Project 100

Shadows of Absence

At 8 AM, Victor fumbled with his tie, frustration mounting. "Wait, I'll fix it for you," whispered a familiar, gentle voice. He turned quickly, hoping to see her—his sister Ava, who always had the magic touch. But the room was empty; she was just an echo in his mind. His eyes filled with tears as he faced the mirror again, alone. This haunting memory was a harsh reminder that she was really gone.

Victor wiped away his tears and gathered himself before stepping out to the office. Upon arrival, he was greeted by the concerned voice of his friend, Tom. "Hi Victor, wait, you look sad. What happened?" Without hesitating, Victor felt a wave of relief; perhaps it was time to share his burden. He took a deep breath and said, "It's been tough, Tom. I keep seeing her, even though she's gone." Tom nodded understandingly, ready to lend an ear and support his friend.

After a few minutes of comforting, Victor finally got relief and started working but Tom was still unsure whether he was faking it or not, so he decided to keep an eye on Victor for a while. After a few hours of working, Tom saw Victor dozing off to sleep, and a few minutes pass by and Victor was soundly sleeping. Seeing him asleep, tom closed his laptop and made him sleep comfortably. "He really loves his sister" Tom thought and sighed deeply before getting back to work. 

As the clock struck 6 PM, the dim glow of the evening sun filtered through the curtains, casting a soft light across the room where Tom continued to work tirelessly at his desk. The quiet hum of his concentration filled the space. Meanwhile, Victor stirred from his place on the couch, his eyes blinking open as he tried to get a sense of the time.

"Did I sleep for too long, Tom?" Victor's voice was drowsy, filled with the remnants of sleep.

Tom glanced over, a slight smile tugging at his lips. "Ah, not really... You dozed off around 4 PM, so that's just a two-hour nap," he reassured, his tone light.

Victor let out a relieved sigh, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. The brief rest hadn't stolen the day from them after all; there was still plenty of time left for the plans they had made.

As Victor settled into a more comfortable position, he pulled his laptop towards him, diving into the load of work that awaited his attention. He glanced up momentarily, a question forming as he remembered the day's earlier plans. "Did anyone come in today while I was asleep?" he asked, his fingers pausing above the keyboard.

Tom, still engrossed in his own tasks, barely looked up as he responded. "Those fools were supposed to come today but got busy at the last moment," he said with a hint of irritation in his tone, "fools" referring to their friends Alex and Han who got busy at the last moment and ditched their plans for the day.

Understanding yet disappointed, Victor nodded. It wasn't the first time their friends' chaotic schedules had interfered. With a sigh, he returned his focus to the laptop screen. 

After a while, Victor and Tom finished their work and packed up their things. They exchanged a quick goodbye, promising to catch up the next day, and then went their separate ways, satisfied with the day's progress.