Drunk In Love (Crushing Hard Series Book 3)

Dear Diary: Same Day

Evening

This morning, I woke up excited. New job, new lease on life, and all that other stuff. Kevin wanted to drive me to work, but I told him no. I wanted to do the whole independent thing.

The company that had hired me was an engineering firm with many departments: design, admin, HR, IT, finance, and the law department where I’d be working. It was a big, fancy place. The building was all glass, towering over the street like some kind of monument to corporate success.

At reception, I waited for my boss, Aisha. The receptionist, Talia, was polite, but cold, barely giving me more than a smile when I tried making small talk. She was tall, pretty, and dressed like she was going to a fashion show—heels so high I wondered how she didn’t fall. Opposite reception was a big boardroom, the kind where you could imagine big deals going down, all dark wood and intimidating.

I was early, so I sat there, fidgeting in my block heels, mentally cringing every time they tapped against the floor. I had on a navy, body-hugging dress that hit just below my knees, my hair in a neat high bun, and nude lipstick. I felt professional but out of place.

Finally, Aisha arrived. She was a petite Indian woman, fair-skinned and all smiles.

“Thandi, hi!! I'm so excited you're here!" she practically sang as she pulled me in for a hug.

“I’m excited too!” I gushed, trying to match her energy.

"Come on, let me show you around," she said, leading me past reception. The building was just as fancy inside. The floors were all wood, and instead of walls, everything was glass, making it feel like you could see the entire company from wherever you stood.

We walked by a cafeteria with lime green tables and white chairs. Aisha gestured toward it. "That’s where we eat lunch. You can eat there or at your desk, but the big bosses don’t really like people eating at their desks.”

I nodded, trying to take it all in. Everything looked so sleek, so corporate. I was about to say something when she cut me off, moving the tour along.

“We have an hour lunch, or you can split it into a 15-minute tea break in the morning, 15 minutes in the afternoon, and a shorter 30-minute lunch. It's up to you,” she added.

"Got it."

As we passed an open floor with cubicles, the hum of activity surrounded us—phones ringing, people talking, printers whirring. Aisha pointed to a few things as we walked, not giving me much time to respond. The engineers were mostly men, all dressed in formal shirts, and as we passed by, I caught a few appreciative glances. I straightened my back a little.

"This is where all the engineers work. Everyone’s busy because of a huge project, but I’ll introduce you to people later," she said, moving us toward the back where a small office waited. It was glass too, and I could already tell that Aisha would be able to see my every move from her office. Great.

Inside her office, I signed my contract—two years, Monday to Friday, 8 AM to 4:30 PM—and listened to her explain how things worked.

"As an intern, I’ll be teaching you law stuff, but you’ll also assist other departments. Just check with me first before helping anyone else and make sure you finish my work first, okay?"

“Sure thing,” I nodded.

She smiled. “Good. I won’t micromanage, but I expect things done on time. I’m pretty easy-going, but I need things when I say I need them. Sound good?”

“Absolutely.”

As I filled out more paperwork, Aisha chatted about her family, telling me about her husband and two kids. She was friendly enough, but I didn’t get much of a chance to share anything about myself.