Fall Girl

Margot

An unsettling message arrived on my screen as I was sitting in the café close to Moller Holdings, going through my email as I would on any other day. It read, "I can see you." 

After dismissing it as a joke, I went back to my work, only to be confronted with yet another menacing warning that said, "Nothing and no one can save you."

Attempting to concentrate on Blaine's emails, I was overcome with a sense of unease, but I managed to push it aside. Following that, a concluding message appeared on my screen, which read, "Your time has come." 

I felt a wave of panic within me, and I quickly locked my phone and grabbed my bag before dashing to the exit. The moment I walked out, I encountered my biggest fear, a masked man carrying a gun in his hand with devilish eyes coming towards me. I felt like everything around me started to crumble and the world had turned into chaos. 

I slumped to the ground as the deafening boom of gunshots split the air, and the searing anguish that I was experiencing tore through me as I continued to fall. Amid the middle of the mayhem, I was able to hear Blake's cries of desperation, his voice serving as a ray of light amid the prevailing darkness.

I screamed and sat up, and then I realized I was dreaming but the way I was heavily breathing it seemed real to me. I covered my face with my hands because a wave of relief swept over me that it was just a nightmare, and it had nothing to do with reality. However, the fear continued to linger and follow me while I checked my body for any sign of bullets. My hands were shaking, I wiped away the sweat that was dripping my forehead. The vestiges of the nightmare continued to cling to my thoughts like shadows in the night as I tried to pull myself out of bed. 

I took a shaky breath and forced myself to get out of bed. Again, Kev nowhere to be found, which made my heart sink with melancholy. The first thing that came to mind was to check my phone for a word from him, but there was none. It is the second time in a row that he has left without saying anything after a passionate night together. It is painful. I couldn't tell myself that our encounters were just a result of short-lived desire or not because every touch from him made me feel like I was experiencing pure bliss.

I felt like my mind is going to explode with tons of thoughts, so I decided to stop by at a cafe across the office to have a coffee. I felt swamped with emotions that were foreign to me. I think I needed a strong coffee before throwing myself into the tower of work. The interesting images that Blaine had sent me for the magazine provided me with some much-needed relief while I waited up for my coffee. Every single picture was an example of his talent, and I was captivated by the creativity and uniqueness of each one. "Wow, look at those photographs!" I murmured.

As I saw the models gracefully walk around in tall heels at unimaginable angles, I couldn't help but exclaim to myself that I was amazed by their flawless walk. My eyes landed across me—a girl engrossed in an article about Moller Holdings. My curiosity grew stronger, and I couldn't resist asking. "Getting ready for an interview?"

I bet she jolted when I spoke but the way she reorients herself I got impressed. Her self-assurance was obvious as she made the declaration, "As a result of sneaking into my phone, I can hack your phone right now."

I wanted to see if she had skills. "Do it." 

She raised her brows. "Are you challenging me?"

I shook my head. "No, I want to see if you have any skill, or it just was a fake confidence with no capabilities."

She leaned forward. "You are lucky I don't have my laptop with me, and I am in a hurry, else you won't be able to use your phone ever in life."

For some reason, her self-assurance struck a chord with me, and it sparked a sense of respect within me. I smiled and pointed at her. "A piece of advice if you show this same amount of confidence in your interview, I am sure you'll get through it." 

She squinted and I added "Or your job will be for sure if I recommend your name."

Aspin's suspicions grew stronger. "But you don't know me at all. why you are willing to help me? Also, I have been very rude to you."

I sighed. "I know Aspin you are a good girl just a bit jittery due to the pressure of securing a job."

Aspin's eyes widened. "How do you know my name? who are you?"

I pointed at her file. "Your name is written, and it is pretty visible to everyone. So, relax nobody is spying on you."

Aspin's expressions start to change from wariness and anger to calmness. 

"Relax, I sneak into your phone so all I want is to settle the account."

Aspin sighed and dropped her guard. "I don't know anyone in this city. I am new in Glisten so just being cautious."

I smiled and held out my hand. "I am Margot Parker."

Aspin smiled and shook my hand. "And it's useless to tell you again my name." With well wishes for her upcoming interview, I grabbed my coffee and made my exit.

As I entered the office, I observed that everyone was gathered in the foyer, and there was a buzz of anticipation in the air from everyone inside. I was curious so I walked up to Gretchen. "What is happening?"

The way she looked at me I read the eagerness and anxiety on her face, but I am unable to get to the reason for them. I waved at her to kind of bring her back in some flashback. "Hellooo??"Then she shook her head and told me about the new editor of the political magazine. I stood next to her and waited for the announcement.

Gretchen gasped when after calling the name of the new editor, he came forward. she was statue for a while and when I nudge her, she snaps out of her trance. "What happened to you?" I inquired.

Gretchen started to mumble.

"Could you please raise a volume notch a bit?" As I struggled to understand what she was saying, I prompted her.

The uncertainty in Gretchen's speech caused her to stutter and her voice to shake. "It... it would be challenging for the staff to adjust to a new boss who had been recruited from the outside."

I creased my brow in a state of confusion. "But why does that concern you so much?" I was trying to understand why she appeared to be so agitated with this.

Feeling a little off-balanced at this strange behavior on Gretchen's part, I mentally noted to check in with her later, though I was too exhausted to address it just then. As I walked into the office, deep inside I was hoping to run into Kev, despite my lingering frustration at his recent disappearing act. 

Another hour passed, and it hit me hard, that Kev hadn't come to the office today either. Indeed, my disappointment was mixed with confusion, once again adrift in a sea of unanswered questions around our so complicated relationship. As hard as I tried to focus on my job, I couldn't help but wonder about what we had left unsolved. The weight of uncertainty become tighter with every breath, and I felt adrift in an angry ocean of emotions.