Control

Chapter 3: Kiss You

On a crisp fall day, when multicolored leaves carried the strong smell of pumpkin and spice through the brisk afternoon air, Tessa realized she wanted a sandwich.

Work had been demanding lately, and over the past two monotonous months, Tessa had been stuck eating the same uninspired slop from the office cafeteria with no time to step out for lunch. Today was different. On this particular September afternoon, the sweet autumn wind rattled the tinted glass of her windowpane and playfully beckoned her outside. Her stomach grumbled in accordance as her eyes darted around the door to check for her boss. Seeing no sign of Vance, the young publisher eased away from her unfinished assignment and snuck towards the elevators.

"Just be back by 1."

Tessa's body stiffened as she abandoned her efforts to escape. She'd been caught.

Luckily, Kimberly flashed her a smile before she waved the girl towards the exit. "1pm sharp, Miss Young, no later. You know how Christian gets." At the mention of her husband's temper--Tessa had come to understand that Kim and Christian were married after several months of office gossip--the secretary winked in the other's direction.

"1pm," Tessa rehashed, rushing to squeeze between the closing elevator doors. "I promise."

At 12:30, the wind whipped through her strawberry blonde strands, willing Tessa to take refuge inside the closest sandwich shop to the office. The afternoon lunch rush was in full swing and the line was long. She inched closer to the counter, counting the seconds as time ticked by and customer after customer left with a sandwich that could've been hers.

To pass the time she replied to text messages: one from Steph asking how she was, another from her mother imploring her to call soon, and the last, an automated reminder from her dentist regarding an upcoming appointment. Thus was the extent of her social life. The past few months had seen Tessa wake with the rising of the summer sun, only to commute straight to work and then straight home at day's end. Summer was now drawing to a close, and Tessa couldn't quite remember the last time she had interacted with another human being outside the hours of nine to five. Fun had simply evaded her in favor of a productive workday and a good night's rest.

"Next in line please." The young cashier timidly called Tessa forward. "How many I help you?" Of all the options available, one sandwich in particular called her. It was a 12 inch vegetarian sub slathered in a layer of cheddar cheese. After the 15 minute wait, it would be the perfect reward. "I'll have the—" she began, her mouth watering, but the teenage boy behind the counter was quick to cut her short.

"I am so, so sorry. I just have to make a quick announcement before I take any more orders. One second ma'am." Clearing his throat, he raised his arms to tackle the remaining lunch rush. "Attention everyone, we are now out of bread. But the soup is half off before 12:30!" Amid the groans, he checked his watch, flushing as he noted the time. "Um...ok the soup is no longer half off, but we do have some leftover cereal from breakfast." A few irritated consumers left the shop, and after apologizing several times over, he turned back to Tessa. "Ok! So will that be the soup or the cereal?"

With a dark chuckle that put the fear of God into the poor sandwich shop employee, Tessa was one step away from losing her mind. "Are you absolutely sure you're out of bread? This is a sandwich shop, is it not?" When the trembling employee shrugged apologetically, she rephrased, rubbing her temples. "I know it's not your fault. Is there anywhere else I can get a sandwich nearby?"

"You can try the one on Olympia. It's kind of far but everywhere else is bound to be low on supplies this time of day."

Thanking him, Tessa rushed down the street. Kimberly's reprimanding speech already played in her mind as the clock approached one.