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[ 1 ] : "FRIDAY I'M IN LOVE"

My life had become monotonous.

It was wake-up, feed Walter, grab a coffee, go to work, go home, sleep, and repeat. Or some variation of that mind numbing task list. Two years out of graduate school and nothing was how I imagined it would be. The only thing that I'd accomplished was getting hired at PK Corporation, my dream company, but instead of the marketing department; I'd made it as far as head of the mailroom.

Truly the foulest mixup of my life. But I wasn't the type of girl to bow out gracefully. My ambition and pride would never allow for that. Maybe I was born in the wrong time—perhaps I was made to be a warrior on a battlefield. Though women of the 21st Century might say we were already warriors on a battlefield, it just had a different appearance. Either way, two years passed and my goal to see my name printed along those I'd long admired in the world of advertisements hadn't happened.

But I wasn't the type of girl to lose heart. My position did afford me the ability to network with people from every department of this company. That was a positive thing. I'd wracked up quite a few IOU's in the past several years, and made friends with people much higher than myself. It was my hope that one of them might help me out of my current position.

As things were, if I had to spend another year sorting mail I was going to lose what was left of my sanity. There was only one thing that broke up the monotony of my life (or at the very least made it worth something).

A rumble of whispers prickled my awareness, pulling my attention away from the discussion at my table. My gaze tracked the length of the cafeteria and there he was, the man who made it easier to get up and drag myself into work everyday: Alexander Vega.

So, today it was a navy suit and white button up, the first couple of buttons left undone, teasing his admirers with a healthy dose of his collarbones. Still professional, but casual enough to be inviting. Light brown hair set back off his forehead; almost the same tone as his honey brown eyes. Everything about him was warm, like the sun incarnate. Everyone wanted to be close to him.

And I wasn't an exception; more like the rule. Although, my original intention in getting close to Alex wasn't so carnal. But it was hard to not fall for someone who was dedicated to his work, looked like a roman god reborn, and had the heart of a golden retriever. Shouldn't a person have at least one obvious flaw? Something about his genetic make-up was criminally unfair! 

Maybe he sensed my gaze because our eyes met over the distance. A heat bubbled up from my chest, racing up the back of my neck and exploding over my face. Alex lifted a hand and gave a small wave, a friendly smile cracking his lips and exposing bright, straight teeth.

It was hard to know if I was flattered or ashamed at the direct attention. But I gave a small, returning wave before turning away and focusing my attention on my food. The sound of my heart thumping wildly drowning out any other noise for a moment.

"Kate?" a gentle voice called to me, trying to gain my attention.

"We've lost her," Max said, casting a quick glance over my shoulder. "Now that the beloved Alex is here." 

"Does he even know who you are?" Adele asked, a look of pity on her face.

My cheeks burned even hotter. "He knows!"

Max snorted, tearing their roll in half and dipping it into their soup. "Really? Since when?"

I fought the urge to narrow my eyes. "Since a couple of weeks ago. He finally called me by my actual name."

"I'm curious, what was he calling you?"

"...Kelly," I mumbled under my breath, pushing at the limp leaves of my salad.