Too Haught to Handle (WAYHAUGHT)

Chapter 1

I can't be late, Waverly repeated over and over as she waited for her train to arrive. The arrival board announced a five minute delay, sending her into a panic. I'm going to be late on my first day, unbelievable, she stressed. She was starting a new job at a major media company in London and her day was already unravelling.

She had planned everything out meticulously the night before, had her new dress ready, matching shoes and bag laid out and had even prepared a vegan lunch to take with her. All that preparation, now she was at the mercy of the London Underground rail system. The platform was getting busier, people jostling for position to be first on board when, if, the train arrived. Waverly could feel her anxiety levels rising.

The familiar sound of a train approaching gave her some relief. Now all she had to do was fight to get on. As the train pulled into Oxford Circus, in the heart of London, she only had a few minutes left to navigate her way out of the crowded station and run along Regent Street to her new office. Scraping in, just before 9am, she had made it. Panting heavily, she gave her name to the receptionist who told her to take a seat in the waiting area.

A woman emerged through one of the glass doors and approached Waverly, who was still trying to get her breathing back to normal.

"Hi, I'm Sam. You must be Waverly," holding out her hand to introduce herself. "Trains are all messed up today."

"I know," Waverly replied, as they shook hands.

"Let me show you to your new office. We'll be sharing."

Sam was slightly older than Waverly, approaching 6ft, with her blonde hair cut in a bob which suited her perfectly. Attractive, having a boyish look, she smiled as she spoke, a soft northern dialect occasionally breaking through to indicate she wasn't from London. Waverly liked her instantly.

"How long have you been working here?" Waverly asked, as they walked down a corridor towards their office.

"Three years. Feels longer. It's quite fast paced here. Never a dull moment."

Waverly was silent. Her last job had been hectic, which she'd really enjoyed, so to hear the pace of work here would be fast filled her with high hopes.

"I'll let you get settled, then introduce you to the other members of the team. If you're not doing anything for lunch, a few of us were thinking of going to the café across the road."

"Great. Do they do vegan food?" Waverly inquired.

"Yes. Wow, you're vegan too. That's perfect. I've been the only vegan in the group, until now. Having another person makes it so much easier."

Waverly decided the offer of lunch with new work colleagues would be better than eating her own lunch at her desk. She could have it later that evening. As they sat in the café, one of the girls in the group commented on her name.

"Waverly, that's unusual. More American than British."

"It is," Waverly acknowledged. I'm originally from America, but my family moved here when I was very young. My sister's name is Wynonna."

The first few weeks went quickly. Work was demanding, people in different departments were even more demanding, but Waverly loved every minute of it. She also loved sharing an office with Sam, who always seemed to be happy, never down. Talking over lunch one day, Waverly mentioned she was struggling to find somewhere to live.

"Everywhere is so expensive in London and, it's pointless living too far out, as then the rail fares are higher."

"Well, if you're interested," Sam began, "there's a flat in my house. I know the owner. If you don't mind travelling in from south London I think it would work for you. I own the flat downstairs. We can be like roomies."

Waverly couldn't believe her luck. Admittedly, she didn't know much about south London, but if Sam travelled in every day it must be a reasonable journey. She arranged to view it that weekend and having decided it was perfect for her needs, put a deposit down to move in the following week. Sam was over the moon when Waverly knocked on her door to tell her the news.

"This calls for a celebration," she announced, opening a bottle of white wine. "Speaking of which, I'm having a get together at a cocktail bar near the office if you'd like to come along. Friday week. Nothing fancy, just a few friends to celebrate getting older."

"Love to," Waverly replied. "Here's to many more nights out on the town."

Having stayed behind to finish a few pieces of work, The Lucky Pig was already busy when Waverly arrived. It was a popular drinking place for media people in London, wanting to let their hair down on a Friday night. Waverly made her way to the basement bar, where she spotted Sam with a group of people standing around her.

"Hi, you made it," Sam said as she approached. "I've got a tab going, just ask for whatever you fancy. Cocktails are rather good here. Can I introduce Shae to you? She used to do your job, before she got snapped up by another media house."

Shae was almost as tall as Sam, black shoulder-length hair, darker complexion, exquisitely dressed and utterly beautiful, making Waverly suddenly feel self-conscious about her height and looks.

"How are you finding the job?" Shae asked.

"Good. It's busy, which I like."

Just then Shae spotted someone over Waverly's shoulder and called out.

"Nicky, over here."

Another tall woman approached the group. Waverly was beginning to wonder whether all of Sam's friends were tall. As she approached, Waverly was instantly struck by her beauty. She was wearing an electric blue tailored suit, a darker v-neck top inside, setting off her cropped red hair perfectly. And, all Sam's friends are gorgeous too, she sighed.

Seeing Shae waving, Nicky moved her way through the crowd towards them.

"I'm not late, am I?" she asked, kissing Shae on the cheek.

"Nicky, this is Waverly. She's doing my old job."

Nicky turned to look at Waverly, pausing for a moment to take her in, before asking, "where's Sam, I need to give her a birthday hug."

Spotting her at the corner of the bar she moved off.

"Who's that?" Waverly enquired, still following Nicky with her eyes.

"Oh, that's Nicole Haught. She's a friend of Sam's and mine. She runs her own events company."

"She's quite confident," Waverly mused.

"Great fun. Bit too much fun sometimes!" Shae replied.

Waverly was intrigued.