I was out in the canteen as I waited for Jane to come.
She was late, maybe she had been given a little more work. I texted Jane and yet there was no reply.
'Should I just give her a call?' I thought as I looked down and saw that there was a message from a very unexpected person.
[Andrew- Hey]
I was silent. Why was he texting me? Although he was circulating in my mind today, there were also times when I wanted to avoid him, and now was one of them.
Should I just ignore the man altogether? I can reply to him later. But before my mind could understand, I had already texted him.
[Rosabel- Hi]
I took a breath but soon my breath etched. There was a question in his reply.
[Andrew- Have you had lunch?]
As soon as I finished reading those words, the phone from my hand was about to slip. I hardly caught it as I was in a bad mood. Why was he asking me such questions? Was he wanting to have lunch with me?
My heart was beating faster. There was a little fright in my eyes as I looked around. I could only hope that Andrew is not nearby. The canteen was huge but there was a separate pantry on the top floor. Most of the secretaries eat there.
But not all, there were times when some of them would come down to have their lunch too. As I looked around I saw many of the people working on the top floor eating here. 'Is Andrew here as well?'
I breathed a sigh of relief when I did not see Andrew. I did not know what I would do if he came here. Maybe I can just smile and walk away.
Now that we have decided to work together I cannot just ignore Andrew. We have already decided to communicate through chat.
I closed my eyes as I calmed my heart before I typed.
[Rosabel- I'm about to have my lunch, how about you?]
I was satisfied with my response. It was not too direct and there was a little distance as well. Very straightforward. Or should I not ask him if he eats as well? Will he misunderstand me?
'S***, What am I thinking? What does it have to do with me if he had lunch or not? But if I do not ask him won't it feel a little rude?'
Before I could think any further with my idiotic thoughts, I saw Jane running my way in panic mode. "Sorry.. sorry.. sorry… I'm late. You just sit, I'll get lunch for us."
I could see Jane dashed past me without even waiting. 'Maybe I should go and help her' I thought but soon I saw Jane turning towards me and she shook her head indicating to me to have a seat as she lined up with two plates in her hand.
I rolled my eyes as I walked towards a table. Soon I saw a reply from Andrew.
[Andrew- Do you want to have lunch together?]
My eyes widened as I looked around again, afraid that the man was there. But once I made sure that he wasn't I sighed in relief. 'Deep breath.'
[Rosabel- No need. I'm just about to finish my lunch.]
[Andrew- is it? Anyway, I just wanted to inform you that I have many meetings lined up today so I might not be able to drop you off. But remember to text me once you reach home safely.]
I wanted to curse inside. I have told Andrew that we will not be going back together already. It wasn't that long, only a few hours, and the man had already forgotten.
[Rosabel- Okay]
I closed my phone, keeping it to say. By the time my anger reduced Jane had already brought in food. She kept my plate before me. "Let's eat."
Jane's voice was filled with happiness as she dug into the lunch. Jane was someone who loved to eat and party.
"What took you so long? I was just about to call you?" As soon as I asked the question I could see Jane's body stiffen.
"Don't even get to restart him. You know Ella has started pushing her weight around our team now." Jane rolled her eyes as she took a spoonful. "Can you believe me, she's telling me to work till 8:00 PM today. It's way beyond my working hours. I won't work." Jane said in an angry tone.
"So what are you planning to do?" I asked.
"What am I planning to do? Of course, I told her that if the company is ready to pay me for the extra working hours I'll be happy to work."
I laughed at Jane's words because I knew that Jane might really have said it. Jane was such a person. Although most of the people did not like her in the company, but I knew for a fact that Jane was not two-faced. She was extremely straightforward, maybe too honest at points. That was the reason why people did not like her. Even her criticisms were at a point where people could not defend themselves.
I was jealous of Jane at times for having such quality. But then I was happy that she was my friend.
"I bet Ella would not have said anything," I said as I concentrated on eating.
Jane laughed sarcastically. "Do you think she would be quiet at my words?" Jane rolled her eyes as she continued. "I'll tell you exactly what she said okay."
Jane strengthened her back as she lowered her voice, as if mimicking Ella. "From what I can see correctly, you are not working for the whole 9 hours. We pay you for your 9 hours shift and yet I can see that you have taken 2 or 3 hours breaks in between for eating or drinking something or whatever, but on average 2 to 3 hours have not been any work from your side. So don't talk numbers with me."
I love that Jane acted perfectly. "So how did you respond?"
"Oh, how did I respond? I just told her to contact my manager before ordering me. After all, I am not reporting to her. Ella was super angry with my reply. I could see the fire burning in her eyes."
I laughed as I was enjoying Jane's stories. This was the only time when I could relax with the hectic workload.