Meeting You

Chapter 2: Run

You stared at him in shock, fully taking in what just happened. You opened your mouth to respond but the words seemed to be stuck in your throat. Oh my gosh. You felt your heart start to race and you did what you do best.

You ran.

You left without getting your coffee or cookies and ran like your life depended on it. You didn't look back and focused on getting to your office. Five minutes later, you made it to your building and rushed directly towards the bathroom, locking yourself inside.

You approached the mirror, taking in your dishevelled appearance, opened the tap and washed your face. You took a couple of seconds to just catch your breath, still shook over what you did. You shut the water off and started at your reflection. Should you just...maybe change your name and flee the city, starting over in a small town nobody has ever heard of? The idea was tempting but this was your dream job. You had to stay. Such thoughts plagued your mind as your heart started to slow down.

It's okay. It's not that bad. It was an honest mistake. If that was the case, then why did you run? Ugh! You ran your wet hands over your face in frustration. You were utterly done for.

You had just grabbed a napkin when the door knob rattled. "What's going on?" You heard the familiar voice of your coworker. Taking one last look in the mirror, you walked to the door and unlocked it.

"Whoops, sorry. I didn't know I locked it." The lie slipped easily from your mouth as you tried your best to look apologetic. You tossed the napkin into the garbage and turned to look at them.

Concern filled coworker's eyes. "Are you okay? You look...winded."

You let out an empty laugh. "I ran to work. Didn't want to be late for today."

They nodded and clicked their tongue. "Good call. I really have to use the bathroom though." You moved aside and walked to your desk. The floor plan of your office was renovated to be very open concept. A large windows were added along with a higher ceiling. The space was shared amongst everyone. There really wasn't any privacy but it was kind of nice seeing everyone's face.

You finally arrived at the your desk and took a seat, still trying to calm yourself. You booted up your computer and drummed your fingers on your thigh as you waited.

"Wow. Is that Y/N here before nine?" Your friend/coworker dramatically gasped and looked up at the skylight. "Is it raining cats and dogs?"

"Ha ha." You sarcastically laughed. "Very funny."

They laughed and patted you on the shoulder. "I'm joking. Are you also nervous for today?"

"Very but I'm trying to take it hour by hour." You bit your lip. Should you tell them what happened? Absolutely not. They'll spread it throughout the workplace like a bushfire.

They sympathetically nodded. "Same! I'm excited to finally see him in person though. He's so hot!"

You have no idea. You wanted to add but you kept your lips shut. "I swear if I catch you taking sneaky pictures on your phone-."

They bursted out into laughter. "Don't expose me like that! I haven't taken a sneaky pic since my flash went off last time and everyone knew what I was doing."

You cringed at the memory. Your computer finally turned on. "I have to get through these emails before the meeting."

"Same. I'll see you in a bit." With a wave, they left you to your own devices. You sighed and opened up the email portal. The words blurred in front of you as you were still focused on what you could do to avoid him. No. Let's not think too deeply about this. We can get through this day. We've been through worse.

An hour had passed and your inbox was emptied. One annoying client had sent you four emails highlighting specific areas they wanted fixed in their ad. They could've sent it all in one email but nope. They were high maintenance but they were your most lucrative client so you didn't mind.

You got up to head to the kitchen, hoping to finally get your hands on some caffeine. The kitchen was down a long hallway and a flight of stairs. It was kinda spooky compared to the rest of the office set up but this building was old. It had charm though. Like the stained glass windows in the bathroom or the library with a turning shelf revealing a room behind which had been converted into a lounge. It had character.

You grabbed your coffee once it was done and took a long awaited sip. You felt yourself becoming alive as you headed back to your desk. Dropping yourself on your swivel chair and twirling around, you desperately thought out some ideas on how to avoid him.

Conclusion: mission impossible.

You had just did a few turns when you felt the chair stall, as if it had bumped into someone.

"Oh my god! I'm so sorry-." You stood up to apologize but all of that turning made you dizzy, and you lose your step. Arms caught you before you hit the floor, your head landing on someone's chest.

"We really have to stop meeting like this." It was the same voice from the coffee shop.

Oh no.