60

60
With a cup of coffee, the tall man approached Rachel’s desk with a strange kind of energy. The way he walked was confident but also exaggerated, as if he was trying to draw attention to himself. He was dressed in a black suit that was clearly too tight and narrow for his size. The fabric strained at the seams, giving the impression that he was trying to squeeze himself into a smaller size to appear more attractive.
The man’s flirty attitude was immediately apparent. He flashed her a broad, toothy smile and made direct eye contact with her as he approached. She could sense that he was trying to be charming, but it only made him more hilarious. His voice was too friendly, and it carried a hint of something dubious that made her uneasy.
“Hey there, beautiful. I brought you a coffee,” he said, handing her the cup with a flourish. “Thought you might need a little pick-me-up this morning.”
She thanked him, trying to keep her tone neutral, but he didn’t seem to pick up on her discomfort. Instead, he continued to flirt, leaning in a little too close and invading her personal space.
“I gotta say, you look great today. That outfit really brings out your eyes,” he said, gesturing at her blouse. “You know, we should grab a drink sometime. I know this great little place down the street.”
“Sorry about that but I’m not going to have that time. Are you new here?” She asked.
The man nodded but not after a little show off and hesitation as she wondered where he was heading at.
She tried to brush off his advances, telling him that she was busy with work and didn’t have time for socializing. But he persisted, continuing to compliment her and suggest that they should spend time together. She couldn’t wait for him to leave her office, feeling very disturbed by his flirty attitude and the tight, narrow suit that seemed to accentuate his inappropriate behavior.
“Thank you for the coffee though, if you don’t mind I’ve got work to do. So we can talk later right?” Rachel said, her voice strained as she took the cup without even looking.
As soon as the man left, she poured the coffee out in the kitchenette. She silently cursed Leo for this mess, for putting her in this position where she was not only unwanted, but also the subject of everyone’s whispers and sneers.
She sat back down at her desk and tried to focus on work, but the feeling of being watched and judged was too much to bear. She took a deep breath and reminded herself why she was there.
‘What are you doing?” The raspy voice behind her jolted her from her reverie.
Rachel spun around to see William standing still in the doorway with a bemused expression on his face. His hand was buried in his pockets, a signature pen on his breast pocket.
“I just can’t drink it,” Rachel said, shrugging. “I don’t trust anyone here anymore. Besides the geezer looks quite out of place even though he is trying to fit in, yikes.”
William chuckled and stepped into the room. “I know what you mean. It’s like everyone’s trying too hard to be nice to you now that you’re married to Leo.”
“Exactly,” Rachel said, sitting back down at her desk. “It’s like they’re all walking on eggshells around me. And with the way everyone is behaving like I did something really bad, I can’t promise you that I won’t be chasing you out soon.”
William chuckled as he pulled up a chair and sat down opposite her. “I’m sorry I never said anything to you about Leo. I didn’t think it was my place.”
Rachel looked at him, surprised. “What do you mean?”
William leaned back in his chair, his expression serious. “Well, I didn’t want to interfere in your personal life. And besides, you never seemed like you wanted to talk about him.”
Rachel nodded, understanding. “I guess I didn’t. It was all just so sudden and unexpected. But I should have known. All these while I thought I knew. One moment it looked like it was Leo the next moment it was a wholly different person. I’m just not in the right mood right now.” She sighed, burying her face in her palms.
Rachel’s was interrupted interrupted she heard the sound of the door opening and she quickly composed herself, hoping that her sudden change in demeanor wasn’t too noticeable. But as soon as she turned around and saw Leo standing in the doorway, she knew that he had picked up on her sudden change in mood.
“Leo,” William said, sounding surprised. “What brings you here?”
“I just wanted to check on my wife,” Leo said, his voice deep and rich. He walked over to Rachel and gave her a small peck on the cheek before sitting down in one of the chairs in front of her desk.
Rachel’s cheeks grew warm as she felt his eyes on her, and she could tell that he was picking up on the tension between them. She cleared her throat and forced a smile, trying to act as if everything was normal.
“So, what have you two been talking about?” Leo asked, leaning back in his chair and crossing his legs.
“Just catching up,” William said, his tone light and casual. “I was just filling Rachel in on my engagement to Celine.”
“That’s wonderful news,” Leo said, sounding genuinely happy for his friend. “I’m happy for you both.”
Rachel tried to hide her envy, but she couldn’t help feeling a pang of jealousy at the thought of William and Celine’s happiness. It was a polar opposite from the tension and unease that seemed to constantly surround her and Leo.
The three of them chatted for a while longer, with Leo filling them in on some of the latest developments at the company. But as the conversation went on, Rachel could feel herself growing more tense.