>>Clio
The atmosphere in the office was weird.
I could tell the people were stealing glances at me left and right as I went to do the trivial office chores. I could feel their eyes on me even when I was sitting on my desk.
It was as if they all wanted to say something to me but couldn't bring themselves to start it.
Oh God…
I'm sure a boss wouldn't go around telling his employees that one of them was crying but there were three other people who saw my tear-stained face at the station.
I glanced at Bizy and Imani and they both looked away in a panic.
Caught red-handed..
I guess they're both guilty. Office gossip spreads like wildfire after all. It was the same in NLN too. If anyone found any juicy gossip, a few hours later everyone knew about it.
I sighed and did my best to ignore it and the first half of work passed like this. But as we all were about to scatter for lunch break Lizzo couldn't keep his mouth shut anymore.
"Clio," As soon as he called my name I stopped in my path but along with me, the rest of the office stopped as well. And while I turned to look at Lizzo, everyone else turned to look at me.
Oh God…
"Yes?"
"This is going to sound rude," He started speaking, "And I tried to ignore it too." The atmosphere got tense with anticipation, "But looking at your face I don't think it's right not to ask." He looked directly at my face, "I heard you were crying last night." He walked towards me, "Is something wrong?" He came and stood a few steps away from me, "Why would you be crying in the middle of the night at a train station?"
…
I knew at some point someone was going to ask me about it. I knew it and I was preparing myself mentally for it as well. But still, now that the question has been asked, I can't help but feel sad.
"Oh," I looked away in shame. I wonder if everyone knows now that I was crying in my boss's arms. Lizzo didn't mention it, but does everyone know? "It's just," I looked down, "My lover's cheating on me…" I couldn't really hide it. Not after I was seen like that.
A mixture of loud gasps erupted in the office.
"WHAT!?" There was a unified question.
"Oh! MY! God!"
"Who would cheat on you!!"
"That bitch must be out of her mind." They all started swarming around me to console me and they practically just group-hugged me and took me to the cafeteria where they stuffed me with food.
"So how did you find out?" I was drinking the bottled milk when I was asked the question. And I knew full well they were all just asking because they were curious, the world loves gossip.
I sighed, then told them what I saw.
Of course, I changed our genders according to the story and made Nolan a woman and Cherelle the guy, but the thing is I wasn't expecting much out of it, yet as I told everyone the story, and they all listened keenly, I found my heart getting a little lighter.
So even when I choked up, and a few tears slipped down my cheeks, they all remained patient with me.
Imani kept wiping my tears away while Jacob kept giving me the tissues. I didn't think I'd feel better but somehow I did.
"You know what," Lizzo said, "This calls for a drinking break." Everyone looked at him in disbelief.
"You're at work," Dave gave him a disgusted look.
"I mean," He looked at Dave, "AFTER work." He looked at the rest of us, "Let's meet at our usual restaurant around nine, okay?"
I wasn't sure how to reply to that but Chris agreed, "It's a good idea." She glanced at me, "There's no better way to forget an ex,"
"Chris, will you be coming?" Jacob was confused
She nodded, "Yeah," She seemed calmer today
"Are you sure?" Jacob asked, "What about Rameen?"
Everyone glared at him
"It's fine, I talked to her," She let out a deep breath, "She said she's coming home."
Then everyone let out a breath of relief. I guess she decided to listen to my words even though she didn't respond to them.
"Okay then?" Bizy looked at me, "Do you agree Clio?"
I thought about it as I looked at the faces of my coworkers, "Well," They all had their eyes on me, "The weekend is starting…" I don't know if it's a good idea or not but, I looked down at the table, "Alright." Maybe this is what I need.
"Okay!" Everyone agreed
***
>>Matthew
"Your detective couldn't find the girl you were looking for?" Zhou-Lin asked. I wasn't expecting him to come to my office out of the blue and it made me suspicious.
"Not yet," I glanced at my phone, "I haven't received any updates." The curtains were open but the place was getting dark because of the dark clouds that had started assembling in the sky.
"Harou is the only person you've put on duty, right?"
"...Yes…"
"Hmm," He was sitting in the middle of the three-seater couch, and unlike how he's mostly dressed, today he was in a dress shirt and pants which quite suited him, "Just out of curiosity Matthew," Zhou-Lin put his right leg on top of his left thigh, "That girl, Cherelle, she's your mate, isn't she?" He had a piercing gaze and it didn't surprise me that he had come to that conclusion
But what am I supposed to say to him?
Lie? Or tell him the truth.
"Why are you curious about that?"
His face was unreadable, like always, "Like I said, just curious." He shrugged his shoulders.
I sighed and looked at the files on my desk, "Take your curiosity elsewhere," I flipped through the pages, "I have work that needs to be done."
…
I was expecting him to be persistent, he always is. He does everything to get the answer he wants, so it was a surprise when he simply said, "Okay," And stood up to leave
!!???
I looked at him with a suspicious gaze, "Leaving already?" I asked as he walked towards the door.
"You're busy," He passed me a smile, then opened the door, "We'll meet later." And he left without another word making me frown.
>>Clio
And just like that the break was over we all were making our way back to the office when a familiar figure came into view.
A shudder passed down my spine and I stopped in my path when Zhou-Lin crossed us all, making his way out of Matthew's office.
!!!
Fear gripped me like a vice as I watched him passing by in my office. It was a visceral, gut-wrenching sensation as if the air had turned icy and my heart had leaped into my throat.
The sight of him sent shivers down my spine.
And that's when he turned his face to look at all of us. It was supposed to be a mere glance from his side but our eyes met
Briefly, making my heart drop to the pit of my stomach.
But looking at me made him frown a little yet he didn't stop and walked away. I couldn't help but feel a sense of vulnerability as if I were a prey cornered by a predator even though he didn't even recognize me. Because if he had, I doubt he would just let me go.
As he crossed us and walked away, everyone made their way to the office again while I shook my head at myself.
No,
I have to calm down. I walked to my desk. Let's finish work go back home and get ready for tonight's get-together. There is no way Zhou-Lin would recognize me, even Matthew hasn't and I work right under his nose.
I sat down
It'll be fine.
***
>>Rameen
Why does mom keep calling me?
I rolled my eyes
I told her I'd come home when I wanted.
I let out a sigh.
I didn't tell anyone I'm staying with Matthew. He's strict about these things.
…
He doesn't want me to wander around either so he might get mad if he found out I just left without telling anyone.
I clicked my tongue as the rain started and I mentally cursed as I began to run to find some shade. I turned into an alley that had an overhead shed and I stood there to pat off the rain.
Matthew gets angry when I just disappear. He's going to come looking for me. Should I go back? Or should I go back home? But I don't want to go home yet…
My phone began to ring again and I looked at the screen.
It was Matthew.
Should I pick it up?
The rain started pouring harder as I simply stared at the screen without action and the call disconnected. But the screen lit up immediately again, this time Peon was calling me and I rolled my eyes at him.
I'm definitely not picking up his phone.
I've rejected this boy a bunch of times, why doesn't he leave me alone? I disconnected the call myself but the phone lit up a third time with a ringing sound.
That's when I heard footsteps splash behind me. I normally don't pay attention to passersby but I felt something ominous and a cold shiver ran down my spine as I noticed the footsteps coming towards me.
I turned around in shock and saw a dark figure walking towards me