One Unplanned Meeting
Chapter One
As the sun sank low over the crowded downtown streets, I hurried to my office building. "Another day, another dollar," I told myself, already mentally calculating the countless tasks that still needed to be done.
As soon as I walked into the polished lobby of the tall building that housed my firm, I glanced around the familiar faces of the bustling throng. Aspirations and power grew there, and the strongest individuals survived.
Stepping up onto the marble floor, I headed for the elevator. Softly sliding open, I walked in and mentally prepared for the day.
The elevator began to ascent, though, and the hairs on the back of my neck pricked. I drew my gaze up to the person seated next to me.
Nothing I had ever seen before resembled her. Her hair fell in waves of gold about her shoulders, and her eyes gleamed with understanding and resolve. A fire within of her made her different from the others.
I was drawn to her confidence and obvious pure force. As our eyes connected, something in me altered as well—a need I had never felt before.
Good morning, she said in a honeyed, thick voice. I went as Jenny.
Her sudden introduction startled me, and I had trouble speaking. Jude, I nodded politely.
As the lift stopped, we stepped onto the bustling office floor. People passed us, buried in their own spreadsheets and deadlines.
But now the planet has tipped over on its axis. Under layers of pride and ambition, something about Jenny stirs emotions I had long ignored.
Watching her go into the cubicle sea, I could still feel her eerie presence. I also couldn't get the feeling that, as I tucked into my corner office, my well-maintained façade was beginning to fall.
Meetings and phone conversations occupied the hours, but Jenny never left my thoughts. Just who was she, really? What on earth was she doing here? What then was the reason for her such strong impact on me?
I wanted the answers, hence I was determined to get them. I so prepared to go find the enigmatic woman who had caught my attention as the clock struck five.
It didn't take long to locate her desk tucked in a far-off corner of the office. Her face etched with a fierce determination, she was engrossed in her work.
I walked straight out and greeted everyone. Jenny raised her eyes, surprise flaring, to meet mine.
"Mr. Anderson," she said, rising to her feet. Would you like any help?
Instantly unsure of myself, I stopped. There could not be a turning back now, though. I said, sounding more vulnerable than I had intended, "I couldn't help but notice you earlier." "You seem different somehow."
Jenny softened her eyes and laughed a little deep down. A different way, she asked, her tone scornful.
I was awash with thoughts and emotions as the words escaped me. At last, my voice barely heard above whisper, I said, "You have a presence about you." Not easy to ignore strength.
Jenny's lips pulled at a smile, and something unsaid sparked between us. "Thank you, Mr. Anderson," she said, really and warmly. You saying that means a lot.
She returned to her work, and I stood there more confused than before. Who was this woman, and what made her so appealing to me?
I carried the thought that things will alter in my life in ways I could never have imagined with me to work. And as I settled up for the evening, I wondered what would happen tomorrow.
Jenny's return the next morning thrilled me. I arrived to work earlier than usual in an attempt to meet her before the chaos of the day caught up with us both.
Once into the lobby, I searched for her well-known face. But she was gone. Disappointment was nibbling at the edges of my awareness, and I felt very unsettled.
I made myself walk in the direction of the lift, the cozy pattern offering some comfort in the midst of uncertainty. But when the doors opened and I could see the emptiness inside, a wave of terror passed over me.
I went in carrying the experience from the day before like a leaden cloak. What had motivated me to look out Jenny and let myself to be sucked into her orbit with such reckless abandon?
The lift began to ascent with each floor passing in a swirl of glossy surfaces and fluorescent lights. And I was propelled on by an incomprehensible sensation of desperation as soon as I set foot on my floor.
Heart pounding, I walked over to Jenny's desk. Neither was she present when I arrived. Confusion surged up inside of me and blended with growing discomfort.
Where in the world are you Jenny? I demanded, my voice rougher than I intended.
Standing nearby, a coworker raised their computer and stared at it, their face bewildered. Their voice tinged with annoyance, they remarked, "She called in sick today."
In recovery? The word seemed to be echoing in my head. Jenny was doing okay, I think. What, though, really caused me to feel so deeply her absence?
Though I tried to push it away, the discomfort hung to me like a persistent shadow. Something was off, my bones told me.
I was thinking about Jenny all day long, who was ill and lying by herself in bed.
Though I attempted to put my fears aside and focus on the task at hand, every hour that passed merely made me feel more uncomfortable.
The day was almost over when I made a decision. Jenny drew me in, to the inexplicable connection that had formed between us in such a short time.
Leaving my office behind, I set out into the night determined to find out what had happened to Jenny and make sure she was safe.
Though I had no idea, my search for answers would lead me down an exciting and perilous path where the truth would prove to be more elusive than I had ever imagined.
