"You look like you've not slept in ages"
"Ughh.....is it that bad?" Ivy said in reply to Amy, as she reached for her concealer tube, to cover the dark circles under her eye
It was the morning of the day she was supposed to travel for the conference with Richard; she was on a video call with Amy so she could help her pack virtually. She had barely had a wink of sleep, as she worked so hard to make sure that everything was in check. Apart from the stress of packing a bag for the travels, she had also spent a lot of time learning as much as she could about leathers; Richard had told her they were going to meet the CEO of a top French fashion line during the conference, and she was determined to make an impression- their company had tried for years to land a deal with this fashion line
"Even with the bags, you look like you just walked out of a fashion magazine" Amy's voice rang in the air, drawing Ivy out of her thoughts
"Oh! Please" Ivy mumbled
"Though I think you should remove that scarf. It makes you look like you're the hair hostess"
"That's unfair, I thought I would make a statement with it," Ivy said laughing, the tension finally easing away.
"That's my girl. I finally got you to laugh" Amy gushed with a proud look on her face
"Let me get off the phone now. We'll talk later" Ivy said, still smiling
"I want you to text me all the interesting details of this trip....every single thing I mean" Amy replied, waving a warning finger toward her screen as she ended the call
"Let me just book a cab now," Ivy thought to herself after giving her outfit a once-over in the mirror for the hundredth time in the last twenty minutes. Going with Amy's suggestion, she had opted for a cowl neck top and a midi-length pencil skirt, both in beautiful shades of blue; She topped her look with a pair of white red bottoms. Just as she made to put a stray lock of hair back in position, she heard a knock on her door
"If only the mailman would just choose a better time" She groaned, as she made her way to the door
"Good morning"
"I told you to come during the week-" Ivy stopped midsentence as she looked up to see the face of the person at the door
"G-good morning sir" she stuttered "How did you locate my house" she added, confusion evident in her voice
"I got it from the staff record file," Richard said casually as he looked at her openly, making no effort to conceal his staring
"I could have just met you at the office," Ivy said, wondering why he chose to pick her up
"This is economical" "They don't teach that in school" he added with a smirk on his face
Ivy was sure her face was an embarrassing shade of red already "Oh" she finally managed to whisper, too shocked to give an intelligent response. Ivy thought there was something boyish about the way Richard talked and looked that morning. He was in a white sweatshirt with a pair of grey joggers that seemed to hug him in just the right places- something different from the suited look she had seen him in. She could see his arm ripples and-
"I don't think you would be comfortable in those" Richard said, disturbing her thoughts; his eyes looking in the direction of her shoes
"Ermmm..I thought we were going for a conference" she said as if Richard didn't know what they were going for
"The conference doesn't start till tomorrow, plus there's no way you would be comfortable travelling in such ridiculously high shoes"
"Oh! Yeah! Yes! That's right" Ivy said struggling with her words and wondering why she didn't think of that before. Her throat suddenly felt dry, and she just wished he would stop looking at her unabashed
"I'll just substitute with a pair of flip-flops" she added to save herself from looking completely foolish as she turned to make her way back inside
"Where are your bags?" He asked her "so the driver can load them in the car" He added after she gave him a questioning look
"Oh, thank you," she said, pointing in the direction of her bags
"Woah, I didn't know we were going on a vacation," he said under his breath
Ivy chose not to reply to him and made a dash for her room with a smile plastered on her face
"What do you mean he is at yours" It was Amy's excited voice over the phone. Ivy had called her immediately after she got to her room to give her an update on what was happening
"Exactly what you heard. He is right here at my place" Ivy replied her
"I think he's into you. Bosses don't just pop up at their employees' houses" Amy said
"Explains why he looked at me like I was a complete idiot in my heels," Ivy said in a dismissive tone
"Well, look on the bright side, he just saved you some dollars you would have spent on a taxi," Amy said, always the optimist
"It's not like I care what he thinks. I'm just trying to keep a job, he could think whatever he liked for all I care"
"Ahem"
Ivy took in a sharp breath as she saw Richard standing in her doorway. She was sure there were people out to make sure she lost her job at this point
"I-I thought you were outside. I-I didn't hear you come in" She stammered. She was sure that Richard heard her conversation with Amy, but there was nothing on his face to confirm it
"We should get going if we are going to meet our flight"
Richard said, breaking the silence that enveloped the room
"Y-yes" Ivy stammered
It was a bright day as they stepped outside and it felt like even the weather was mocking her. She was thankful she had swapped her skirt for a pair of black leggings
"You really do not care what I think?" Richard asked her out of nowhere
"It's going to be a long ride to the airport" Ivy thought