Birth of the Queen

Chapter One: New way

Prita P.O.V.

I was late. My boss was more worried than furious. He told me that I should have stayed inside on a day like this. I gave him a curt nod and came back to my desk. I had a pile of editorial work in my hand and I had to finish them by this week. I opened a file and started going through it although something in the back of her mind wasn’t letting me give full attention to it. My mind travelled back to the strange man. He had a dangerous aura around him yet I was not nearly as scared as I should have been. I don’t know why I said what I said. I just had a weird gut feeling. That man literally threatened me and he looked like he could be the person to actually kick somebody to death , yet I knew. I somehow knew that he wouldn’t act up. Wait. I don’t know him. I couldn’t even see his face properly. And I don’t talk to strangers that easily. Gosh, am I a terrible communicator! But the man. What was he smoking?  Was he sad? He gave me a sad vibe, though. Or, was he a regular in the alley? Oh! God, what in the world am I even thinking? I don’t even know that guy. There must be something wrong with me today. I was indulged in my thought, when I saw a shadow on my desk. I looked up and saw Rome standing in front of me with a pout and suspicious eyes. Oh no! How long has he been standing there?  Oh! Rome. How do I even start explaining Rome? Roman Lewis. That’s his legal name. We’ve been friends since our college days. He works in the marketing department and is very well-known in the company for smooth-talking. We became fast friends. Naturally, he was the one who approached me first. I was going through an uneven patch back then and it might sound strange but if Rome hadn’t reached up to me and forced me to sit in a group I would probably never have gotten out of that phase. He was one of the very few people who stood by my side back in that time. Cutting me in my revere, Rome spoke in a cryptic voice, “What is goin’ on with you?” I started saying, “Well…” but he continued, “I’ve been standing here for like half an hour and you just keep looking at the first page of your file which means you’re not really reading it. There’s something in your mind. What is it?” I looked down at the file and said as vaguely as possible, “Nothing. I’m okay. Just go back to your desk, Rome.” But he wasn’t the type to listen at once. He tried to make his voice as childish as possible, “Come on, Pri! You won’t even tell your Romie? You know there’s nothing private between us.” And he was right. There’s nothing private between us. We share even the most clumsiest and smallest details. He even once told me that he dated a girl who used to make him take photographs of her feet. No, not legs. Feet. But now, I feel like I can’t tell him about this. Maybe, I will later. So, I decided to give him my best fake-angry look. He straightened up a little and spoke in his normal tone, “Okay. How about I get to know whatever there’s in your mind in exchange of a cup of hot chocolate? What d’you say?”  I sighed as I was very much eager to have a hot chocolate but I had to resist. So, I went on like this. “Rome, not now. I have a lot of work to do. So please, go back to your desk or else I’ll make sure your boss kills you.” She knew how much Rome was scared of his boss. His eyes went big and he said with a defeated face, “Okay. Okay. I’ll go. Just don’t call Ms. Devil. But remember, you owe me one later. I will catch you after 6.” He gave me a wink and quickly went back to his floor.

I tried to concentrate the whole day but ended up finishing only two files. My mind kept swimming back to the morning’s encounter. Rome and I went to our favorite café after office hours and I told him about the gut feeling I had. He looked a bit surprised at first but then his expression changed to amusement and he snorted, “Okay. Here it is. You met some strange smoker who pretty much seems like a mafia dog to me and you have been thinking about him all day. Right?” I nodded. Rome continued, “First off, who told you to use that alley? That’s why I always tell you that you should come with me. But you never listen.” “No. You’re always late for work and I’m no little girl for you to pick me up everyday. I am an independent woman. Don’t you forget that, Mr. Lewis.” I told him with my chins up and hands folded. He sat back and looked towards me, “Oh God! I never meant to go down that road with you. All I’m sayin’ is that you shouldn’t have used that lane. That’s all. You know what, forget I said that and tell me about the guy. Was he that hot? He must be, given the fact that you can’t stop thinking about him.” I raised an eyebrow at him and told, “What? What’re you even saying? I told you he was totally covered. Head to toe. Moreover, why would I think whether a random guy is hot or not? All I know is that I felt something weird about him.” He took a sip from his cup and said, “Maybe he’s a killer. You never faced a killer before. That’s why you felt weird around him. Or, maybe he’s an alien. That’s why he was so covered. Maybe he has pink skin and a green nose.” I said with my hands up, “Okay. I give up. You can stop now.” “No. No. Think about it. Maybe he is the Darth Vader or something.” He said with a childish wonder in his voice. At that, we both started laughing. Rome always knows how to lift my mood up. After a day of zero productivity, it was much needed. We bid our goodbyes after two hours of chatting and pranking each other.   

