The English Enchantment (Ralph Fiennes)

Chapter 2: "Ariel Topchyan"

Chapter 2: "Ariel Topchyan"

"You're late." Ariel breathed out after backing her fifth shot of Tequila. "It's nearly 10:30."

I rolled my eyes before pulling out the bar-stool beside her. "Oh please, I'm here aren't I? I had to edit and submit Paul's statement to the Wisconsin Journal before I could so much as leave the office."

"Fuck Amber, you shouldn't bring up you-know-who's name while we're drinking. Let alone work. It's a buzz killer."

I giggled aloud as I finally took my seat. "Sorry Harry, I wasn't aware that Paul Whitman's name was equivalent to that of Lord Voldemort's. You have my sincerest apologies."

"No worries..." She patted me firmly on the back. "All is forgiven."

As we chuckled at our own shenanigans, the bartender suddenly took notice of my presence and greeted me with a flirtatious smile. "Well hello there, beautiful. What would you like this evening?"

Ariel began nudging me before I could even answer, mouthing 'He's into you.' after each sarcastic wink.

My goodness, would she give me a break already? I'll date when I'm damn good and ready to do so.

Ariel's always been a great friend to me... more so, really. I met her three years prior to the campaign at my old office in New Jersey, when I was fresh out of college. I remember our first encounter most clearly because our first words shared were those of spontaneous anger.

It was a Tuesday morning and I had just entered the lobby elevator, when the files held in my left arm collapsed onto the hardened floor. So, keeping my searing cappuccino steady in one hand, I cautiously bent down to gather the files back into my arms. Little did I know, a 6-foot-tall Armenian woman with thick black hair held in a tight bun- Ariel- was running late to a meeting on the 14th floor... and the steel doors had yet to close. Needless to say, she ran into the elevator and immediately fell on top of me... causing my immensely hot drink to spill all over my dress and loose papers.

{ "Skkkk... OUCH!" I screeched in utter rage. "What the fuck, lady!?! You just ruined my whole outfit! Not to mention all of these papers that are now completely fucking useless! I was CLEARLY picking up my files!"

"What the hell are you talking about!?! You're the one crawling around on the floor like a wild fucking animal! How the fuck was I supposed to know that you were on the ground?" She barked back.

"Oh, I dunno... Maybe you could USE YOUR EYES AND LOOK WHERE YOU ARE WALKING! Or in this case, RUNNING."

"Well excUUUUUSE THE FUCK OUTTA ME FOR RUNNING A BIT BEHIND THIS MORNING! Some people aren't as perfect as you, and we can't all control the rush-hour traffic. Unlike you, I don't have any time to doddle around playing make-believe on the floor."

"I TOLD YOU I WAS PICKING UP MY FILES!" I threw the coffee cup against the wall and sat myself completely on the ground. "... not that it matters now... the files are ruined... I'm going to lose my job for this."

She took a forcefully deep breath before bending down and taking a knee beside me. "Look... I'm sorry I ran into you like I did. And I'm sorry that your dress and files are now drenched in coffee because of me. I can explain to your boss what happened and that it was completely my fault."

"Thanks, but don't bother. My boss could care less if I got hit by a truck and was paralyzed... If those files weren't on his desk by 8am, he'd still fire me."

We were both silent for a long moment, neither of us knowing quite what to say.

"Hey!" She exclaimed with sudden joy. "What if I could offer another solution?"