Spark

Chapter 2.

I open the door to my office and notice how it hasn't changed since the last time I was here, three weeks ago. My computer has been untouched, as has the keyboard and shelving I put in place to organise myself. The organisation caddy is still where I left it, containing all my papers, pens, utensils and other things. I set my briefcase down on the desk and pull out my phone and set it on the phone holder set up next to my computer. I log onto the system and begin working.

After about fifteen minutes I am interrupted by Owen Grady standing at my office door staring into the room and looking straight at me. I glare at him hoping he gets the message that he is being completely rude and disrespectful.

"Excuse me Mr Grady? Can I help you?" I ask while turning my chair to face him.

"Yes. I was just admiring the way your stunning legs hang from your chair and the way your toes tap against the floor to the beat of whatever song is stuck in your head." Rude and a sleaze.

"Excuse me? That is not something you should be discussing in a workplace. And I find it highly inappropriate and disrespectful to talk a woman like that unless she is close to you and you're in a relationship with her. Which in this case we are not. So please keep your snide comments to yourself."

"Wow. Sexy and feisty." I roll my eyes as I turn back to my computer, choosing to ignore whatever he says next. "You know, ignoring me isn't going to make me go away. Especially if your office is across from mine. We are going to have a lot of—"

I cut him off. I am so sick of his talking and he needs to leave now.

"You need to either decide on saying something worth me listening to or you need to leave. Can't you see I am trying to get my work done?" I snap.

"Okay well I do have something worth you listening to. I overheard your conversation with Masrani about the side projects and shit." I flinch at his use of cuss words. I have never sworn. I find it completely ugly and disgusting. Words like that should never have been created. "And basically I am running pretty much all the side projects. But from what you said about wanting to be apart of them—"

"Excuse me? You were eavesdropping on my conversation with Simon?" I snap.

"Yes, why? The walls aren't really that thick."

"It is completely and utterly rude and disrespectful to listen in on other peoples conversations. For all you know we could have been talking about something extremely private. And especially since this is your first day. I could get you fired you know." I snap, my voice increasingly growing louder with every sentence that spills out of my mouth.

"Ah but I know you won't get me fired because you don't want to ruin your reputation here at Masrani Global. I know you all too well."

"You don't know me at all Mr Grady—"

"Owen." He cuts me off.

"Owen, as I was saying... You don't know me at all. So don't you dare think I won't get you fired. Yes, I need to uphold my reputation but I can fire people if I need to. And I will have no hesitation to fire you if you keep pushing my buttons like you are right now." My voice is getting louder and louder by the second. Every word he speaks makes me want to rip his head off.

"Claire, Claire, Claire. You're hot when you're mad." That's it.

"GET OUT! GET OUT NOW!" I practically scream at the top of my lungs and I stand up quicker than ever in my life. Owen jumps, probably shocked at my reaction. He immediately backs out of the office and heads into his shutting the door behind him. I sit back down and breath in and out slowly trying to calm myself down. I run my fingers through my hair to relax myself. After a few minutes of relaxing and calming down, I walk out of my office, shut the door and walk into the kitchen, which is a thirty-second walk from my office, and start making myself a warm cup of coffee which I have been craving all day. I look down at my watch and almost tear my hair out when I look at the time. It's only ten, I think to myself. I stand at the edge of the counter and think things over while I wait for my coffee to finish.

What have I done? This is the first time I have ever snapped at a colleague before. And more importantly he is new. Masrani will kill me.

My thoughts are interrupted by the beeping coming from the coffee machine. I pull my cup from underneath the spout and fill it up with milk. I rip open a sugar and pour it in. I open another three and pour them in, making sure to get every last grain of sugar. I don't normally have this much sugar, actually I don't normally even have sugar. I would normally just make my coffee and some times I don't even put milk in. But today I need that extra sugar and that extra shot to keep me going for the rest of the long day ahead. I take the coffee from the kitchen and walk back to my office, only to find the door wide open. I am pretty sure I left it closed. No, I am one hundred percent certain I closed it. I walk into the office to see Owen sitting in one of the chairs in front of my desk.

"Mr Grady, have you come to apologise?" I can't believe I just said that. I am the one who should be saying sorry for throwing him out of my office and yelling at him. But on the other hand, he did kind of deserve it. And I don't usually apologise unless something extremely terrible has happened.

"Yes, actually." He says, clearly nervous and uncomfortable.

"And?" I say, placing the coffee cup on my desk and sitting down with crossed arms.

"I'm sorry that I was so horribly rude and exceptionally flirtatious before. And I also want to apologise for starting this whole thing and... No. You know what Claire, you should be apologising. None of this would have happened if you hadn't been so stupid and immature." Here we go again. He stands up out of the seat and slams his hands on the desk, making me jump a little.

"No, let me rephrase. None of this would've happened if you weren't being such a bitch." He did not just say that.

"What?! Are you actually kidding me? I am not that." I practically scream.

"And you're too coward to even say the word bitch. Well, you know what, Claire. You need to man up and learn that saying a word like bitch and fuck and shit, does not kill the world or destroy your parents." This has taken a strange turn.

"Owen Grady, you need to leave again if you are going to continue behaving like this. I will not tolerate swearing in my office and I sure as hell won't tolerate behaviour like yours. So please. I am asking nicely, for you to leave." I slowly stand from my chair and point to the door, indicating he has to leave. He does as I ask.

"This is not the end of this Claire. At all. Especially since I want to see you again, and not fight the next time I see you." I roll my eyes and sit down. I put my hands on my head and run my fingers through my hair for the second time today.

It's only ten fifteen and I already want to go home. And that is saying something because I always choose work over sitting at home.