Chapter Six
695 Words
Chapter Six
I nearly choke on my coffee when I see Emily walk through the front door.
Not physically.
Just internally.
Which is somehow worse.
For a second, I genuinely think I’m imagining her.
It wouldn’t be the strangest thing my brain has done lately.
The office clock reads 8:57.
The same woman who stormed out yesterday is now walking across reception carrying a laptop bag and looking like she’s preparing for battle.
Interesting.
I lower my coffee.
Linda appears beside me.
“Is that Emily?”
“No,” I say.
Linda squints.
“Looks a lot like Emily.”
“It can’t be Emily.”
“Why?”
“Because Emily left here yesterday looking like she wanted to set me on fire.”
Linda nods thoughtfully.
“Fair point.”
We both watch.
Emily signs in.
Speaks briefly with reception.
Then heads towards the office floor.
Purposefully.
Like she’s daring someone to stop her.
Linda smiles.
“Oh, this should be fun.”
I point my coffee at her.
“You’re enjoying this far too much.”
“Absolutely.”
Then she disappears before I can respond.
Traitor.
I turn back towards the office.
Emily is already setting up at one of the desks.
Not her old desk.
Not Tomas’s.
A spare workstation near the window.
Smart.
Neutral territory.
I should leave her alone.
That’s probably the correct decision.
The professional decision.
The sensible decision.
Instead I find myself walking over.
Apparently I make poor decisions before nine in the morning.
“Morning.”
Emily glances up.
The expression on her face immediately becomes guarded.
Excellent.
Exactly the reception I’d hoped for.
“Morning.”
I look around.
Laptop.
Notebook.
Coffee.
The woman came prepared.
“I’m surprised to see you.”
The second the words leave my mouth, I know they’re wrong.
Emily’s eyebrow lifts.
Dangerously.
“Why?”
And there it is.
The trap.
Because there is no correct answer.
If I say:
Because I didn’t think you’d come.
I’m insulting her.
If I say:
Because of yesterday.
I’m reminding her.
If I say:
Nothing.
I’m lying.
Wonderful.
I take a sip of coffee to buy myself time.
It doesn’t help.
“A pleasant surprise,” I settle on.
Emily narrows her eyes.
Suspicious.
As though I’m trying to sell her something.
“I’ve decided to come back.”
The statement sounds less like information and more like a challenge.
I almost smile.
Almost.
“Good.”
For a moment neither of us speaks.
The office hums around us.
Phones ringing.
Keyboards clicking.
People pretending not to watch.
The usual.
Emily opens her laptop.
A clear dismissal.
I should leave.
Instead I hear myself ask:
“Are you staying all day?”
She looks up slowly.
The look alone should qualify as a workplace hazard.
“Why?”
“There it is again.”
“What?”
“The interrogation.”
“I’m making conversation.”
“You’re terrible at it.”
I stare at her.
She stares back.
Then, to my complete surprise, I laugh.
A real laugh.
The first one in days.
Maybe weeks.
Emily looks offended by it.
Which only makes it worse.
“I wasn’t joking.”
“I know.”
That is somehow funnier.
I clear my throat.
Attempt to regain professionalism.
A losing battle.
“Well. Welcome back.”
She studies me for a second.
Like she’s trying to determine whether I’m being sarcastic.
Then finally she nods.
“Thanks.”
It’s small.
Barely noticeable.
But it’s the first civil conversation we’ve had in months.
Progress.
I’ll take it.
Even if it lasts less than thirty seconds.
As I walk back towards my office, I can feel her eyes following me.
Probably to make sure I’ve actually left.
Fair.
I close my office door behind me.
Set my coffee on the desk.
And realise something.
Emily came back.
Nobody forced her.
Nobody dragged her here.
She chose it.
The thought settles strangely somewhere in my chest.
Unexpected.
Reassuring.
Dangerous.
I sit down quickly.
Open my emails.
And tell myself I have far more important things to think about.
The lie lasts approximately forty-seven seconds.
- Writer
