Just Following Orders

1 - Rude

ఌ𝙰𝚊𝚕𝚒𝚢𝚊𝚑ఌ

Have you ever looked at a person and thought to yourself, 'They're interesting. I'd like to be their friend.'

Maybe you have. I'm sure a lot of people do. Whether it's someone you know or maybe just some person on the street who has a haircut you've never seen before, someone has thought this about a specific person in their life.

For me, this person is my boss, Mr. Reyes.

He can be a little—to put it simply—rude at times. Some might even say he's a bit of a jerk.

I don't think I've ever met a person like him. Angry with the world and a constant scowl on his face.

Some people might hear about a person like that and completely avoid them at all costs, but I strive to do the exact opposite.

Don't get me wrong, he scares the Bajesus out of me, and sometimes it's tempting to completely avoid him. But I always manage to fight off that temptation.

I've given myself a mission. Since the moment I stepped into this office—almost a year and a half ago.

I've made it my personal mission to make him smile. Maybe even make him laugh. At least once.

I have yet to achieve my mission.

"Aaliyah."

I quickly look away from the window and at the man in front of me. He scowls at me like he always does. I think it may be his resting face.

"Yes?" I smile nervously. Mr. Reyes always has this special way of making me nervous.

Mr. Reyes sets his pen down. I straighten when he does.

That means I'm in trouble.

"Are you listening?" He questions.

I'm quick to nod. "Yes, sir. I am."

I was, in fact, not listening.

Mr. Reyes's eyes narrow. "What did I just say?" He challenged.

I open my mouth and close it a couple of times. I'm sure I resemble a fish. "Uhm..." I mumble.

Mr. Reyes's scowl somehow gets harsher. "Liam." He hints.

"Oh! Yes!" I gasp like I know what he's talking about. I really don't though, I accidentally tuned him out the moment I sat down.

"You have no idea what I'm talking about." Mr. Reyes flatly decides. I slowly shake my head which makes him roll his eyes.

"I'm sorry," I apologize sincerely. "There was a bird." I smile and nod towards the floor to ceiling window to my right.

Mr. Reyes stares. "A bird?" He repeats. I nod with a smile. "You ignored me because of a bird."

My smile doesn't falter. "Well, not on purpose. You see, it was a really pretty one and we're in a really tall building right now, so—"

"Shut up."

"All righty."

I hear that a lot in this office. I wonder if that means something...