Snake Charmer's Curse

Chapter 7: Numbers And Texts

Three weeks had passed since Faith encountered Aspis, and a lot had happened. The biggest change was work. As she got to know the people better and the environment, she concluded that the company was shockingly toxic, just as Blake warned her. Fortunately, she was very uninteresting, so it was easy for her to become invisible and avoid trouble. The problem came when the vultures sniffed out Faith’s timid and kind nature, taking advantage of her inability to say no.

She also noted the cliques, especially one group of women who visibly scowled at her when she passed them. Faith did not bother with them. She’d make it a point to remember the friendly people and filter out the rude ones who didn’t greet her. She was anyway a one-friend type of person, and Rebekah had become that friend.

Rebekah is a free spirit who spoke her mind. She was quite knowledgeable and got on well with almost everyone. Faith admired her and sometimes wished she could be like her in regards to being outspoken and sticking up for herself.

The biggest changes were the extra hours and her boss’s approach towards her. He started calling her to his office more frequently for a cup of coffee and small talk. Or during the day, if she bumped into him, he would give her the odd compliment on her clothes.

Rebekah warned Faith to keep on her toes when it came to Blake. He is famous for trying his luck with some of the women there. Rebekah believed he might be feeling her out to understand how far he could push boundaries. Faith was thankful for the advice and refrained from getting close to him no matter how friendly and approachable he seemed. She also made a point of mentioning her husband during their conversations at any given opportunity.

Faith was now sitting in front of her computer doodling some sketches while waiting for feedback on a revert she had just emailed off. She was thinking about Aspis and the art supplies he had gifted her. She had not seen him again since that day. The painting she had finished for him as a thank-you gift, has been sitting in her car for the past week.

“Faith!” shouted an approaching woman angrily, causing Faith to flinch, ruining her drawing. She felt complete dread fill the pit of her stomach as she realized who it was.

Shit, what now? Faith cried in her head in panic, then quickly turned to face the woman with an unsure smile.

“Hi Sarah, what’s up?”

“How the hell did you screw up the brief?! I told you to make the unit a five-shelf, not four!” she spat, slamming her hand on the desk, loud enough to cause others to look in their direction. Faith’s heart dropped as her anxiety once again caused her to doubt her existence.

She gave a confused yet unsure look at the blond fuming dragon before her, then quickly grabbed her notes as she explained, “I am sorry, but I am sure it said... just wait.” She then flipped through the notes and placed a single sheet of paper on the table for Sarah to see. “See, you wrote there ‘four shelves.’”

Sarah’s body became rigid and looked as though she had been thrown in the face with a snowball. “That’s not my handwriting!” she nervously hissed.

“It’s not mine either,” Faith said honestly, ready with pen in hand to prove it.

“Whatever, just fix it; we are late with this job as is! Or do you want another late night?” she quietly threatened before stomping off.

Bitch, Faith thought as she shook her head. It’s not the first time something like this has happened. Sarah is infamous for pulling stunts and hissy fits like this. She is a senior project manager and works with some important clients. She made it difficult for herself and the rest of the team when she made impossible promises for unrealistic requests.

This was one of them; it usually takes about two days to complete a unit depending on its size and whether it was based on an existing drawing. But not this unit. No, this unit was big and was something to be resolved from scratch. The senior structural designer, Mark, had to help to make sure the unit would be able to hold the desired amount of stock as the client requested. The only problem was the stock was heavy, and the shelves were too intricate to be able to hold so many bags of one-kilogram flour packs. It was a nightmare of a job.

What irked Faith the most was that Sarah would only book her, even when she was already booked on another project manager’s work.

“What’s the matter, Faith? I saw Sarah leaving here all pissed,” Mark asked as he came back from his early lunch break.

“Fluffs Flour was supposed to be a five-shelf instead of four, but here she wrote four shelves. I think my evidence made her angry. She claimed it’s not her handwriting,” said Faith calmly while lifting her hands in defeat.

Mike didn’t even look at the paper and grunted, “I was the one who told her it needs to be a four-shelf during the briefing! This thing will collapse if we add another shelf. Don’t change anything; I’ll talk to her,” he tutted, then got up and stormed to Sarah’s office.

Faith glanced at the clock; it was now five minutes to twelve. Why can’t she just handle things professionally, even if she doesn’t like me? It’s the third time this week she has forgotten her own brief. I need a break, she thought with a sigh.

One thing Faith was grateful for was Mark. He joined the company two weeks after her, and since they were both new, they developed a bond. This connection helped Faith confidently face her unforeseen clashes with others in situations like this, especially when Sarah’s involved.

