"I'm so bored,"
A brown, short-haired woman sighed as she slumped back in her office chair before her eyes landed on her coworker beside her.
The longer-haired woman typed away despite the stare, making the first girl become conscious of her actions and sit up.
"Wow, you're surely quick," she joked, trying to break the silence.
Her coworker and friend laughed as she typed, not even looking at her as she replied.
"I'm just trying to finish up quickly so I can leave early."
"Any particular reason you leave work early every day?"
"Oh, you know, the usual." She shrugged and stood up to fetch some papers, before sitting back down in a second's time to continue her work.
"The usual?" Confused, the short-haired girl tilted her head- before she finally realized what her friend meant, a prolonged 'oooh' left her lips upon realization.
"That book you always read, right? What's the title? Dear Theodosia? Dear Diary?"
"No. " Her friend laughed at her silly book name guesses.
"It's 'My Dear, Xie'- and it's good. It's almost at the middle where the villainess will get killed."
"Isn't that a spoiler?"
"I know you won't read it anyway,"
"Yeah, good point."
Silence fell between them once again.
The shorter-haired girl eventually returned to her craft, realizing her procrastinating won't take her anywhere.
Was it a sight to see; two women typing away so they could get through the day and get their paychecks. You wouldn't see that in the late 1900s, that's for sure.
"I'll see you tomorrow," the long-haired girl said as she clocked out of work, throwing her bag over her shoulder.
The clock on the wall read 9:00 as her friend waved at her goodbye solemnly.
"Don't forget that project due Saturday, alright? Our team leader will kill us if you do."
"Ugh, we just got off of work and you're still talking about work? Live a little, Anna!" her friend retaliated with an annoyed huff as the mentioned woman laughed.
"I am– just– reminding you, Stacy," she shrugged before walking ahead to the elevator.
"Uh-huh." the shorter-haired girl rolled her eyes and said as they stopped before the lift.
"I'm serious, you know,"
"Sure,"
"I mean– like– you're 28! And all you do after work is read your books! Do you even party, or something? Drink?"
"Sometimes." Anna merely smiled and hopped on the now open elevator, prompting her friend to follow.
"Your world is so small, I worry about you. It's like you don't let yourself enjoy things!"
"I do enjoy things. Just– differently,"
Stacy pouted at her nonchalant friend and sighed.
"Well, whatever you want," she said in defeat as the elevator stopped, indicating their arrival at the ground floor.
"I'll be going first," Anna said as the elevator doors opened, waving at her friend as she stepped out.
She didn't wait any longer to hear the woman reply and just continued on. It didn't help that she was fast on her feet, so her friend didn't get much of a chance, anyway.
Lacking a vehicle, Anna walked the whole way from her office to the bus stop, which in minutes totaled at least 10. A bit far; but for a determined gal who was already very tired to even notice any more abuse given to her body, piece of cake.
For another 5 minutes, Alyanna patiently stood at the dark bus stop unwaveringly, a trait she's mastered since she was 5 and hated by the adults surrounding her ever since.
Finally, like a reward, a familiar blue bus pulled up in front of her and opened its doors, the familiar driver side-glancing her one time as she silently went up the steps inside. Compared to the outside, the vehicle was like a beacon of bright light: which she didn't mind nor notice much because her mind was preoccupied with her planned routine back home. A routine she's been doing for a few years and counting now.
Let's just say, she's a woman with repetitive taste.
It took less than half an hour, but she's now finally back home.
Sparing the details, she opened her door and dropped her bag on her couch, heading straight to her bathroom to get ready for bed.
After like 15 minutes in there, she went out with a yawn, closing all the lights and doors in her apartment as she trudged her way into her bedroom, the tiredness slowly settling in with her every step.
Like clockwork, she plopped her body onto her bed and wiggled her way under the covers. Switching on her bedside table light she swiftly opened the drawer on her table and took a thick, green book from inside.
She finally settled in for the night; opening her book to the bookmarked chapter and started her daily read.
But she couldn't quite focus on the words she read, her mind drifting off to a certain nagging coworker and her words, so she spent a bit of time rereading a whole page of passage a second and third time to help digest the information.
Sighing in frustration, as that's supposed to be the height of her current favorite book, she thought of stopping and just going to bed early for once.
She glanced at the big bright green digits on the alarm next to her bed. It read 10: 05, still a bit early considering she sleeps exactly at 12 and wakes up at 9 with her work starting at 1 pm.
But she opted against it; she has to finish at least 5 chapters or it'll bug her for the rest of tomorrow, she's already predicting it.
Sighing again, she continued reading.
—------------------------
[... The princess is a sinner, pay no pity and mercy to the evil wench.]
Alyanna's forehead scrunched up as she read.
'That's a bit mean…'
She pouted but continued, her body tense as she felt herself get carried away within the book she was reading.
[But Finley! Isn't this a bit too much? Poisoning the princess– that's high treason!]
A loud gasp erupted inside the dark room as the woman in the bed clutched the book in her hands, her eyes wide and her mouth agape at the scene.
"Finley, you bitch!" she screeched as she hit her book on the pillow on her lap thrice.
"All this for a girl that doesn't even like you? Come on! Who wrote this book?!" she yelled in solace and rolled around in frustration.
[They don't know it's me. And if I get found out– I'll protect you. No matter what. I won't let you be harmed. Be it a king, an emperor– God, or that evil woman. Anyone that hurts you, is my enemy.]
"WHATEVER!" Alyanna rolled her eyes and snapped the book in her hands tightly shut, a scowl adorning her face.
'I mean- seriously? I get that the princess wasn't very nice with the bullying and all– but this knight is just doing wayy too much.'
She clicked her tongue and glanced at her bedside table, noticing the bright green 1: 05 on the alarm on top of it.
Her eyes widened again- and she rushed to get her alarm to inspect it more closely, just to see if she was hallucinating it.
Nope.
It was 1: 05 in the morning. An hour and 5 minutes later than her bedtime.
'That explains it…'
As if on cue, she yawned and realized just how tired and beat up her body actually is. 8 hours of sitting and typing to get a paycheck is no joke, and neither is 3 hours' worth of reading.
That settles it: she's going to bed.
Not even bothering to place the book back from where she took it, she laid down on her bed at last and reveled at the comfiness of her sheets against her back.
She yawned again and closed her eyes, thinking back at the latest chapter she just read. She left it just a chapter after the villainess of the story had just gotten poisoned: a spoiler she read in an online forum discussing the book.
'If I were that villainess… I would've probably sucker-punched that bastard…'
But even thinking was too much for her exhausted body, as she felt every bit of it shut down neuron after neuron. She didn't want to admit it– but she was exhausted beyond comprehension, and no matter what she thinks about she'll be drifting off to unconsciousness in the next 5 minutes.
'Stupid… Book…'
And there it is, sleep.
To be continued.