Mia started her day reviewing her notes from her last meeting with Andrew.
She had always been overly organized; she didn't like when things were out of place. Her desk was neat, with papers arranged in a precise order, and her planner was filled with color-coded notes and reminders.
Once she was done getting through her early morning tasks, mostly brainless work, she checked her virtual calendar for her meetings and deadlines for hers and Andrew's article.
To her annoyance, she saw a bunch of red dots plotted almost every other day—appointments she didn't remember having when she left the office yesterday. When she clicked on the scheduled dots, she saw that Andrew had booked interviews and field research for the next two weeks, without even asking her if she was free!
It wasn't as if the only thing she was working on was this story with Andrew. At the Daily Post, writers were often juggling multiple stories at once. Mia was no exception. Her to-do list was filled with a mix of breaking news pieces, feature articles, and an opinion column she was drafting and hoping to get a green light on.
Being a writer for a big publication like the Daily Post managing several assignments at the same time, this had always been a part of her job. Balancing these tasks required strong time management and organizational skills—skills she prided herself on. But she never enjoyed it when things were out of place.
She sighed, feeling the familiar mix of frustration and determination welling up inside her. She needed to have a word with Andrew about communication. But first, she had to get through her packed schedule for the day.
Mia grabbed her coffee and headed towards her editor Claire's office for their morning meeting.
Claire and Mia hadn't had a one on one meeting since she last delivered the news to her that she was working with Andrew on his article and that her main features piece was given the red light, but then Claire had always been a mentor to Mia ever since she started at the Daily Post. She was a no-nonsense woman with a sharp mind and a knack for getting the best out of her writers, and Mia had always appreciated that.
"Mia, good morning! Ready to tackle another day in the trenches?" Claire greeted her with a smile as Mia walked in.
"Always," Mia replied, trying to match Claire's enthusiasm. "But I need to talk to you about Andrew."
Claire raised an eyebrow. "What did he do this time?"
Mia explained the situation with the scheduled interviews and field research. Claire listened patiently, nodding occasionally.
"Mia, I know that you hate when you feel that something is amiss or off your precise schedule," Claire said, with Mia nodding in agreement, "And darling it does sound frustrating. But Andrew's a good journalist, and he probably just got ahead of himself. Talk to him, Mia. Communication is key, especially when you're working on a big story together" Claire said.
Mia deflated. She was hoping for more of a 'how dare he?!' approach from Claire, but again she wasn't surprised. Claire was always so sensible.
"I guess you're right," Mia admitted. "I'll talk to him later today."
"Okay, so asides from Andrew, what else is up?" Claire said in a light tone, easily segueing into other topics.
Mia and Claire discussed her proposed articles and current pieces for over an hour, Mia was pretty proud of what she had been up to, and Claire gave her no reason to doubt herself.
"This looks great, Mia, I'll send you the edits later today," Claire said as she went over Mia's short features piece. "But I also wanted to check in on you. How are you?"
"I'm fine, workload's okay, my articles get in on time and I'm good with the timelines being set so far." Mia said nonchalantly.
"I don't mean how's your work, Mia. I was asking how you are. Are you happy here? Are oyu happy in this department, and this publication?" Claire asked in earnest.
Mia was taken aback by her sudden change in tone.
"I'm fine, thanks for checking," Mia said, "Why'd you ask?"
"I just got worried, you know, after the whole situation with your article getting the red light. I know how it feels and it can't be easy to have dealt with that and suddenly be thrown in with a new hire." Claire said, "I know that you're a great writer, Mia. I know that you have a voice, I just hope you're happy to use it here, where you are now."
Mia wasn't sure of what to say next, it was a bit out of the blue for Claire to bring that up, especially with all her thoughts of wanting to go into publishing or even fiction writing.
"Thanks for thinking of me, Claire, but really I'm fine." Mia said, smiling, doing her best to show that she was happy.
Claire nodded, "That's good to hear. Well if that's all, I'll let you go then. I know you're busy."
"Thanks, Claire, see you later then!" Mia said as she got up to leave.
As Mia left Claire's office, she nearly bumped into Sarah, her closest friend at the paper. Sarah always had a way of lightening the mood and offering a comforting presence, no matter how hectic things got.
"Whoa there, Mia!" Sarah said with a grin. "Wouldn't want to spill that precious coffee."
Mia laughed. "Good morning to you too, Sarah."
"Busy day?" Sarah asked, glancing at Mia's planner.
"Isn't it always?" Mia replied, feeling a bit of the morning's tension ease.
Sarah nodded sympathetically. "Tell me about it. I've got a feature on the mayor that I'm working on. I'm praying it's going to be front-page material, but you know how it is, you never know." Sarah said with a laugh.
"That's awesome, Sarah," Mia said sincerely. "I can't wait to read it."
"Thanks," Sarah said, giving Mia a supportive smile. "If you need any help with your schedule or anything else, let me know, okay?"
"I appreciate it," Mia said, feeling grateful for Sarah's friendship. "I'll manage, but it's good to know I have you in my corner."
"Always," Sarah replied, giving Mia a quick hug before they went their separate ways.
Later in the day, Mia finally found Andrew in the break room, pouring himself a cup of coffee. He looked up and smiled when he saw her.
"Hey, Mia. How's it going?" he asked, his voice warm and friendly.
"Andrew, we need to talk," Mia said, trying to keep her tone calm.
"Uh-oh, that sounds serious. What's up?" he replied, leaning against the counter.
Mia took a deep breath. "Why did you schedule all those interviews and field research sessions without checking with me first? My calendar is already packed, and now I have to rearrange everything."
Andrew's expression shifted to one of realization and then contrition. "I'm really sorry, Mia. I guess I got excited about some leads and got carried away. That's on me."
"It just makes things a lot harder," Mia said, her frustration still evident.
Andrew stepped closer, his eyes meeting hers with sincerity. "I promise I'll be better about communicating. We're a team, after all."
"Thank you," Mia said, feeling a bit of the tension ease.
As they stood there, Mia couldn't help but notice how close they were. She could feel the warmth radiating from him, and for a moment, she felt a flicker of the old chemistry that had been there in their university days.
"So, how's your day going otherwise?" Andrew asked, trying to lighten the mood.
"Busy, as always. But I can handle it," Mia replied with a small smile.
"Of course you can. You're the best writer here," Andrew said, his tone sincere.
Mia felt a blush creeping up her cheeks. "You're just saying that."
"No, I mean it. You have a talent, Mia. Don't sell yourself short," Andrew said, his eyes locking onto hers.
For a moment, they stood there in silence, the air between them charged with unspoken words. Then, with a slight shake of her head, Mia broke the spell.
"I should get back to work," she said, stepping back.
"Yeah, me too," Andrew replied, his voice a bit quieter.
As Mia walked back to her desk, she couldn't help but feel a bit lightheaded. She did her best to snap out of it, made another cup of coffee and opened her work laptop. She knew she had to stay focused and not let old feelings cloud her judgment. She had a job to do, and she was determined to do it well.