Spring
Present day,
"Devin," Her boss called for the second time.
Devin ran from the lobby where her table was at, to her office. " Yes, Sharon."
" Run to the cafe and get me the usual in thirty minutes. I have a meeting in an hour with Trina. Tell the other girl to let Trina know I'm coming." She slips past her. " Call me in fifteen if anything changes, and don't be late."
Lynn looked up from their shared lobby desk. " What did she say, Dev?" She asked.
Lynn was Devin's best friend and coworker. At work, they kept things as professional as they could. Their boss, Sharon Monet worked better with a stiff atmosphere.
Of course, being her assistant was not a cushion job. It was tasking and a headache inducer. The reason Devin worked here was to prove to her family she could do something on her own. One would wonder why she chose to work to prove a point, but this was the step she needed to take to reach her true goal. Sharon Monet was merely a stepping stone.
Devin rushed to grab her bag and coat. " I need to get the woman her coffee. She said to tell you to remind Trina of the appointment." She put on her loafers from under the table. " Can you make sure to tell the taxi to come in an hour, sharp?"
Lynn picked up the telephone, eyeing her friend carefully. " Take it easy today. You're always so tense. Go." She said as she clicked the dials. " I'll let you know if anything happens to change the schedule."
Devin scurries off. " Thanks! I'll be back in thirty!"
Lynn always worried about Devin. But so did everybody else around her. She didn't think she was too tense, she just loved being occupied. Anything was better than being left idle with her thoughts.
Devin took a taxi to the nearest Starbucks. Sharon would have no other.
Her boss was the kind of person who would ask for pitches on Friday and would want them completed in an hour. She had high expectations of everyone, and not in a nice way. Never nice. Sharon was a despicable and narcissist. There was also no Devin would rather work for than her.
That was a lie. Of course, she would rather work for someone much kinder. Despite all that Sharon was, Devin still thought she was a remarkable woman.
She ran out of the taxi and into Starbucks like a person on track.
" A regular please," Devin asked the waiter. The same waiter, that smiled at her every single day for the last five months.
" Got it." He gets started on the order. "Anything for you?" He asks Devin politely with a little glimmer in his eyes.
Devin smiles. Ryan. That was the name written on his name tag. And that has been his line for the past couple of weeks.
" No, I'm good. Just getting the boss's usual today." She always replied.
Ryan was cute, kind-looking, and from their last once-upon-a-time conversation, going to be a lawyer someday. Till this day she doesn't know why she hasn't asked for his number.
" When are you ever gonna get something for yourself?" He questions her jokingly. He hands her the coffee.
She takes them and chuckles. " When I finally quit my job."
Devin gives Ryan a small departure wave as she heads to the office. The taxi drops her off and she makes a run for it. With five minutes to spare, she gives herself a mental pat. There was nothing better than being on time-
Just as she exits the cab, a group of school boys collide with her, right on the sidewalk. To rephrase that properly; All the coffee cups collided with the sidewalk.
The beverage was more important than her well-being.
"The hell!" She screams at the guys as they continue their run. " Can't you see where you're going you little shits!"
Of course, they didn't acknowledge her yelling. They were in New York. Nobody gives a damn about what happens to you. So as long as you're not splattering in blood. She just wished this accident was not at the expense of her job.
As she knelt over the stack to see what she could salvage, she felt a warm breeze blow against her ear. She glanced back in the direction of the boys and met eyes with a blue-eyed stranger in a spring coat. He disappears amid the crowd, barely letting her have a proper look.
"Weirdo," She mumbled, without a second thought.
This place is crawling with weirdos.
Lucky for her, the extra order she had gotten was still manageable. Not Sharon worthy but surely she would understand if she explained what happened.
" What in bloody hell is this? Do you expect me to drink from this?" She looked down at the cup in disgust before dumping it in the trash can. " Get the catalog for this week on my table. I want to see it by the time I get back." She headed towards the exit.
Devin had an internal sigh of relief. " Got it. I'm truly sorry about the latte Sharon."
Sharon continued walking, Barely acknowledging her existence. " Just do your damn job, Devin. Get the latte."
A sigh of relief escaped Devin's lips as she watched the cold yet reasonable Sharon descend in the elevator. How elevating. She had a degree in English lit and her job was serving coffee. She could almost hear the universe mocking her.
She walks back to her seat, grateful she still had her job.
" Dev?" Lynn called to her from across the desk.
She glanced up. " Hmmm?"
" We're still meeting up for drinks tonight right?" Lynn asked like she could tell Devin was trying to use what happened as an excuse not to show up. At least she was.
She looked down at her phone. " I don't know Lynn... Maybe I should skip this one."
Lynn crosses her arms like a pissed-off mother. "Nooo. We are doing this. When was the last time we all hung out? Plus it's a weekend, we'll never get a better time.
" Okay, just for an hour or two," Devin replied reluctantly.
Lynn just smiled, she knew Devin didn't stand a chance against her. And it was true, She didn't have the strength to give any more excuses. So unwillingly, she agreed to a night out with her friends.
Lynn was dark-haired and drop-dead gorgeous. Recently promoted to editor; from being an assistant to following her dreams. She was the one who got Devin the assistant job as soon as she got the job upgrade. She needed a job, and unlike Lynn, she was not going to let her family help her.
