If It's Meant To Be

Chapter Nine

The work day had ended and Tom was making his way to the parking lot. As he approached the conference room which was conveniently on his way out, he heard a voice calling out names. 

He slowed his pace out of curiousity but when he spotted the lady with the pink blouse, he stopped altogether. She was standing next to another woman, tilting her head in her direction to chat. He couldn't help but to compare them. Where one was average height with long, pink ombre hair, the other was petite with fair skin and a pixie cut. The latter of the two suddenly made eye contact with Tom for a split second and so he subtly positioned himself to face away while keeping them in his peripheral view. The smaller woman proceeded to beckon her companion and after a moment, both had their eyes on him. He had been caught, yet he knew leaving at that moment would appear even more suspicious. Thus, Tom turned his attention to the action in the room. 

A man stood at the head of the conference table with large, yellow envelopes in front of him. They seemed to be labelled and he read names off of them. After a while, a name he read caused the woman who had caught his attention from the moment he first saw her that morning to walk up front and collect her designated package. In that moment, Tom learned an important detail.

The man had called out 'Marie' and she had responded. 

He walked away then. 

Marie, he thought. Marie.