The 18th Floor

Chapter Fifty One

I don't go into work on Monday and on Tuesday. I work from home and get it done. Lucien doesn't show up to any of the team meetings, Simon saying that he's extremely busy and under the weather. None of the team questions the behaviours, or not that I hear of.

I decide that I'll go in on Wednesday. That regardless of it all, I still have a job and a team that relies on each other to get everything done. I don't know if Lucien will be in or not, I don't ask Simon and I'd rather not know till I get there.

I still haven't figured out what to say to him, what I want to say. He stopped calling or messaging after Sunday night. He was online yesterday but we had no interaction.

So, like I did in my first months of work, I take the train alone to work.

I get into the office for 8:40 and there's no sign of Lucien in our office, nor of Simon. As I go to get behind my desk Abby walks by.

"Oh, hello pet how are you feeling today?", she asks as she knocks on the door and walks in as I remember I told the others I wasn't feeling and needed to rest to work from home.

"I'm ok, feeling a lot better today", I lie. It's not a big lie but it still hurts to lie to Abbi about something so minor.

She walks over to my desk as she speaks, "aww you poor thing. Well, whatever you had Lucien must have it too he was working home as well."

"Hmm, yeah I saw", I say as I try to starting up my laptop.

"That's what happens when you share an office", she says as if she wanted to add something more onto that sentence.

"Yeah, not the biggest room."

"No. So, how are you getting on, what is it now? Nearly six months with us. Oh, how time flies", she laughs to herself as she paces up and down the office.

"Yh, I can't believe it has been that long", which is the first thing I've said that's felt like the truth today.

"But I've been enjoying it a lot. I feel like I've learnt a lot and the team is great, everyone is great. I couldn't have asked for a better real starting position", I tell her.

"That's lovely. Lucien's great to work with as well, he's great in his field and knows what to do, how to lead", she says.

"Yh, he is", I say softly.

"Yes, we're –"

"Good morning", Lucien's stone cold voice cuts us both off. I feel my heart skip a beat as I watch him enter our office. Clean and put together as always. I don't know what I was expecting, of course we can't avoid each other forever and we need to talk, but he looks so perfect. His suit is freshly pressed and his hair slicked back and trimmed as per usual, but the bags under his eyes don't escape me, nor does the two cups of coffee he's holding in one hand, in the few seconds of eye contact we have before I turn back to my laptop.

"Morning pet. I best be going, busy day", Abbi announces as she heads out and back to her own office.

"Bye", I say quietly, still unable to look at Lucien as he comes over to put my coffee on my desk.

My heart is beating and my hands slightly shaking as I try to pretend like I have shit to do on my laptop. I hear him sit down and open his laptop. A heavy silence sits between us, waiting for the person who will cut it open first.

He clears his throat, "Cyrene."

I don't want to look at him but it's become a reflex to look into those now hollow eyes when he calls my name.

"Can we talk please?", he says.

I look at him and see the hurt and regret in his face. The absence of something that once was.

"Later. At the end of the day", I tell him.

He nods, "thank you", as he places down my usual coffee order on my desk.