I got very preoccupied after that interaction with Zach inside the elevator for the rest of the day. But still,I managed to put the things on my table and even managed to arrange it almost the same way I decorated my old table.
After we finished decorating and moving everything into the new office, Leslie wanted to have a drink with everybody and we all went to the bar we went into before. It was the same place where I first met Aira after 2 years of not talking to each other. Since it was the only bar that can shelter all of us on the team that was the closest to the building, we all decided to just go there and have a drink as a celebration.
I rode in Lydia's car and just texted my driver where I was going so he could pick me up later.
There was nothing really worth celebrating for me because I had issues with Zach but the whole team does. Alfonso Group of companies is a popular group in the industry and I can't blame them if they were very happy to know that they will be working for them in 5 years.
If I didn't have issues with Zach, I could imagine myself being happy like every one of them.
They were all having fun while I sit in a corner holding a bottle of beer as I think of that interaction again,
I didn't want to see him because I got afraid. I got afraid of him after lying to him and hurting his feelings. Was he even hurt though? until now, I still don't know his feelings about me. he never told me. And I didn't know if he was hurt that time or was he thankful that I lied and told him that?
Why am I even very conscious when he's around? We were no longer together and it's not like he was trying to get back to me for me to avoid him. he wasn't even doing anything to me other than casual questions and calm interactions. Why was I so pumped up when he was around?
All I could feel right now is shame. Shame on me who avoided him for no particular reason. Why did I avoid him? Because I lied? Did I even think about avoiding him because I lied? It's not like he was going to find out if we come across each other.
When he asked me, I thought it was the reason but I was wrong. there wasn't any reason. It's not like everybody could tell that there was a past between the both of us with just a small interaction.
I would be working for him from now on and have to normalize seeing him in the hallways or even at the door of our office. Why was I so worked up in avoiding him?
It's not like I have plans on doing things with him for everybody to know about us. And he doesn't seem like he also wanted to. What he just offered to me earlier was help because he realized I was struggling with the heavy box and that's all.
If your boss is a gentleman then I think that thing could happen without the others suspecting or thinking any more than that.
I can't help but be ashamed of avoiding him. Did I expect him to do something? What was I thinking?
"Hey, you're spacing out," Terrence suddenly told me as he sit beside me holding his own bottle of drink.
Everything is loud and I cannot believe that I found myself spacing out in this area. "Yeah, I was just thinking about something," I said and laughed it all off, and took a sip of my beer.
"You came to the team at the perfect time," he said.
Terrence is nice. I can also not deny that he's got the looks and the height. He was close to all of the girls on the team because out of all the men on the team, he was the most approachable one. he became my friend in a short period of time because of that. I also like talking to him about things because I really like the way he smiles when he talks.
"Yeah," I agreed as if I was also celebrating because of this news but it was actually doom for me not until I realized I had no reason to be afraid about getting close to Zach.
"How are things going on so far?" he asked me.
I talked to Terrence for a few minutes. We talked about how I was doing as a new team member. I like how he checks on me every time he gets a chance. He was the most hospitable one on the team and that's what I really like about him.
After a few minutes of talking to him, my phone rang. I excused myself and walked out of the bar to answer the call but when I picked the phone out of my pocket, I realized that it wasn't a call and it was a reminder that I had set 2 years ago.
It's my baby's death anniversary in one week.
A lot of people don't celebrate a lost baby's death anniversary because they didn't really live that long in the world. Some of them would even be fine with forgetting the date of their child's death but it was hard for me to cancel the reminders every year because carrying the child was one of the most beautiful things that had happened in my whole life.
I put my phone back into my pocket and went inside the rented room again. I closed the door and was about to go back to my seat when I saw someone pass by the door and I saw him behind the glass. My eyebrows raised higher when I realized who it was. It was Aira's boyfriend walking really fast.
I was about to open the door to see if Aira was also around but saw her passing by the same area but she was running. "Xhyrah?" someone called me as I open the door to call her so I had to look back and saw Carol holding a glass of hard drink, "Are you going somewhere?" she asked me.
"I just saw someone I know passing by, I'll go call her and come back right away," I said. She nodded so I opened the door and went to find the two of them.