She owed Lynn, that was what she believed. So if she needed to unwind with her friends in a bar to make up to her, she would. Anything to ease whatever guilt or pressure she was feeling towards her.
Eight o'clock and she was done. Sooner than she would have thought too. The ideal scenario for the night would be to soak in an Epson salt bath for hours until the water turned cold. But she had plans.
Lynn locked arms with hers as they walked into the bar. Ross waved from the stool he was sitting in as soon as he saw them. He walked across to them: A hug for Devin and a kiss for Lynn.
They had been dating since forever. One of the twenty percent of high school sweethearts that made history, and Devin hated being around them.
In all honesty, she loved them, but...separately. They were the kind of couple that didn't understand the struggles of a single person. Constantly acting like the world revolved around their love story. Part of it was the fact that they had grown up stupidly rich. They thought they were in some fantasy book,where they were the main characters and the rest of them were just benign individuals. It was adorable in the past, but now...It was just irritated.
Ross pulled the stool for Lynn and her. Classic gentleman. " It's been a minute Dev, how are things going now?"
" Oh, you know. The usual." She signaled the bartender. " A diet coke please." Ross and Lynn stared at Devin like she just committed a terrible crime. " What? I'm begging you guys, please don't start this."
" You can't be here with us, only to drink a freaking diet coke." She signals the bartender back. " Hold the coke. Three dirty martinis thank you, and keep them coming."
Ross grins, already aware of her concerns. " It's on us. You are just here to relax."
'It's on us', he said. Ten minutes barely in and it had started. The Ross and Lynn series had begun. Where their pronouns were us, our, and we. She hated these thoughts, she really did. They were good friends to her. And things were hard on her right now, but she didn't need us to remind her.
" Oh! We saw the most adorable love-seat at castles. We were thinking of getting it for our penthouse in Florida and throwing out the old one."
Devin nodded without looking judgmental. " Really? That's cool. Didn't you just get the couch you have right now though?"
" Yeah, but you know how she gets during spring. All our furniture has to fit the new trends." Ross smiled.
Devin laughed. The last thing she bought that was trending was three years ago. Not that she would ever bring it up. Of course, they knew she probably didn't care either. But talking about mere things like spring furniture, was like therapy.
One hour turned to two, and that into four. That was more time than Devin had planned to spend. Lynn was party girl drunk at this point. Which meant if they did not get her home soon she was going to throw up; A habit she had picked in high school.
They were holding each of her arms to keep her steady." How did she get drunk so fast?" Ross asked as if he wasn't there.
" I guess she's got lighter or something? Go on, call me a cab. You guys drive home before she pukes."
" We can just drop you off first it's no bother."
Devin brows lift, her tone firm. " Cab, Ross. She needs to get home now."
" So rude." He chuckles.
Devin checks on Lynn as she waits for a cab to stop. " No more martinis for you."
Lynn laughs. " He still does whatever you say. He likes you best." She hugs her tightly.
Devin whipped her face to Lynn's " What did you-"
Lynn throws up all over Devin's shirt and pants. Ross comes rushing to take Lynn off of her. Devin looked down at her clothes in disbelief, not surprised that this was the top-off of her night. Her outfit was designer's too.
"Bye." She told Ross. " Make sure she gets a bath tonight or she'll feel like crap in the morning."
" Of course. I'll text you when we get home. Goodnight Dev, ... I'm so sorry." Ross apologized.
Somehow she felt worse than when Lynn regurgitated all over her. And what could she have meant by that weird comment about Ross?
She felt a warm breeze brush her forehead as soon as she reached home. That relieved her a bit. At least now that she was home she would finally get that long-awaited rest.
Unlocking the door, an immediate sense of relief washes over her. Switching on the lights to her studio apartment she froze. A man was sitting on her sofa. All the red lights in her head went off.
" Don't be alarmed, I'm not a serial killer." The man said with a calm voice.
He had the build of a model. Pensive blue eyes and wavy brown hair only added to the problem here. The only issue Devin had right that moment was that the gorgeous stranger had found her way into her house without breaking the door. She calculated quickly. If he was six feet or higher she would kick him where it hurts and escape? She wasn't sure, but something about the man didn't give her the confidence that she could beat him.
She swallowed. " That is exactly what a serial killer would say, don't you think?" She shuffled backward. " How did you get in?The door was locked and we're on the fifth floor, so it's not the window."
He looked amused. " Is that what interests you? How I got in? You should be asking what I'm doing here." His eyes stare directly at her. "But you don't seem at all surprised."
" Did you expect me to Quake in my Prada sir? This part of town is filled with weirdos."
" Ah... So, I'm guessing you carry a weapon of some sort then." he leaned back against the sofa comfortably. As though the prospect amused him." You know, to fend off the weirdos."
Devin shivered. All this time she thought this man was probably someone her family sent. It wasn't the first time.But judging from his mannerism and poise this man was no ordinary person.
" What do you want from me?" Devin stood defiantly now. " I don't have money on me right now so-"
" Do I look like I want anything from you?" His insulting tone sounded earnest. "I'm here to give you something."
Devin's brows furrowed. She was perplexed. " Why would you break into my place to give me something? I don't know you."
" Let's fix that then." His smile was cold.
" My name is kindynos."