Too Little, Too Late

34

At exactly 11:59AM, Ibrahim pushed the meeting room's door open and stepped in, his head hosting a gentle throb he knew was going to get worse as he'd barely slept since Saturday night.

Every person in the room – the squad and some other employees – turned his way. He didn't bother to fake a smile as he closed the door and headed straight to his chair, noticing how Bella – who sat on the opposite side of the table – turned her head, away from him. Frustration and irritation nicked at him but he pushed it down and looked away too, towards the others who watched them with varying emotions.

Ibrahim only felt more irritated. "Aren't we getting started? We don't have all day."

Jalal jumped from his chair, a lazy smile on his face. "You're right. We certainly don't. Also, we have very important issues we'll have to attend to after this. Right, Ibrahim?"

Ibrahim's reply was an icy glare; something he hadn't given out in quite a long time. Unfazed, Jalal only smiled wider and went on to power the projector, his presentation appearing on the screen a minute later while a secretary passed printed copies around. Breathing in and out, Ibrahim told himself to focus. Although it took a minute longer than he would have liked, he slipped into business mode.

Jalal's proposed application brought together a number of their already existing applications but rather than for the general public, he wanted them to have it targeted at tertiary institutions within and outside the country. From student representative elections to reigning spots on campus alongside student reviews, the idea was brilliant and Ibrahim had no doubt it would scale through seamlessly up to testing level; something Jalal knew all too well, judging by the proud smirk on his face.

When the presentation ended and everyone agreed with the idea to be pushed forward, feedback was given on the restructuring of the management board. The crucial spaces had been filled with extremely competent individuals and whatever was left was to be filled by the end of the week. Full implementation of the new company front was to be at the end of October and each department was ready to work towards it.

Little issues were then discussed and Bella was the one who brought the meeting to a close. One by one, the other employees left the room and it wasn't long before only the squad remained. Whistling happily, Tobi strolled to the door and slid the lock in place while Anneth pressed the button that allowed the blinds go shut, blocking out every prying eye although employees hardly came that way unless they were after something. Jalal then put his hands on the table and leaned forward.

"So," He said, looking from Bella to Ibrahim. "What's going on, Serkan and Sevgilim?"

Bella shrugged before leaning back in her seat, her arms folded across her chest. "Nothing. Puoi chiedere a Serkan peró (You can ask Serkan though)."

Ibrahim stopped toying with his pen, a brow raised. "Seriously?"

Anneth leaned on the desk. "Guys, let's not make this worse. We should be fixing whatever's wrong. So...What happened?"

Ibrahim looked at Bella and she looked away. Biting back an irritated scoff, he turned to the others and the question that had been swirling around his head all morning slipped past his lips before he could even think of stopping it. "Why did we go ahead with this?"

Anneth, Tobi, and Jalal exchanged confused looks before turning back to him the same time Bella did. His brows drawn together, Tobi asked "What are you talking about?"

Ibrahim mirrored his lover's stance; his arms folded, his body leaning back. "Me marrying Ayra, Serkan being Bella's periodical lover; all of it. Why did we go ahead with it?"

Bella scoffed. "Is this a joke?"

"I'm not laughing about it, am I?"

She glared and he stared right back. Anneth, clearly quite uncomfortable, cleared her throat to get their attention. She gave Ibrahim a small smile when he reluctantly turned her way. "I don't know if memory's failing you but we did it to get your parents off our backs so you could be with Bella without worrying about anything else."