She kicked her feet and rolled her chair back like a bored child before getting up from her desk. Faith decided to head for the stairs when she suddenly heard.

“Oi! Little Miss Muffet, I’m coming with you for lunch today!” It was Rebekah; she was holding her hand in the air, forming a stop signal like a traffic official while digging in her handbag for her purse.

Faith laughed at her new nickname and showed a thumbs-up as she waited by the stairs. Once Rebekah caught up with her friend, they proceeded to the café to get their usual orders of wraps and berry smoothies. As they entered, Faith immediately looked around to see if Aspis was there, but as usual, his spot was empty.

“Yup, he’s not here again,” Rebekah pouted in disappointment. She had seen what Faith painted for Aspis and was so excited to see how he would react when he received his gift.

“It’s been a while. I wonder if he is alright?” Faith asked concerned.

“He’s fine; I know he sometimes disappears and comes back. Your best bet would be to ask one of these lovely ladies at the counter,” reassured Rebekah, then quickly did the honours.

“Hi, Belinda, could we please order our usual? Also, where is Aspis hiding these days? My friend painted something for him, and he is nowhere to be seen?”

The waitress smiled as she quickly typed their orders in, then answered, “Oh, Mr. Garter is away this time of year, seeing that it’s Easter next week. He likes to retreat to the countryside for winter. He should be back early next spring in September,” reassured the woman.

“Makes sense; autumn and winter are so much more beautiful in the countryside, compared to the city,” Faith said as she thought about it. The waitress nodded in agreement before she excused herself.

“Why if it isn’t my two favourite customers,” welcomed an excited voice.

“Hey, Brent,” Rebekah and Faith greeted in unison.

“How’s the day treating you, gals?” he asked as he neared them, his eyes glued onto Faith.

“So-so, it’s work,” Rebekah answered, and Faith nodded in agreement while looking down. Ever since Rebekah made Faith aware of Brent’s interest in her, she has been trying her best to avoid him.

“Yes, that is true I suppose,” Brent chuckled.

Suddenly, Faith felt a strong nudge, “Why are you so quiet beautiful?” Brent asked.

“Oh, I’m just a little tired,” Faith explained uneasily.

“I see, but you didn’t seem too tired when looking for old Aspis?” he chuckled.

Rebekah could sense his jealousy, and quickly intervened. “Aspis, helped Faith to find the art store, and she wanted to give him something for his kindness.”

“Is that so?” he laughed as he took an intimidating step closer to Faith. “And where is my gift? Was I not the first to make you feel welcome here?” he asked as he boldly placed a finger under Faith’s chin, making her look at him.

Faith awkwardly pulled his hand away from her face. “I will paint you something as well,” she said uncomfortably.

“That’s more like it. I’d love for you to paint a mural in my café. Why not give me your number, then I can discuss with you later what I have in mind?”

“Seriously? A mural? You are full of s**t, Brent,” Rebekah quickly snapped.

“Of course, I will make it worthwhile, Bex. I’d never let her do something like that for free,” he reassured while taking out his phone.

“I am humbled at your request, but I am not that good,” Faith admitted uneasily.

“I saw the painting you did for Mavis, absolutely stunning,” he said as he actioned a chef’s kiss, then took hold of her hand. “As expected from a woman with such exquisite hands,” he purred.

“Uh, you are too kind, Brent...”

“Give me your number, beautiful,” he asked, determined, leaving no room for Faith to refuse as he gave her his phone. She quickly typed and saved her number.

As though the universe was on their side, Belinda appeared with their order, and Faith eagerly took the bag from her.

“Chat later, Brent. We’ve got to run,” she quickly said, then grabbed and dragged Rebekah out of the café.

“Are you insane? Giving your number to that—”

Faith shook her head and corrected, “I gave him my number, but only one digit is wrong. Just a little typo.”

“You sneaky little s**t. But what then when he asks for the right number?”

“I will tell hubsy what happened. I am sure he would like to visit the café this weekend. Let’s eat in the lunchroom,” Faith suggested.

“Good idea!”

During a deep discussion, Faith’s phone vibrated, and she quickly checked only to see it was a message from Jason.

“Hi baby, I have some exciting news! Meet me at the Niche Nibbles Restaurant after work!” Three heart emojis.

Faith looked at the message and was instantly burning with curiosity, and she replied.

Eyes emoji; “Wow, okay, that is new, hubsy. What’s it about????”

Jason: “It’s a surprise!” Wink and kiss emoji.