Today is my second day back at work and it's a lot easier to walk into work than it was yesterday. I'm taking this one day at a time, one pill at a time as well.
"Good morning Elena!" Marie's loud voice echoed around the office as I walked in.
"Good morning Marie" I said as I handed her her favorite coffee and took as seat at my desk with my favorite coffee in hand.
"We have a lot of work today, the bosses are going out of town in a bit so you know it's going to get hectic around here" Marie explained as she took a sip of her coffee.
"Bring it on" I said and just like that the boss walked out of their office.
"Okay so we are going to be out for exactly three days" Mr. Lawrence said with suitcase and coat in hand practically ready to run out of the building.
"Please feel free to call us and text us should you need anything at all" Mr. Higgs said, he says that now but I'll give him a couple more months before he completely turns off his phone as soon as he steps out of the office.
"Will do! Have a safe trip" I said as I picked up a couple of new files off my desk.
The bosses walked out of the building and Marie and I chatted for a bit before diverging ourselves into our work. Once Marie and I are focused on work we don't talk, we don't take breaks, we don't blink or breath. Just work.
"Good morning" a man's voice breaks my trance from work and both Marie and I look up.
"Good morning!" both Marie and I say at the same time.
"The bosses out already?" Mr. Alvaro asked as he walked deeper into our office. "They literally just left, do you need anything?" Marie replied to him as she continued to type not bothering to look at him.
"I was just hoping to talk to lawrence, but that's fine I'll send him an email." Alvaro said as he leaned against the door frame.
Marie and Alvaro talked for a bit while I continued my work listening in on their conversation every now and then. Marie and Alvaro are more or less the same age, Marie is 36 and Alvaro is 40, I'm the youngest in the office being 23. I find it easier to talk to people older than me than people around my age. That's why Marie and I are so close, that and she acts like we're the same age.
As I continued to do my work I felt like I was being watched so I looked up and was met with Alvaro's eyes staring down at me. I gave him a polite smile that was quickly returned, I then shifted my attention back to my screen to avoid any awkward eye contact. I didn't mean to be awkward around him I just never really gotten a chance to talk to him or get to know him like I do the rest of my coworkers. Nicholas Alvaro transferred to our law firm 2 weeks before I left on my 2 month leave from work, so while I was gone everyone quickly became acquainted with him. It looked like him and Marie were actually friends.
"Well I'm going to head back into my office let me know if you guys need anything" Alvaro said as he looked towards me then Marie.
"Thank you have a good day" I replied cordially with a kind smile. Marie just smiled and waved at him. "I didn't know he was your new bestie Marie, is that who replaced me while I was gone?!" I said to Marie with feign hurt.
"Oh shut up. Gabby and I just started talking to him during lunch one time and now we joke around with him" she said and I suddenly remembered Gabby. She works on the other side of the building so we hardly get to see her, she's also around their age but has a vocabulary that any other places would have fired her for by now.
"Speaking of, I have yet to see her" I said looking around the office hoping she might be lurking somewhere around. "She's going to be out until Thursday" Marie replied. Gabby was another one of our friends from the office, although we were friends, Marie and I were careful what we said around her. Gabby is friendly but we also know she would turn us in to HR if given the chance.
"So besides you and Alvaro now being besties what else did I miss" I asked her deciding I wanted a short break from work.
"So guess who I found together and alone in one of the empty conference rooms?!" Marie started.
"Who!" I replied, and just like that our short break now turned into a half hour break.
"So I was walking back to the office when I suddenly remembered the flash drive I left in one of the conference rooms, I went to that room and when I tried to open the door it was locked which was wired because we never lock the conference rooms. I came back to the office to get my keys then went back to the room and when I was trying to unlock it the door flew open and guess who it was! Gabby and Damian!" She finished and I immediately felt my mouth drop open.
"Gabby?! Our Gabby? The one where always careful around because she'd snitch us out to HR if she wanted to?!" I exclaimed in shock. "Shh bitch! Gabby isn't here but Damian is, you know how fast word spreads around here" she was right word gets out to the wrong people and everyone in the office will know by lunch time.
"Well did Gabby say anything to you afterwards?" I asked her as I took a sip of my favorite coffee, a triple blonde shot over ice with 2 pumps white mocha, 2 pumps vanilla cream foam. The best coffee you could ever order.
"Um not really, she just made a joke about us bumping into each other and that's it it's never been brought up again" Marie said and walked back to her desk to sit down. "Smart, she knows you won't spread it around" I said, which is true Marie is not that type of person. The only other person she would gossip with is me.
"Well I guess we'll just have to do some more digging" I said leaning back on my chair and stretching my arms over my head hearing the satisfying pop in my back.
"What kind of digging are you talking about?" Alvaro said appearing out of thin air. "Dude make some noise before you enter, god!" I exclaimed clutching my chest in fright.
"I'm sorry I didn't mean to scare you" He said while laughing and I gave him a playful glare. "This is twice you've visited us today Alvaro, what brings you by now?" Marie asked raising a perfectly groomed eyebrow and giving him a questioning glance.
"I can't just stop by and chat with you guys?" he asked with feign hurt. "You're right, so what's up Alvaro" Marie replied giving him her full attention, she gave him a look that looked like she was challenging him.
"Wanna hear about this weird case I have?" He asked looking between Marie and I "Spill it" I said giving him my full attention. "Of course" he replied holding my eye contact and giving me a charming smile. "Well let's see what you guys make of this" he began explaining his case to us in full detail.
Sometimes I get lost in my own world while working that I forget that I work in the same place as brilliant people with intellectual abilities and cut throat mindsets. Nicholas Alvaro is an example of those people, he's an extraordinary lawyer who is not afraid of getting his hands dirty. He will fight to the death and give it his all in every single one of his cases, in the short time since I met him I've managed to look over his cases and read every single note and it amazes me. I truly admire the man. This case he indulged us in was no different, this man was born to be a lawyer.
"Well I should be getting back to my own office and stop distracting you" Alvaro said after he finished explaining his case to us. "Alright have a good day, feel free to stop by anytime to tell us more" I said with a polite smile which he returned "Of course, bye guys" he said as walked out of the office.
As soon as he left Marie got up from her desk and walked over to mine, "Be careful with that man Elena" she said looking right into my eyes "Why do you say that?" I asked curiously about what she really meant "All I gotta say is that he wouldn't come into the office as much as he's doing now when you were gone, and he would ask when you would be returning" Marie said lowering her voice so that only I could hear.
"Oh come on, I know what you're insinuating. He's married, with a child Marie!" I said completely dismissing that possibility, "Oh you poor young and naive baby, he's interested in you I know what I'm talking about. All I'm saying is be careful with married men, it may sound fun but it can be a dangerous game" Marie said as she walked back to her desk.
"I will not be having an affair with Nicholas Alvaro" I stated as I stared at the office door Alvaro had just walked out of.
~
YOU ARE READING
The other woman
Romance"This was something I never thought I would get involved with. I always thought I was above these kinds of things, I frowned upon this! Yet I can't quite him. It started off as an innocent friendship now it's a complicated affair." - Elena
