Warmth | ✔️ #wattys2021

6. daydreams

Adeline put her phone away and got up from her swirling chair to wander off to Jim's big office. Her red and white print dress flowing while she did so. As spring was about to come up her oh so loved dresses slid their way back into her wardrobe. Which she enjoyed not being a fan of the cold. The door was left open as always, "something about the work atmosphere". Was what he stated often enough in the last 6 months of him being in that position, that the workers mocked that sentence when once in a while the work atmosphere wasn't too nice around.

She knocked on the doorframe which made him look up from his desk. Adeline got in, admiring the view behind him that was only left for the highest paid members in the company. The bright colors of the tress presented themselves beautifully along with the city's skyline.

"Oh, hey Adeline, everything alright?" He asks, his brown eyes now focused on her. They went by first names at Bennet publishing, Adeline was quite thankful for that, considering calling your friend by a formal title would be somewhat weird.

"Uhm no, not really." She replied and carefully closed the thick brown office door behind her. Adeline used to tease him because of that door and always implied he only needed such a thick door for special shenanigans.

"Sit down then, tell me what's wrong." She did as he said and as soon as she sat, stumbled over her anger. Perhaps she wasn't all that angry, she would have given him his number one way or the other one day but at least he could've asked. Besides, the following conversation was just another annoying addition to her day.

"Not work related, I'm sorry, but did you give Adam my number?"

"Uhm yes actually I might have. But I advised him to not call you in his current state. Wait -did he?"

"Well yes, so why did you without even asking me? That guy is drunk of his arse." He should have seen this coming, the e-mail was rather silly. Jimmy suddenly felt a pang of regret hitting at his chest, burying his face in his hands.

"And since I absolutely don't have like one free second today, you have to check up on him! I don't have time for this." Adeline didn't yell, she couldn't really be loud, but to say her annoyance was clear in her voice was an understatement. Sure, the call was cute and everything but she didn't fancy the outcome. At the time his voice made her forget for a short moment that her day was packed to the brim.

"Adeline, now that is silly, he is a grown man, he will be fine." For him the friendship with Adam consisted of a lot of activities that had to do with drinking. He saw him drunk off his ass countless times, perhaps not at this hour, but anyway.

"Besides, you are free in an hour, go check up on him yourself then. I'm your boss, have to do what I tell you to." Jim regretted his suggestive tone as soon as the words came out of his mouth and he saw his interns face scrunch up in anger. He knew this wasn't business related rather than a conversation as friends.

"Just so you know after I'm done here I have to go to uni and then when I am home I have like 15 minutes to get ready for your stupid work party. And besides, what kind of friend are you to not take care of your mate when drunk, that shit can be dangerous!" She wasn't exactly proud of her little speech but if that wouldn't do it, what would? Besides any topic regarding alcohol made her loose control of her sane state of mind. Most of the time she wouldn't talk to Jim as friends in their work setting but today was different.

"Okay, listen I'm sorry", he gave in. Jim knew he had lost this fight before it even started. No matter how cute she may seem, there is a lot of convincing and intimidating potential in her. Rhetoric in major and all. "I promise I'll be driving to his house in like... " he took a glance at the clock, doing the maths real quick "30 minutes?"

"Perfect." She replied, not sounding satisfied leaving the room.

"And Adeline?" he called after her, which made her turn around once more.

"Hm...?"

"Go and have yourself a little coffee break. No one likes people moping around at parties."

Adeline rolled her eyes and got back to her desk. In fact, she saw her boss leave the office 30 minutes later which made her smile in satisfaction. Another 30 minutes and she would be able to leave for uni.

Deciding for rhetorical writing and politics as 18 year old was probably on of Adeline's smarter choices. With her grandfather being big in politics and her usually annoying over-analyzing habits, it fit to her perfectly. So perhaps, she decided the lecture would be best part of today. Seating herself on her usual spot, front left corner.

During the lesson though, she had a hard time focusing. Her mind wandering off to the call earlier, and the never ending question: What would I wear tonight and how long did I have to stay to not seem impolite? No one would even notice if she left early, after all she was only an intern. And then Adam's drunk voice again and his hopeless optimism and- She was only waking up from her daydream when this blonde haired girl next to her, she presumed named Kate, asked her for a pen. Adeline was in her last year and had never seen her before this semester, so she must be new. She wore a pink top and a skirt that was on the shorter side. Adeline would have freezed her arse off leaving her shared home in that little clothing. But well, everyone sets priorities different.

"Oh yeah sure, here, sorry!" Adeline answered a little confused and handed her a pen.

"Thanks!" She smiled.

The end of the lecture went by smoothly, with the professor not being the interactive type, her attention stayed at the same low level as it did before and it ended before it started. Reminiscing how she thought that this part would become her daily highlight, she wasn't all that wrong it ended up being right, just for a complete different reason. Daydreams would never let you down, not even ones filled with dresses you couldn't ever effort, or guys -at that.

"Here your pen." She laid it beside me on the wooden desk.

"I'm Kate, by the way!" Ha! I was right, Adeline thought.

"I'm Adeline! Nice to meet you." She answered happily. No one ever really introduced themselves in uni lectures, which she only ever though was weird, so she was glad she did at least.

Adeline packed all her stuff in her purplish bag as fast as possible. In the big hope to extend her 15 minutes time to get ready and eventually persuade Nora to lend her a nice piece from her closet.