The Affair

Chapter 6.1 - Jealousy

Monday, May 30, 2022, 7:45am

The weekend passes quickly, and it was now Monday morning in the office. At his desk, William checks his emails from over the weekend, responding to his client's inquiries and saving important attachments as needed. A tired yawn pulls his mouth apart and he stretches out his arms. The coaster to his left remains empty, a consequence of Fallon's unusual absence. By now, she would have already pampered him with a fresh cup of coffee, some kind of breakfast item to eat, and even a detailed docket report for the day.

Missing her cheerful presence, William sighs and checks his phone. He had received a panicked call from Fallon earlier in the morning, explaining that her bus had broken down and the city Metro was sending another bus to finish her route. She was upset that she would be late, but he had done his best to assure her that there was no reason to worry. Though she had agreed, her soft sniffles over the phone had revealed her distress.

"Poor girl," William thinks to himself, contemplating on texting her for an update, "She is too hard on herself during these kinds of situations..." He leans back in his chair feeling distracted, and absolutely hating the fact that Fallon had to ride the bus to and from work every day. In his head, an uncomfortable vision plays out in which a scared and timid Fallon is accosted by numerous perverts and homeless creeps. A groan escapes his lips, and he quickly smothers the horrid imagery. "No, it can't be that bad... It's the morning route, for god's sake," he continues in his mind, trying to be rational about the situation, "Those buses are full of office workers, not freaks..."

A sudden knock at his door rescues him from his thoughts. "Yes?" he says, raising his voice towards the door.

The door then opens, and to his surprise, Amy steps into his office with a cup of coffee in hand. A confident smile plays on her lips as she approaches, and William's eyes are drawn to the entirety of her slender figure. On this day, she had chosen to wear a sleeveless red blouse tucked into a black pencil skirt together with a pair of black leather heels. And per usual, she had fixed her hair in a high ponytail, leaving her silky bangs to fall over her forehead and just above her eyes.

"Good morning, Mr. Reiner!" she cheers, doing her best to mimic Fallon's obedient energy, "How are you, sir?"

William's brow rises curiously. "Hi, Amy. I'm fine, thanks. Um, and you?" he replies, trying to understand the meaning of her visit.

"I'm great, thanks for asking! I noticed that Fallon is running late today, so I figured you haven't had your coffee yet..." she says, purposefully leaning over his desk to place his coffee by his hands, "Here you are, sir!"

As Amy's torso hovers above his desk, he catches a quick glimpse of her cleavage from the low-cut neckline of her blouse. Delicately, she sets his mug onto his coaster and takes a small step back away from his desk. Still unsure of what to think, William's eyes float from the coffee back to Amy, who had postured herself with her hands behind her back.

William clears his throat, trying to pull his mind away from Amy's cute display. "Uh-huh... Well, thank you... That was nice of you..." he says with a gentle smile.

"It's no problem! Actually, I did have a favor to ask."

Bringing the mug to his lips, he takes a slow and steady drink of the coffee that Amy had prepared. There was something quite unique about the flavor compared to Fallon's usual preparation that he liked but could not pinpoint.

"Sure, what's up?" he asks, returning his focus to Amy.

"Well, since Fallon has her lunch date with Dylan today, I thought you'd be free for lunch... So, I was wondering if I could join you," she says, fluttering her bronze eyes towards him.