Going Solo

Part 31

Jin

Mason's eyes widened as soon as he saw me. "I-I thought you weren't coming in today, sir." he clamored as I brushed past him.

"I'm not staying. I'm just checking on a few things."

"Yes sir."

I entered my office, only planning to bring a few files along. I needed to see what was going on in Accounting. Someone was trying to embezzle funds from the Public Health Center.

Of course.

My company was just starting out. We've only been around for two years, sooner or later someone was bound to test the limits, see what they could get away with. All I needed now was to find out who wanted to go to jail. I began gathering files, pulling a file on all employees in Accounting and zeroing in on a Henry Slater, our Payroll Administrator. The money going out did not match our number of employees. I printed out what I found.

Turning from my printer to my glass desk, a cup of still-steaming tea caught my eye. Attached, was a bright pink sticky note. I walked over, cautiously grabbing the steaming cup and smelling its contents.

Jasmine tea. The only person...

I quickly rotated the cup to read the note. It read: "I'll always be your perfect cup of tea."

I sent the cup flying through the open door of my office and heard a loud shriek. I rushed out after probably burning someone with the steaming tea. Nicole stood, her mouth gaping, clothes soaked in the tea. Both blouse and skirt were dripping wet.

"I am so sorry!" I grabbed some tissues from Mason's desk and began blotting at the stain on her blouse. She gasped and snatched the tissue from my hand.

"I'll do it."

"Are you alright? Did it burn you?"

"I'm fine." she flat-lined.

I subconsciously began following her, checking her skirt for more stains and not failing to find them, until she turned around and gave me a look.

"What?" I asked. She made another face.

"This is the WOMEN'S bathroom." she said.

"Right. I'll just-"

"Go?" she said, before disappearing into the bathroom.

I got out my phone to dial Hugh's number.

"Hey man. I'm going to be late, tell Auntie that I'm sorry."

"You're still coming right? She's been dying to spend some time with you."

"I'm coming, I promise. I just got a little... held up."

"I'm so sorry to hold you up!" Miss Pearson shouted sarcastically from behind the bathroom door.

"Woah!" Hugh exclaimed. "Is that Nicole?!"

"Yes. N-no." I sighed in frustration. "Listen, its not like that. I'm at work-"

"At work? I thought you were taking a day off. Or did you just go in to get 'held up' by Nicole?" I could feel his eyebrows wriggling through the phone.

"No. I came in to check on some paperwork and just had a little incident."

"Incident?" Nicole asked, peeking her head out the door. "If I didn't know any better I'd think you had it out for me."

"Anyway, I'll just be about thirty minutes late."

"Alright, I'll let her know." Hugh laughed, ending the phone call.

Nicole finally emerged from the restroom, still buttoning up her wet blouse. I immediately turned to face the opposite direction.

"Oh, please feel free to turn back around," Nicole quipped. "After all, you've already seen everything anyway."

"No. I haven't. I told you I didn't see anything that day."

"Oh really? So you just happened to looked like a ripe tomato for nothing?"

I sighed. "I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking, I didn't mean for it to hit anyone."

"Wow, the first time this happened I got no apologies from the all-mighty Jin Dong Lee, but today I get two! Looks like it's my lucky day." she said incredulously, as she began walking down the hall towards the copy machine. I began walking along-side her as she continued talking.

Did she say Jin Dong? It felt ... different, to hear her say my full name.

"Why are you smiling?"

"Am I?"

"You are. And its weird, don't do that." I couldn't help but find her amusing and let out a snicker. "So do you just go around throwing beverages or was that a one-time thing?" she continued. "Who did you think was gonna clean that up? Because I can't imagine you pulling out a mop and cleaning up after yourself."

I released a heavy sigh, remembering what elevated my temper in the first place. "Jasmine, left it for me."

"Oh? And instead of just drinking tea left for you, by a beautiful woman I might add, you decide to chuck it out the door? What is wrong with you?" she said, shoving me into the wall with the nudge of her arm. "Anyway, I didn't think it would be possible in my lifetime to see you in casual clothes. What's the occasion?"

"Lunch with Hugh's mom."

"Aw! Is this a meet-the-parents kind of date?"

I slid her a 'very funny' look as she continued our conversation while making copies of a newsletter I wanted handed out to the employees of three different divisions, including Disease Prevention. "Hugh's mother is like a mother to me. She's known me all 26 years of my life."

"Sounds like me and Tony's mom. I haven't known her for that long, but still, we go way back." And suddenly my body acted before the gears in my brain could turn. I grabbed her arm and turned her to face me, examining her face. I couldn't find a hint of the bruise that surrounded her eye a few days earlier.

"You heal quickly." I observed carefully.

"It's make-up. I did pretty good, huh?" I lifted my chin in acknowledgement and released her arm.

"Are you applying a warm compress every night? What did Dr. Johns tell you to do?"

"Not much-"

"Did I hear my name?" Iris purred from behind me.

"Unfortunately." I drawled.

"Were you talking about me?" she asked.

"Miss Pearson. We will continue this conversation another time. If you will excuse me." I turned around headed towards my office to retrieve the files I'd left behind. Iris followed, "Hey Jin, who's that new girl?"

"Miss Pearson is a new intern for the Disease Prevention team." I replied hurrying to escape.

"You must really like talking to her." her voice low, in a whisper now, as she hurried to my side and snaked her arm around mine.

"Not particularly. Listen, I have a lunch meeting to attend," I said finally reaching my office and grabbing the files on my desk, shaking Iris' arm as I did.

"Can I-"

"No. You may not attend. I'm surprised Mr. Blackwell let you out of his sight. I asked him to keep an eye on you."

"Is that why he keeps giving me busy work every time I try to escape the office?" she asked, her voice beginning to sound like a high pitched whine, which caused an oncoming headache. "Jin, please?!"

"No. I'm positive that you have work to do. That is what employees do, work."

"Fine." she pouted and stormed out of my office. I sat down at my desk for a moment, my head was pounding. I sighed, holding my head in my hands. The pounding gradually faded, but the ache still remained. I left my office and came upon the mess that had been left in my wake. A Styrofoam cup, it's lid, a pink sticky note, and splotches of tea.

"Mason." I called. "Clean this up."