05

Audrey

« Mom, I can’t answer your calls every second of the day. » Audrey groaned ; her phone glued to her ear as she made her way to her office. Traffic wasn’t a delight to start her morning and now a call from her mother – more like a thorough inspection of her barren love life to her mother’s disagreement if she ever were to start drinking tap water.

« I’m just worried about you. I think you’re barely eating. Why don’t you take a vacation and come home ? »

Audrey sighed at the resurrection of the topic. « You know I can’t. »

« Why not ? » She asks stubbornly.

Audrey stepped into the elevator and hammered at the control panel. « I have this life over here. I can’t just up and leave. »

When the elevator pinged, Kylie was already on the other side with her coffee in hand. « Good morning. Black coffee. » She beamed, handing over the to-cup.

She murmured her thanks and took her coffee. The thing about her assistant is that she never fails to smile no matter how shitty the morning already is. She likes that about her. Keeping youth and joy by her side keeps her grounded.

« Oh, sweetie. Your dad just came back from fishing with your uncle Tom, » her mother says delightfully.

In the background, she hears her father’s voice. »

« Honey, it’s Audrey. You want to come say ‘hi ?’ »

She turned to her office door and push right through. « Mom, I got to go. »

Audrey chucks her bag onto her desk and gently laid her coffee. She slumped on her swivel chair, combing her gaze through her white post-it notes carefully arranged by size, her black array of planners, and her black pens beside her white digital clock. And then there’s the bouquet of brightly colored flowers that made her flinch.

She looked at the flowers, almost with an irritation that it ruined the peaceful arrangement of her desk. « Kylie ? »

Kylie popped in, a colorful scrunchie behind her head. « Yes, Audrey ? »

« What is this thing ? » She gestured her hand over the flowers.

« They’re bouquet of flowers. » She smiled.

« What is this thing doing in my office ? » She asks with slight contempt.

« Didn’t you read the note ? Vren sent it. » She tilted her head to one side.

Audrey shakes her head, refusing to lay a finger on the flowers. « I don’t want this. »

« Oh, you want me to throw it away ? » She asks adorably.

« Yes, please. It’s starting to give me a headache. »

« Okay, » she says, the smile faltering. « I guess this is not a good time to tell you that Vren wants to speak with you. He said you’re not answering his calls. »

And… there’s the headache.

She’s not answering for the sake of her peace of mind.

« Can’t you just get rid of him ? » She sat back and looked up at the cream-colored ceiling.

« I tried. Several times. » She lifts the bouquet off the desk. « Maybe, you can tell him in person ? You know, tell him to leave you alone. Maybe, he finally will when he hears it from the person he had the nightstand with ? »

Audrey waves her hand dismissively. « I’m sure he’ll tire eventually. »

« Oh, okay. » Although hesitant, she leaves her office with the bouquet. However, a moment later, she comes back, fiddling nervously with her scrunchie, three delivery men in tow. « Audrey, I know you’re not gonna like this, but he more flowers. »

The delivery men laid three large flower arrangements. A sweet floral scent engulfed her office ; perhaps it was too sweet for her.

« Excuse me, excuse me. Sorry. » A voice came from outside her office door. Four women hustled inside as delivery men were going out.

Aimee squeezed in first, followed by Julie, Violet then Alexis.

« What is all this sweetness doing in the air ? » Violet did a dramatic sniff.

« What are you guys doing ? » She arched a brow.

« Oh, you know us, where there’s romance, we follow, » Aimee murmurs, staring at the flowers. « That’s a lot of flowers. »

« Who’s the lucky guy ? » Julie blurted out, clearly unable to tamp down her curiosity like the others.

Audrey sighed. « There’s no lucky guy. »

« Oh, come on, boss. These, » Alexis gestured at the flowers, « screams romance. »

« Nothing is screaming anything. What are you guys doing here ? » She monotones.

« We’re here to stick our noses into your business. » Violet sat on the chair in front of her desk.

Aimee raises a finger. « Which reminds me, » she clears her throat, voice softening as she turns to Audrey, « I know that this is the start of a few changes in your life. You’ve been single and independent for a very long time and I know you’re thinking, « do I really need this ? I can definitely do things on my own. » But believe me, when I say, let it happen. »

« What ? »

She bats her lashes. « Let it happen. You don’t have to be caught up in being single. Give yourself a chance to be happier. Give yourself a chance to not miss out on someone really great. »

Oh, God.

Her head throbbed. « I’m not with anyone right now, Aimee. You can write that one on the next issue. »

She made a shooing gesture at her writers.

They protested.

« There’s no business to stick your noses into, » she murmurs, giving them another shooing gesture.

Just when they were about to get convinced, her phone rang. And when she sees the caller ID, she pressed her fingertips over her forehead to assuage the now splitting headache.

« Ooh, it’s that him ? » Julie squealed like a schoolgirl.

She shot her a black look.

She raises her hands. « Okay. It’s not that guy. There is never a guy. » She winked.

« Let’s go, girls. » Alexis opened her office door and gave her a teasing smile. « Let it go to voice mail. And then answer the second time he calls. So, you know, you wouldn’t seem too eager. »

Audrey sighed to calm her nerves. When they were finally out of her office, she answered the call. « What do you want ? »

« Hi. Good morning. »

She gritted her teeth. Her morning is far from good. « What do you think you’re doing ? You can’t send flowers to my workplace. »

« Oh, good. They’ve been delivered. » How he managed to still be so annoying over the phone is beyond her.

She closes her eyes.

Breathe in.

Breathe out.

« What do you want, Mr. Parkinson ? »

« It’s Vren, » he corrected.

She rolled her eyes.

« I’d like to talk, Audrey. »

Her brows furrowed. « Are we not doing that right now ? »

Vren chuckled like he has all the time in the world. Like he wasn’t talking to someone with four meetings ahead of her. « Yes, but I’d like to talk over dinner. »

« To do that, you have to schedule an appointment with my assistant, » she replies formally.

« Can’t I just ask you out right now ? » He asks so nonchalantly. Because it was the nth time he was asking somebody out.

Audrey smooths a hand over her bun. Maybe Kylie is right. She will get rid of him herself. « Fine. »

« Great. »

She told him the time and place. Then, she hung up.