I don't know but the guy looks mad when he was walking by. I was hesitant about following them because they might be fighting and I might end up bothering them with their time to talk. I stopped for a little bit but decided to follow them.
I kind of get a strange thought that the guy might hurt Aira.
But when I came to the parking lot, the only thing that I get to see is the car leaving the area. And I bet they were already inside.
Were they fighting?
I know that I cannot ask Aira about what had happened because I might sound like meddling with their own business. It is normal for couples to fight. So I thought to just shrug it off and hope that something bad wouldn't happen especially to Aira.
I don't know the guy too well. I don't know how he gets angry if there would be a possibility that he'd hurt my friend. I don't judge a lot of people but at first sight, he doesn't look like a good person to me.
I came back to the room we rented and continued enjoying the night.
It is Sunday and I have nothing else to do other than be hands-on with my fund-raising. The buyers are getting lower and lower as the weeks pass by and I am already starting to imagine how slow it'd be like in the next few weeks.
This week, I only get to sell 2 paintings unlike the very first week of my fund-raising. I laid myself on the bed and started thinking of how I could raise more money.
I spent minutes staring blankly at the wall and finally get to think of a new way to raise my funds. I took my camera and set it up in front of my easel inside my art room where all my painting supplies were displayed.
I went to get my laptop and opened youtube and started an account. I put my @xhyrahpaintings as the username and started making the account. I can post videos on youtube. I know it could take a longer time for me to get paid and there could also be a possibility that I wouldn't get paid ever but I would still like to try it.
I cleaned my room and chose a corner that could be the best for my video's background and started to paint with my camera running behind me so I can record everything that is happening in my painting.
I am planning to put it on time-lapse and post it on my channel. I was already thinking about painting earlier and trying to record a video would be perfect today.
A normal painting could take a long time so I had to cut the video and continue it during the rest of the weekend. I chose the perfect song for the music background and after editing the video myself, I posted it on my channel and included a lot of hashtags so youtube could recommend it to a lot of people.
The next day, my video got 600 views and I got really happy about it. I went inside the office with a huge smile on my face. I started the day fine and happy about the views when Leslie suddenly called me into her office. "Can you deliver these to Mr. Alfonso?" she told me and it immediately made me want to walk out of the room. "Someone came here earlier asking for these," she wasn't even looking at me when she said that and she simply put her hand out and gave me the folder.
I know I cannot deny her request because she was the boss and I would only make her ask why I'd decline. I don't want her to think that I am being very suspicious so I walked out of the room while holding the papers in front of me.
I had already thought about this a few days ago. I no longer have reasons to stay away from him. All I need to do when he's around is to act as normally as possible. I thought I could do it but as the elevator goes up, the more I was trembling.
The elevator dinged and when I came out of the elevator, I came to a very silent area where only Zach's secretary was present. She was holding the papers in her hands and immediately stood up when she saw me coming.
I know she must've thought something was up. I don't know why she likes to act like this when I am around but she no longer has to do this because I am already a nobody in his boss' life.
We got divorced. I wanted to tell her that but I don't know how and when to start.
"I came to give documents he asked from my Boss," I told her. "Can I just give it to you?" I asked.
I badly want to get out real quick. "You can come inside ma'am," she said as if I was asking if I could come inside and give these papers to him. I pursed my lips and nodded as I step away from her table because I had no other choice other than to come in and give this to him personally.
I knocked on the door a few times and opened it. When I peeked inside, I saw him sitting at his table. His coat was on the backrest of his chair. he was wearing specs with paper and a pen in his hand. I also noticed that his computer and his laptop is on in front of him. "The papers you asked for," I paused purposely.
"Come in," he said. I did and came into his office, I look at him looking like the first time I came here when I told him I was pregnant and it made my steps shaky. Why are these memories suddenly coming inside my head?
Why do I remember memories at the worst possible situation?
"Thanks," he said when I dropped the folder in front of him.
That was the shortest conversation that we've ever had. and I still couldn't believe that I found a way to get through that even though I thought I wasn't prepared at all. It was the first time that I felt like he doesn't want to talk to me and it kind of made me worried for an unknown reason.
My phone suddenly beeped and when I opened it, it was a text from Ali.
From: Ali
[I need to talk to you about something ]
Now that I think of it, I forgot about our dinner!