Clear

Clear: Chapter 24

Chapter 24: Dehydrated

It was 7:30AM and I was sitting in the boardroom nibbling on my knuckles. Typically a cloudy brain could be prescribed with a good cup of coffee in the morning, but I already had two and I was still stuck on yesterday.

"Do you have the files I needed you to print for the meeting?" Chris whispered beside me.

Startled, I quickly handed over what he asked for. "Sorry."

Chris's brows were up high in question, but I dismissed his worry with a smile. The moment he returned to his duties, I was chewing on my skin again. Shortly after, I heard the boss calling for attention at the front of the room but I didn't regard him so quickly.

I was in the meeting, but almost every word went over my head. I was reveling in my backfired wish of having a mental diversion so I couldn't think too much into what was or wasn't happening with the pair of green eyes that focused on me more than they should have for the entire hour.

One hour later, the meeting ended. My reaction to standing up with everyone else was delayed, but I quickly followed suit and shadowed after Chris and Renee. Luckily they were too busy to notice that I was in a completely different world.

I was still thinking about last night– me and Andre.

"You know I still love you, Ada."

I couldn't answer him back. I just stared at him, as my eyes already red from crying before we could even sit down. Hearing those words come from him again hit me like a tidal wave and I wasn't sure what to do with myself. At the end, he tried to kiss me again, but I turned my cheek to him. I couldn't let him go so easily, but at the same time, I was too afraid to remember an old taste.

It wasn't unusual to receive an email from Renee, but this time the content didn't have anything work related in the body.

Are you okay?

-R

I didn't bother to respond, instead I got up and walked over to her desk. Her large eyes were feathered in pretty coral and looking up to me when I mouthed, "No."

"A man?" she asked back.

"How did you know?!"

"I know that look, girl," she groaned, with leveled brows.

I sighed, after lightly stomping, "I'm so sorry that it's so obvious. I'm at work right now and can barely focus."

"Well Ada... it happens. As much as people like to say that you need to leave your personal problems at home, we spend a majority of our day here. It's virtually impossible to leave our personal situations outside of work."

She's right.

"You may be clearly distracted, but not enough to interfere with your work. Thanks for that data compilation by the way," she winked with a huge grin.

"You're welcome, Renee," I smiled.

"And if you want to talk about this guy later, you know where to find me."

Not only was I feeling ten thousand times better, but I took her up on that offer when lunch reared its head. Chris was too busy to come, and I was relieved that my tragic love life was going to fall on only one set of ears this time. We entered inside of a little Italian restaurant, and when I broke down tale of Andre and Ada, it was safe to conclude that Renee was aghast at the very end.

Spaghetti dangled from the fork hovering in front of her mouth, and I insecurely shrugged, "I mean... I can understand why he feels that way."

"Not enough not enough to just break it off without proper explanation... You literally stuck with him through school, convinced him not to quit when shit got rough, and then he gets a job and wants to be all high and mighty? Ada..." Renee scowled.