She was late again.
Lisa glanced at her watch for the thousandth time and then wondered for a brief moment if maybe she had gotten the date wrong. It was February 22nd, wasn't it? Jennie had agreed to meet her at the restaurant at 7 pm, hadn't She?
As the clock slowly ticked on, she began to doubt more and more. She took out her cell phone and scrolled through the text messages again, and when she found nothing there, she moved onto the incoming calls section. She could've called but she had missed it.
But there were no texts and no missed calls.
The hour hand on the clock moved another notch.
She looked out the window. It had been drizzling for the past three hours. Maybe that was why She was late. Rain always led to angry drivers and unfortunate accidents. Perhaps Jennie was currently in a traffic jam on the highway, frustrated and worried, and even a little bit angry because her phone had no reception and was thus unable to call her to explain her tardiness.
It was that thought that kept her going. But still, Lisa's optimism could only go so far, especially when the waitress who had offered her a fifth cup of coffee came over, her face sympathetic.
"I'm sorry, miss, but we're closing."
She blinked and glanced at her watch. 11 pm. She hastily got out of her seat, thanking the waitress profusely for servicing her for four hours.
She stepped out into the freezing winter air and wrapped her coat tighter around herself. Her stomach grumbled and the emptiness in her heart ached a little, but she refused to acknowledge either. All she wanted to do was get back to her apartment and find comfort in her bed.
She must've looked extremely pitiful at that moment because even the taxi driver, who was always mean and spiteful, gave her a sympathetic glance and even insisted that she need not pay her tip for the remarkably short drive.
Her apartment was damp and cold and felt like an icebox when she stepped in, but she didn't bother turning on the heat. She stumbled over to her answering machine in a last-ditch effort to hear her voice that day. But when the automated recording insisted that there were no messages, her shoulders slumped and she felt tears rise to her eyes.
She chastised herself for crying and angrily ran the back of her hand across her eyes. All she needed was a good night's sleep, and then she would go to work tomorrow as if nothing had happened.
She was tired and exhausted when she got into the office the next day. She had tossed and turned all night, and as a result, walked into work with a huge latte in her hand. That, however, didn't deter Rosé Park from practically pouncing on her the moment she plopped down in her seat.
"Lili-poo!" she cried. "How was it, hmm?"
Lisa stifled a yawn and tried to look as exuberant as possible, if not for Rosé's sake then for her own. "It was great! We stayed at the restaurant for so long that the people had to eventually kick us out."
Well, at least that wasn't a complete lie.
Rosé beamed, looking ready to gush about it some more, when her eyes landed on the coffee on the table. She frowned and peered at Lisa's face, and then her own expression fell. "She didn't show up, did She?"
Lisa sighed and turned on her computer. "No She didn't."
"Did She give an excuse at least?"
She shook her head.
Rosé let out an angry growl and perched herself on desk, forcing Lisa to look at her. Work didn't officially start until 9 am, and since both Lisa and Rosé had a habit of going to work a bit earlier, they had about ten minutes to chat. Lisa wasn't too worried though. She had already turned in her proposal to her manager yesterday so she just had to wait on her response. her was what she liked about working in marketing.
