oh, my boyfriend is waiting. I’ll catch you later. Enjoy yourself.” She said and walked away.
“Alison,” I called her through gritted teeth, but she had left. So much for her being a darling.
Now I’m stuck with this shithead.