Office Affair

Meet the monster. We're related.

Alice had a habit of ignoring unknown missed calls on her phone, but she tried to change it just in case Anya ended up in a hospital again. She didn't want to be in a situation where her sister needed her, and she was unavailable purely based on the fact that she didn't want to answer the phone. She was about to sit down to have a late breakfast, when she got the call from an unknown number. She answered it despite feeling fear of yet another complication.

"Yes?"

"It's Dominic Oldfield, I'm..."

"Anya's boss! Oh my God, what happened? Is she all right?"

"Calm down, Alice. She's fine. She's back at home."

"Why didn't she tell me anything? I wanted to visit her today."

"She's taking a shower as we speak, I'm still at her place. I called because I need to talk to you."

"Me? Are you sure?"

"Are you Anya's sister?"

"I am."

"Then yes, you're the person I need to talk to. It's about her."

"Is she in trouble?"

"No, no. It's just that she's built such a thick wall around herself that I can't reach her. I want to know what's happening. There are things that she isn't telling me. Things that could make me understand who she is."

Alice put the cup on the table and relaxed on her bed. She felt it too, but Anya kept her in the dark. Alice had long stopped trying to offer her help, because the answer would be 'n, and even though she was sure that it came from a place of protection, she was still slightly annoyed.

"I don't know, to tell you the truth, because she shut me out as well. But there's something going on, especially for the past couple of years. What do you specifically like to know about her?"

"Her past. She won't tell me, and I need to know."

"Why?"

"Why do I need to know?"

"Yes."

"Because I care about her. She still thinks of me more in the terms of being her boss, and I want her to trust me as a friend. I think that's part of the reason why she won't open up to me."

"Ok, so...the past takes some explaining to do. We should meet."

"When and where?"

"There's a canteen at my college campus at the ground floor, and my lectures end at 3 pm. Let's meet there. I'll probably be inside already so just come in and if you don't see me, ask the bartender."

"That's great. Thank you."

"Sure."

Alice sighed. She wanted the best for Anya and she was ready to give her life for her, but sometimes she couldn't help the nagging voice in her mind, saying that Anya was just exaggerating. Things couldn't have been that bad, surely, but now she didn't know what to believe. Why else would Dominic call her in secrecy and ask to meet? It would mean that Anya isn't open with anyone, and Alice didn't have enough tools in her box to try and fix that. The fact that Dominic was willing to take on a part of that, and maybe reach into the depths of her sister's soul that she kept so well hidden, gave her more energy. Perhaps they could both shed some light on Anya's behavior, she thought as she picked up the books and headed out the door..

The lectures couldn't end soon enough. The teachers were too dull today, and even the subject that she adored, such as languages and psychology, seemed too much to handle. She was tempted to skip the classes altogether.