Muse

7

"Lottie it went terribly." I huffed as I sat down in the chair, dreading seeing Aaron being at the back of my mind all morning. "He walked out after seeing the first painting."

"Well was it a bad painting?" Lottie questions, her fingers rapidly typing away at her keyboard.

"No, it was quite beautiful actually," I mumble, turning on the computer and waiting for it to start up. The computer struggling to perform the simple task. "He didn't really fancy it, it was a painting of those cherry blossoms you see in Japan. I explained it would be nice to have a bit of culture in the gallery."

"Damn right it would be." Lottie giggles, turning to look at me, she had also expressed in the past how we only ever see European paintings. She was fully English, both her mother and father originating here, but she travelled a fair bit in her teenage years. She always explained how her favourite place she's gone to was to Fiji. Of course she enjoyed the white sand beaches, filled with crystal clear water that could keep you afloat for hours on end. What she really kept boasting about was the people who lived there, treated her so kindly and she thought they were beautiful. She really enjoyed visiting different islands and learning about their culture and traditions. "So, what went wrong then, you made a valid point."

"What went wrong was exactly that." I spat, matter-of-factly. My computer finally directing me to log in, almost deciding not to, I didn't want to see what lay ahead of that screen. "Mr. Renner said that I should be deciding what paintings go where."

"Ah," Lottie sighs and stops typing, turning her pretty head toward me. "He's not wrong you know."

"I'm sure what Aaron heard was 'you're not good enough at your job' even though I'm sure he was joking." I imply, looking around my computer screen to see if any new emails had come through, any warning letters, or even letters to tell me I'm not fit for my position anymore. But nothing out of the usual. I was almost relieved at that point. Part of me was hoping for one.

"Aaron is just full of himself." Lottie states simply, turning back to her computer, letting her fingers run loose on the keyboard once more. "Couldn't handle the thought that anyone might be better than him."

"Veronica." I hear suddenly, making me jump in my seat. I hear Aaron walking around to the front of the desk. My stomach sinks, it feels like those two coffees I drank last night might be catching up to my stomach. "Coffee, 12:30."

He didn't even look up to acknowledge Lottie or I. He didn't even use the horrid nickname he gave me, which seemed less comforting than I had imagined it would be. Some tension eased. He hadn't told me I was fired, or that I should maybe be demoted to cleaning the shit stains off of his office chair. I turn my head to face Lottie, who is too, frozen in her seat. Her eyes wide with shock.

"Oh my god, you don't think he heard that do you?" She gasps and covers her mouth with a hand.

•••

I enter the little coffee shop from the night before. A little timid that I had to be back in this environment once again. I look over at the customers sitting at the tables, all seemingly in good spirits chatting over a warm cuppa. Glancing over the table we sat at the night before, seeing two happy people laughing and smiling. I wish that's how it would've gone yesterday. The embarrassment is still lingering.

The line is almost out of the door to this place. People really like this coffee, huh. I stand in my spot, waiting eagerly for the line to move forward, my hands twisting within each other and my body swaying from side to side as I uncomfortably stand.

How long does it take to make a cup of coffee? No they're doing their best, I'm sure.

I finally reach the front of the line, the smell of brewed coffee and the warmth of the steam hitting my face all at once. Smiling kindly at the barista, she begins taking my order. I stumble slightly when spitting out my words, feeling the pit in my stomach growing larger, suddenly anxious to be there. Something I hadn't felt whilst ordering before. "One long black, three sugars please."