Florian's fingers twitched against the napkin as he desperately searched for a way out. His mind raced through every possible excuse, grasping at anything that could save him from the situation unraveling before him.
'I have a sudden emergency? No. I suddenly remembered an important letter? No, I don't handle correspondence. Maybe... I could just collapse? Pretend to faint? No. Cashew would worry again. Would Heinz actually let me leave if I did?'
The more he thought about it, the more suffocating the atmosphere felt. Gods, he wanted to melt into the ground. Just disappear. Vanish. Maybe, if he willed it hard enough, the chair beneath him would open up and swallow him whole.
Unfortunately, reality was cruel.
When he finally dared to glance up, he immediately regretted it.
