A few minutes of awkward silence follows as he stares at me not saying anything.
I start to fidget a little under his gaze not exactly sure how to react.
I see a flash of emotion in his eyes that I don't know how to read it. Is he angry? Maybe sad. I brush the thought to the back of my mind . Maybe i'm just imagining things.
"I see you bought your own coffee today?" He says with a voice void of emotions.
"Yeaahh...." I drag the word a little still feeling awkward. "I managed to wake up earlier than usual. "
"I see...." Ryan looks at me studying my face like he's looking for something. " Well ...I bought this for you. Hope you don't mind." and grins a little uncomfortable.
"Thank you Ryan." I say smiling at him with a smile that doesn't reach my eyes. "I'm gonna need all the coffee I can get, especially at today's meeting. You know how the boss drags the meetings like his life depends on them." I say joking and chuckling a little to dispel the awkward atmosphere.
Luckily he laughs a little too and just like that we're not so tense anymore.
Ryan waves goodbye and I wish him a good day and just like that he strides away to his own department.
'Phew...dodged a bullet there.' I think to myself and brush the nonexistent sweat from my forehead. Afterwards I continue with my work, the boring and very long meeting and all the other things that consist of my job.
And just like that another day at work has passed. I look at the clock and see its 17:00. Time to clock out. I gather my things and prepare to step out from besides the desk. When I reach the front I see Ryan outside the glass doors waiting for someone.
'Please don't be me, please don't be me , please don't be me...' I chant in my head and cross my fingers on my left hand.
No such luck...sigh. Right when I exit the building he gives me his best smile and strides toward me.
"Hey Krista."
"Hi Ryan." I say to him smiling a little. Be polite Krista, I say to myself.
"So..uhmm....do you have plans for this evening? Wanna go grab a drink?"
'Shit... no no no ...quick think of something.'
I tried my best not to show the panic on my face but inside i'm panicking like crazy.
I muster all my courage and take a deep breath and reply " Sorry Ryan .... I had a long day and I'm tired. All I want to do is go home and sleep. But thank you for the invite."
"Oh.. okay, yeah sorry I didn't think of that." Ryan scratches the back of his head looking everywhere but me .
'Great. Now everything is awkward again....sigh.'
"Well maybe some other time" finally he recovers and looks at me hopeful.
"Uhmm...yeah." well this is just ...urghh..I'm so bad at this kind of stuff.
I turn around to leave but not before I say goodbye to witch he replays the same and we both wave going in different directions.
I feel like the bad guy here but it's not like I like Ryan in that way, just as colleagues at most, that's it. Maybe he'll just give up eventually...hopefully.
I arrive home, change in some comfortable clothes and prepare myself some dinner. When i'm half way trough eating my big bowl of pasta alla carbonara my doorbell rings. I sit up and go to the door , peep through the peephole to see who it is ' Anna'. I open the door and a beaming Anna greets me. She enters the house just like usual, leaving a storm of clothes and shoes behind her and plops her ass on my living room couch.
"Hello to you too Anna. It's so nice to see you. Please make yourself at home." I say mockingly and with a bit of sarcasm to witch she replies with a roll of her eyes and beckons me over with her hand still smiling like a buffoon.
"No time for that, come here quick. I have good news. Aahhh...i'm so excited. You won't believe what happened to me today."
I look at an over excited Anna with dreamy eyes and the highest smile on her face.
"From the look in your eyes I bet there's goos news huh?"
Anna looks at me still in high spirits and says "I met my soul mate" battling her eyelashes a few more times.
"Is that so..."