Leblouche's diary

21. The plan is in motion!

To follow the thread of this chapter, it is recommended to read the last three chapters.

EctoGen Headquarters, 1:45 PM.

*Sounds of a crowd*

"So, Leblouche, enjoying all these dishes?" Antoine asked me.

"Yeah, I didn't expect there to be so much food here, everyone seems to have a bit of a chef in them," I commented, impressed by the others' work.

"Too bad there aren't any 'drinks,' it would be even better," he joked.

"Antoine... You know very well that they won't let us drink alcohol. Do you really think it's ideal to have such drinks on an occasion like this?" I replied, exasperated.

"I'd say it's the only thing missing! (Laughs)" he added.

That day was the 25th anniversary of "EctoGen." As mentioned yesterday, everyone was supposed to bring something, but not everyone brought a "little something" as I see. I have to admit that Antoine is right, too; a few bottles of champagne wouldn't hurt.

"Hey Mariam, how did the preparation go yesterday?" I asked.

"Pretty tiring, but luckily my sister helped me, otherwise I wouldn't have finished until 3 AM..." she joked.

"In any case, it was worth it. Your briouates are really good, my compliments to your twin!" I complimented.

"(Laughs) Thanks, I'll let her know," she thanked.

The day went well, just like the birthday buffet in the diary, we had fun with some music, listened to the young CEO's speech paying tribute to the company and its progress, and ate the cake which, contrary to what was mentioned in the diary, wasn't as impressive but still well made.

We ended our day at 9 PM. Some people wanted to continue the celebration in a bar down the street, and unsurprisingly, Antoine was among them. On the other hand, others wanted to go home, and it was tempting to go with Antoine and the others, but my body and mind said otherwise...

"Oh, that's a shame... We were looking for a seventh person to come with us..." Antoine said, disappointed.

"Did you ask Mariam? Maybe she could join you," I suggested.

"Uh... Just so you know, Mariam is Muslim, she can't drink alcohol," he pointed out.

"Oh right, damn, I completely forgot..."

"So, it's just you, Mariam, and a few others who won't be coming... Well then, good night and have a safe trip."

After wishing my colleagues a good evening, I prepared to head home, starting my motorcycle. Once again, like yesterday, I saw Mariam, who this time wasn't struggling with taxis but was walking alone with a tired expression. I headed towards her with my bike, trying to start a conversation.

"So, Mariam, have you officially fallen out with taxis?" I teased her, trying to cheer her up.

"No, I just wanted to walk home alone," she replied.

"At this hour? You could have tried; sometimes they're nice," I commented, looking at my watch which showed 9:27 PM.

"You want to give me a ride again, don't you?" she smiled at my joke.

"I just love being helpful, that's all. Besides, even a big guy like me wouldn't spend a second walking in the streets of Paris late at night, even at 7 PM," I admitted, handing her the second helmet.