Say Please

Finger Guns

First off, thank you for embarking on this writing journey with me! Please feel free to leave comments and likes!! Now, lets begin!

I exhaled a deep, nervous breath as I ascended the steps to my new office. I wasn't necessarily nervous about making a good impression—I knew what I was doing and was confident in my work. It was the idea of meeting new people that made my chest tighten. It's not that I wanted to be alone, per say, but that I overthought every interaction I could ever have. I could spend five minutes thinking about the pros and cons of saying "hello" to someone versus saying "hey." And, if I happened to say the wrong thing, I would spend hours—sometimes even days—perseverating over what I could've done differently. At most of my previous jobs, I found myself alone a lot of the time. Not that I disliked that, but sometimes I feel like it would've been nice to have someone to chat with.

As I rode up the elevator to the thirty-second floor, I told myself I would say hello to my new coworkers right when I got there—take the initiative. Before my anxiety had time to say otherwise, the elevator came to a halt, propelling me into a buzz of chatter and phones and smiles.

"Hi there! You must be Skye. I'm Bri." Her hand extended toward me. Bri was tall and thin with a beautiful tanned complexion. Her brown eyes bore a hole in my soul. Her full lips turned upwards into a warm, inviting smile. "Come with me, please. I'll show you around." She turned on her heels and I followed, mesmerized by her tight black curls bouncing with each step. She's gorgeous, I thought. And I look like... this... today. I glanced down at the plain, black, cotton dress I had opted for. The simple, comfortable ensemble now seemed dull—too dull—next to all the beautiful faces I walked by.

"So, when did you get into marketing?" Bri chimed, breaking me from my thoughts.

"I, uh, actually got into it back in college. I did a lot of marketing and advertising for perspective new students. I just fell in love with the creativity it allowed me, and I never looked back."

She turned back and gave me another warm smile. "Amazing. Well, you already seem like you'll fit in well here at Cloudy Day Publishing. Are you from the Seattle area?"

"Yeah, I actually grew up about twenty minutes east."

"Well, then you are well equipped for the clouds and rain! I'd like to say the view from this floor is amazing, but I'd be lying. Don't get me wrong, on a good day it's gorgeous. But the morning fog always seems to settle right outside our windows."

"I think I'll love any view, honestly. I worked in the basement of the building at the last job I had. I felt like a hermit most of the time." I laughed nervously—afraid to say the wrong thing. Bri met my awkwardness with kindness. She motioned to an empty desk that sat outside of a large room.

"This is your desk. Most of the editors are through there." She pointed at the closed door. "You will work with them pretty frequently, since your job is to market the books they choose. We have an all staff meeting later this afternoon, so you can meet most of them then!"

"Thank you. I appreciate it!"

"Alright, I will let you get settled. If you need me you can always find me up front!"

I thanked her and set my tote on the desk. I took a deep breath and began to unpack my belongings: Edgar Allan Poe themed pen holder, a few frames with photos of my friends and I, my laptop, and a few other necessities. My phone buzzed from the inside of my handbag.

Mark: Have a great first day!

I smiled and replied with a simple "thank you" and set my phone down. Mark and I had been together for almost four years now, so I didn't expect any good luck text. Any text was a welcome intrusion to my day.