After her tour with Phoebe, she went back to her office. She met Darryl at the entrance of the office, pacing back and forth, like he was waiting for someone or something.
The sound of her heels called his attention to her. He turned to face her as she was approaching the office. “Where have you been?” Darryl asked, something similar to worry laced in his voice.
“I was with Phoebe,” Vanessa retorted, omitting the details about her whereabouts.
“Where did you go with Phoebe?” Darryl rephrased the question.
“Wherever I went with Phoebe is none of your business,” Vanessa replied tiredly. She was not interested in Darryl’s childish game.
“Vanessa, get this straight. I am your boss and I have the right to know where my secretary went during work hours”, Darryl responded as he tried to suppress his anger.
When he got back from the meeting he had with the finance team, he found an empty office. He didn’t know what to do at that point because he was worried about Vanessa’s whereabouts.
Unlucky for him, Vanessa’s obnoxious attitude came back with her. This changed his worries into anger. He was trying to control himself, so he wouldn’t flare up. Vanessa was not a child, she had the right to go wherever she wanted, but not with Phoebe.
Phoebe was the last person Darryl wanted Vanessa to have a relationship with in the company. He didn’t want Phoebe to feed Vanessa with bullshit. He didn’t want Vanessa with Phoebe.
Vanessa was shocked by Darryl’s outburst. What had she done wrong? She questioned herself. She realized that Darryl was not kidding, he was really mad at her, but she didn’t know what she had done. Maybe it was because she went out without his permission.
“Was I supposed to ask for your permission to walk around the company with a coworker?” she could not contain her irritation as she watched his hands clench and unclench.
Darryl noticed Vanessa’s eyes moved to his clenched fist. Quickly, he unclenched it, relaxing his tensed muscles. He took a step closer to Vanessa, he lowered his head to reach her ear. “Stay away from Phoebe. It is a warning.” Darryl’s voice came out like a whisper, tickling Vanessa’s skin.
Immediately she felt something on her skin, she took a step back, putting enough space between them. “You can’t stop me from being friends with whoever I want. Don’t waste your time on things that you can’t control. This is advice, not a warning.” Vanessa locked eyes with Darryl as she spoke.
Darryl scoffed at her reaction. He was aware that Vanessa was acting like a stubborn baby, but he really wanted her to stay away from Phoebe. Phoebe wouldn’t be a good influence on her. Also, he knew Phoebe would ruin his plans to be with Vanessa.
“You are done for today, you can take your leave, Vanessa.” He dismissed her because he didn’t have the time to argue with her. Instead of arguing with the ever stubborn Vanessa, he can get words into Phoebe’s head easily. Phoebe was easy to convince.
Vanessa was short of replies. She was not sure if she should utter a word to Darryl or to ignore him. She walked to her office, her heels clicking on the marbled floor as she left Darryl’s presence. She packed her things into her bag as she retired for the day.
She turned to Darryl, wanting to say something, but she stopped herself before words could leave her mouth. She knew Darryl was testing her patience, he wanted a reaction from her, and she wouldn’t give him what he wanted. She didn’t know she was already in Darryl’s trap.
Before then, Carolyn had already offered to give her a ride home, since she was less busy at that moment. Carolyn was waiting for Vanessa at the curb, where her car was parked.
“Thanks for the ride. You are a lifesaver.” Vanessa said as she pulled Carolyn into a hug.
“How was your first day at work?” Carolyn didn’t hesitate to ask Vanessa as she pulled out of the hug. “I know you have a lot to say, I can’t wait to hear it all.”
“I know you didn’t offer to give me a ride for free. You are eager to hear every detail about it” amusement flickered in her eyes as she accused her best friend.
“Yes, I’m really eager to hear all of that. Therefore, spill.” Carolyn said as she started the car. The engine roared quietly to life as she ignited the engine.
“Darryl is the worst, I can’t lie about that ” Vanessa sighed as she pulled the seatbelt around her. “Also, my first day at work was eventful, I can’t deny that either.”
“It can’t be that bad. First days are supposed to be calm and peaceful.” The ever optimistic Carolyn encouraged Vanessa. Carolyn knew Darryl was a handful, but he couldn’t be as worse as Vanessa described.
“Can you imagine him telling me who to associate myself with? He told me to stay away from Phoebe”. An irritation laced into Vanessa’s voice as she complained about Darryl to Vanessa.
“Who is Phoebe?” Carolyn inquired. She could feel the tension as Vanessa spoke, so she twisted the conversation immediately.
“Is that the only word you heard? I can’t believe this.” Vanessa teased Carolyn.
“Yes. Yes . Yes. Who is this Phoebe? I want to know who wants to take my best friend away from me.” Carolyn matched Vanessa’s energy.
“She is a coworker. She offered to take me on a tour around the company and I accepted it.” Vanessa clarified.
“So, why would Darryl be against you associating yourself with her?” Carolyn asked, facing Vanessa to examine her features.
“I don’t get it. I can’t explain it.” Confusion etched on Vanessa’s face as she explained herself to Carolyn.
“Perhaps Phoebe could be trouble,” Carolyn suggested. “If Darryl doesn’t want you to associate with her, then you shouldn’t.”
Vanessa raised her head to look at her best friend’s face. She examined Carolyn’s face to know if she was serious about what she said.
“Are you for real? Vanessa asked. “What happened to never letting Darryl tell you what to do? Fuck Darryl, he is an idiot.”
Carolyn’s laughter filled the car as she turned to the alley of Vanessa’s house. They were so engrossed in their conversation that they didn’t know that they were close to Vanessa’s house.
“Fuck Darryl and I don’t mean you should literally do it.” Carolyn grinned as she said that. “But think about it, Darryl knows Phoebe more than you can ever do, so you should listen to him. Perhaps he has a good reason this time.”
“The ever-reasonable friend,” Vanessa teased. “Fine, I will be cautious, but I can’t promise anything.”
“The ever-stubborn friend. You won’t listen, would you?” Carolyn’s voice laced with concern as she searched Vanessa’s eyes for answers.
“I will try.” Vanessa laughed as she unbuckled the seatbelt. “Thanks for the ride.”
“Love you.” Carolyn’s voice filled the car as Vanessa got out of the car. “Bye, talk to you later.”
As Carolyn watched Vanessa stroll to the entrance of her building, she thought about everything about Darryl and his doings. How would she tell Vanessa that Darryl was her husband’s best friend?