Office Desires

24. Unexpected

It was one of those mornings. The kind where the world seemed to conspire against you, where every movement felt like an accomplishment and the slightest noise reverberated through your aching skull like a jackhammer. Debbie groaned, rolling over and clutching her pillow to her chest. She didn't remember getting undressed last night. Her clothes were scattered about the room like confetti at a drunken party, and the room itself was in a state of disarray that could only have been achieved by someone who was either very passionate or very, very drunk. She didn't know which option to go with.

As she slowly sat up, blinking against the harsh light of day streaming in through the window, she realized how hungry she was. Fixing herself a little in front of the mirror, she grabbed a shirt and sweatpants, before opening the door to go grab some breakfast downstairs, hopefully maybe the hotel hadn't closed this area yet.

As she stepped out into the hallway, she froze in surprise, her heart hammering against her ribcage. There she was, standing right outside her door. Lou. What was she doing here?

Now here she was, standing before her, looking just as beautiful as she had the last time they'd seen each other. Her hair was longer, and she seemed to have filled out a bit since the last time they'd been together. She was wearing a black suit that made her eyes pop, and she looked as if she'd been running a marathon.

"What...what are you doing here, Lou?" Debbie managed to choke out, her heart still racing.

Lou seemed as choked as she was. "Huh... what...what are YOU doing here?"

"I... I was just going to grab some breakfast..." Debbie stammered, trying to regain her composure. "I... I didn't expect to see you here..."

"Me neither..." Lou said, looking around nervously. "I... You...you live here? In...in this hotel?"

"Well... yeah..." Debbie said, feeling even more confused now. "What...what about you?"

"Hum..yeah...this...this is my room..."

They both stood there for a moment, not quite sure what to do or say. The air between them was charged with an awkwardness that was almost palpable. Lou cleared her throat and glanced down at the carpet, her cheeks flushing slightly. "Well huh...goodbye... you look like a mess by the way."

"Yeah, yeah...Thanks, that was nice," Debbie mumbled, feeling a sting of hurt beneath her hangover.

They both stood there for another uncomfortable moment before Lou cleared her throat again and said, "Well, I guess I'll just..." But she trailed off, not seeming to know where to go or what to do. Finally, she turned and walked down the hallway, her shoulders slumped.

***

The universe, it seems, has a twisted sense of humor. One moment, Debbie was lost in thought, her mind reeling with a tangle of conflicting emotions and unanswered questions. The next, her phone buzzed with a message from Amita. "Coffee later?" it read. As if in some strange, cosmic joke, she knew something Debbie didn't.

"So, what's up with you?" Amita asked, tilting her head to the side. Her eyes, dark and piercing, bored into Debbie, searching for some hint of an answer.

"Since yesterday you mean?" Debbie replied, trying to sound casual.

"No, I mean today. Something's clearly on your mind. You're fidgeting, you can't stop looking at your phone, and you keep glancing around the room. Spill it, girl." Amita leaned forward, her elbows on the table.

"Well, funny you should mention that. I ran into Lou this morning. Right outside my hotel room. She said I looked like a mess," Debbie admitted, her voice barely above a whisper. "It was... weird. I mean, we haven't seen each other in a year, and there she was, right next door."