too much to live with~Arwen

Chapter 14

Ross Verona closed the file which he was reading and leaning back, he rested his head on the top of his seat. Staring at the ceiling of his office room he wondered how incongruous his life was. Atypical circumstances were not a rarity in his work. But the people he met never failed to amuse him. He still wasn’t used to with his bizarre job, even after so many years. He conjectured that it was because of the distinctive personalities which he blackwashes. Different people with different sets of mentality exist. Verona’s job had always required the ability to know the person beyond anybody else’s reach. He accomplished it most of the times. It’s a task to divulge someone’s temperament. And the success in case of one person is never helpful in somebody else’s case. But that is something that never bothered him. He felt unsettled not because of what he does but because of what he discovers. Some people are utterly naïve, some pretend to be so. Some are cognizant while others care about nothing in this world. Some laugh to express joy but Verona encountered the one who laugh to demonstrate sarcasm, hatred and lunacy. Some are innocent and some accept the charges against them with fanaticism. Some love though most prefer to be loved. Some cry but Verona admires the one who put up a fight. Some are atheist, most believe in god while the rest prefer to stay mum. Some feel lonely, a few indulge in their alone time and many strive for company till they succeed. Some think, some act.  Some believe in giving, but most desire the act of taking. Some are good and some are not appreciated by Verona, but nobody is bad- the word shouldn’t exist in the dictionary according to Verona. Some request, while others die lest be gratified by others. Some wish to curse Verona till the end of his days, some feel nothing for him and a few admire him till their end of the days.

He closed his eyes. He hadn’t slept in the last eighteen hours. Even the stiff cushion of his seat seemed welcoming. But he forced his eyes open, as the one, whom he had not yet categorized, popped up into his head. Arwen would be in his office in a few minutes. Yes, she would be dot on time, of this Verona was sure. He got up and went to the washroom to empty his bladder and then he washed his face several times with cold water. Appreciating the faint lines of appearing old age on his forehead in the mirror, Verona wiped his face with a towel. The lines did not make him look senile. Instead it seemed to add up to his aptitude. He finished reading the file he had left in between but half of his mind remained centered on Arwen. She hadn’t announced the reason behind her desired appointment but Verona didn’t expect her to come to him for gossiping. He was yet to decipher the force behind her actions.

At sharp 9:00 AM, his office phone rang. He picked it up on the first ring.

“Sir, A Ms. Andearson is here-“ Mathew, Verona’s sub colleague, wasn’t allowed to complete his sentence.

“Get her in.” Verona said gruffly and put down the receiver.

Mathew worked under Ross Verona. He knew of all the cases that were under him. He couldn’t remember if any Andearson was mentioned in any of the files. He assumed that a new task must be surfacing. He looked at his acquaintance from the corner of his eyes while accompanying her to Verona’s office. Dressed in a simple t-shirt, Arwen still looked utterly beautiful. It did make her receive a warm welcome from Mathew. She looked like a college student to him. He would have assumed it to be a casual meeting had Arwen not looked so nervous. Once outside Verona’s office, he knocked once and opened the door without hesitation. Arwen’s heart started to beat frantically.

Verona got up from his seat as Arwen entered his office. He walked down to abolish the distance in between and shook her hand, both of them acknowledged each other silently.

“Should you be in need of anything else?” Mathew asked Verona.

“Keep close to your phone in case I need.” Verona said.