Between Duty and Desire

Chapter 1

Hiii everyone!
Let's start :)

***

I resolutely set foot on the first steps of the grand marble staircase.
A pleasant breeze blew my hair out of my face and with a firm grip on the strap of my bag, I began to climb the steps.
Today was not my first day in the White House, but it certainly stood out as something special.
Today I would be meeting the President of the United States of America, Kamala Harris, for the first time.
I had been her personal assistant for about a week, but I had never met her. She had spent the last few days in California giving speeches, visiting the residents - everything that was part of her job as head of state.
I was a little sad that I couldn't be part of it, but I had been instructed to stay at the White House.
The sound of my heels snapped me out of my thoughts.
I had to pull myself together at all costs, I didn't want to lose my job straight away. If you trust what people were saying, Kamala Harris was a very friendly person, but I still wanted to make a good first impression.
As I pushed down the handle of my office door, I was immediately hit by the familiar smell of coffee and printer paper, something I really enjoyed. It reminded me of the days when I used to visit my father at his work in the theater.
It had always been a fun time, he had done his job as a dramaturge while I wandered through the endless aisles, catching glimpses of colorful costumes, wigs and props here and there.
Although there were clear differences between his work then and my work now, I enjoyed my time here too.
I had already made friends with a few of my colleagues and I enjoyed my work. To some, my job may sound like pure horror, but sitting behind my desk organizing appointments, planning departure times and writing emails made me feel truly useful for the first time in my life.
And that's how I started my day. After making myself a steaming cup of coffee, I grabbed the pile of documents Bee had left on my desk.
Bee was one of my colleagues here, he was the one I immediately became friends with. His real name was Benjamin, so it was clear why he preferred to call himself Bee.
With a small smile, I started to read through the notes.
We were currently planning Kamala's next trip to Michigan, including everything from departure times to hotel bookings. This time it had fallen to me to choose our place to stay, no easy task.
For a while, my office was filled with the clicking of my pen and the sounds coming in through the tilted window.
A knock on the door interrupted me.
"Come in!" I called out.
With a broad grin, Bee stepped through the door.
"Hey girl! Or should I say Ms. Blake?" he warbled cheerfully. I couldn't help but grin back. "Actually, yes, but I forgive you. You have special permission." He gave a feigned gasp. "What an honor! What puts you in such a good mood? I usually only know you as a morning grouch." I rolled my eyes. "Oh come on. I'm not that bad. But if you're asking - I'm meeting our president for the first time today. We're going over the itinerary together." Bee grimaced. "As for the first point... Everyone has their own opinion. But on the latter, how great! She'll love you, I think you're totally on the same wavelength." I poked him lightly in the side. "Don't exaggerate. We'll manage with one another. She won't love me, she'll respect me."
He let out a sigh. "Don't take it so literally. But for once, I didn't come here to train you out of your uptightness. But to invite you to dinner. Purely on friendly terms, of course!" he added hastily. I raised my eyebrow and couldn't hide my laughter.
"I knew that, don't worry."
"Is it so noticeable that I'm fruity?"
"Yes."
"Good."

After Bee left I checked the time every five minutes. Nervousness slowly began to spread within me. Our appointment was in about 20 minutes, but I got up from my chair anyway. I pulled my emergency makeup bag out of the bottom drawer of my desk, something that had come in handy many times. I reapplied my lipstick and mascara. I ran my fingers through my hair and straightened my blazer. With a final glance in the mirror, I stepped out into the hallway.
There was a lot of activity outside, but I didn't recognize most of the faces. I strode towards the Oval Office, my heart pounding.
On my way, I passed many impressive pictures, each more beautiful than the last. One that stuck in my mind in particular showed two women. They just looked at each other, but their gazes spoke to each other in every language in the world. I had always been interested in art, but since my new job, I had hardly had any time for it.
I awoke from my daydream when I saw a simple white door at the end of the hallway.
That had to be it.
With weak knees I walked towards the entrance. I gave myself a moment before knocking. 'This is a completely normal appointment with your boss. No need to get excited,' I thought. I took a deep breath and knocked on the door.
"Come in!" a voice called from inside.
I entered and quickly put on a smile. Kamala Harris was sitting behind her desk, writing something.
When she saw me, her head shot up. "Good day, you must be Ms. Blake! Nice to meet you!" With a warm smile, she stood up and walked towards me.
"Good day, Madame President, yes, I am Selene Blake. I am honored to work for you. I admire your work very much, and I hope I can make your life a little easier in the near future," I replied, taking her outstretched hand.
She laughed. It was a clear, beautiful laugh, one that I had always loved on television.
"You flatter me. And I have no doubt that our work together will be very enjoyable," she replied with a wink.
I smiled back before I realized that I was still holding her hand. I quickly pulled it back, which made her grin a little. I cleared my throat.
"Um, so, I have the schedule for the trip with me. Would you like to take a look at it?"
"Very much. Come."
She gestured towards the sofa near the large window. I sat down on it and began to spread the papers out in front of me.
"So, each of these papers is a single day, except for Wednesday, there are two, because you're giving your speech in Lansing. Everything is stated on each paper, the departure times and the location and all other important information. If something is unclear, you can contact me at any time."
She hummed appreciatively.
"Very good, I'm impressed. Can we go over the day of arrival again? I don't have everything in my head yet."
She slid closer to me so she could get a better look at the paper. Our knees touched, this small touch caused goosebumps all over my body.
"Of course, Madam President," I said and nodded.
I hoped she wouldn't notice the slight tremor in my voice. In any case, she showed no reaction.
We went through the plans a little longer and discussed individual ambiguities.
Finally we came to the end.
Kamala leaned back on the sofa and let out a sigh. "I really have to say, I've known you for barely an hour and I'm already fascinated by you. You've organized everything so well, I have no criticism whatsoever. However..." she murmured. I swallowed.
"However, what, Madam President?"
She suddenly started to giggle.
I looked at her in irritation, which only seemed to amuse her more.
"Don't worry, my dear, everything is perfect. I'm just wondering how you came up with this hotel? It's very good, in any case, but how did you come up with that?"
"Well... I wanted everything to be fine for you, so I did a little research." I didn't mention the fact that I had spent the last few nights searching through all sorts of websites and travel guides to find the best hotel for her. I had a clear goal to make everything perfect, and by the looks of things, I had succeeded.
She seemed to accept it, even if her eyebrows drew together slightly. "It really is great."
I smiled at her. "Is that all for today, Madam President?"
"Yes, that's all for today. I'll see you tomorrow for the team meeting at nine. Oh, and one more thing, when we're alone I'm just Kamala. Let's skip the formal nonsense."
A warm feeling spread through me. "Of course, Kamala. Then I'm just Selene."
She grinned again and began to sort through her papers. I also gathered my things and walked to the door.
"See you tomorrow then. I'm looking forward to it." I smiled at her one last time.
She smiled back. "Me too. See you tomorrow."
I left the office. In a better mood than on the way there, I made my way back to my office. I happily entered and opened the window.
The cool autumn air hit me, but I enjoyed it. A quick refreshment did me good.
It was only when I stepped back and sat down at the desk that I noticed the little note on my notebook. A big grin spread across my face.
It was from Bee.

Heyyy! I was in such a hurry earlier that we completely forgot to set a time for dinner. Anyway, here's my number, call me later! Xoxo, B.

I put the note in my pocket, satisfied. It looked like I had already found a friend.

***
Well, first chapter finished. Let's do how this will go on ;)
Love y'all