At night, I lied down on my bed and I made up my mind to give up on the thought of the man. It was probably some random incident. Maybe, I am over thinking things. Gosh, I need to get a boyfriend. I have never dated. After what happened to 17 year old me, I didn’t dare. That’s a thing I wish I could forget. It’s not like nobody ever approached me. I was never the Queen type but a few guys had asked me out on a date. I don’t know why I never felt like it. I always wanted to save myself for the “one”. Whenever I tried thinking about any guy in that way, I always had a feeling that I’m cheating on someone. I know, it’s crazy. But now, at the age of 23, I don’t even have the time to date someone. At college, everybody thought that Rome and I had a thing. But, it was never like that. We always had a deep friendship and both of us respected that. Sometimes we laugh among ourselves about our adventures in college. When I joined my college, I thought it would be a nightmare, but it turned out to be quite the opposite. And all thanks to Rome. He was a notorious flirt and he still is. But, he was different with me. Those were golden days. We were a group of nine and four of us have been closest and maintained the friendship all these years. Rome, Benny, Moira and Me. At first, it was only me and the boys. Moira joined us later on. The boys were not keen on taking her in due to her reputation of being a liar but I insisted. I always liked that girl. Yes, she had a habit of making up stories but we’re all messed up one way or the other. And, I was right. Man, was that girl so deep! She and I had spent hours talking about our future and stuff during college days and somehow, she used to trust my opinion and she still does. I started remembering the stupid things we had done as a group and laughed at those memories. My mind cleared up and I eventually drifted off to sleep.

The next day I woke up early. As usual, I had a distorted dream which I couldn’t remember in the morning. I didn’t try to remember. I know that dreams have very different interpretations. My mother was always an early-riser and she was surprised to see me in the dining room so early in the morning. She teased me, “Oh God! What happened to my daughter? Why is she so early today? Are you okay, baby?” She put the back of her palm on my forehead pretending to be checking my body temperature as if I had a fever. “Stop it, ma.” I told her in a mock-angry tone. And next thing, we were both laughing. Meanwhile, Ba came out of the bedroom and asked in a sleepy tone, “what’s going on?” Then his eyes landed on me and his sleepy eyes widened. “What? You’re awake? How? No, why?” “Really, you too?” I said rolling my eyes. Ba laughed groggily at which Ma scrunched her nose and said, “Go, wash yourself, you old man!” Ba smiled at her and went to the bathroom down the kitchen. I turned towards Ma and told her, “ Let me help you with breakfast today. I have to go early. I have a lot of work hanging at my desk.” Ma stopped me and pulled my cheeks and said, “ No. No more surprises today. Go, get ready. Your ma is not so old that she cannot give her daughter an early breakfast.” I was about to insist but she pushed me towards my room. I gave in and got on with my daily rituals. I prepared myself for a long day at work. At the breakfast table, I tried calling Rome but he didn’t pick up which means he was sleeping and he will be late again. i***t! I might have just said it out loud. “Who are you cussing first thing in the morning?” Ma asked with wide eyes. I was totally annoyed and couldn’t hide it from my voice, “Who do you think? Your favorite baby boy.” No matter what Rome did, Ma always found it adorable and treated him as a child. Ugh! She laughed at my tone and said, “ He must be sleeping. Let him sleep. Maybe he’s tired.” I rolled my eyes and shut up because I knew that there was no point in telling Ma about Rome’s legends because all she would say was that he is just a kid. Finishing my breakfast, I bid my parents goodbye and walked towards the bus station. God, it’s hot today. Who would say that it was raining cats and dogs yesterday? I knew I would reach office well before time, so I took the most luxurious bus which had a comfortable sitting arrangement although I had to wait well fifteen minutes for it. Where the bus left me had a crazy crowd. And that’s one thing I hate. So, I managed to come to the sidewalk and took out my cell to give Rome a ring. He still didn’t pick up. That boy is hopeless. I started walking to my office and while passing by the lane, I suddenly remembered yesterday’s incident. I had a sudden urge to go and see whether that man was still there or not? What? What am I thinking? God, I have really lost it, haven’t I? I hurried down the path and reached my office and there is half an hour to the start of regular office hours. I fixed down on my desk and opened the files. I indulged myself in my work and didn’t even realize that my office was now full. After three hours of working, I stretched my limbs and realized that I hadn’t checked my cell. I opened it and saw three missed calls. One from Ma, one from Ruby, the partner of my current assignment and one from Robin, my childhood friend who called me once in a while. But nothing from Rome. It’s almost 11:30. He’s never this late. He usually wakes up by 10 even if he is not coming to office and whatever he does, he’s not one to avoid calls. I suddenly had a strange feeling, a knot of anxiety built up in my stomach. Actually, I was feeling a bit odd since morning. That’s why I woke up early. I thought it was because I had a huge work load. But.. I didn’t waste anymore time and called Benny in spite of knowing that he would probably be in his office. Thankfully, he picked up and said, “Hey! What’s up, Sisso?” He always called me his little sister since he didn’t have one of his own. “Hey! Big bro! Have you heard from Rome today?” And I called him big brother. I knew that Rome and Benny called each other all the time. He said, “No. Why? What’s up? Is he not in the office?” “Probably not. I didn’t check his desk. But I called him like ten times since morning. Neither has he picked up nor has he called me back.” I tried to sound as calm as possible. I could hear a nervous chuckle from the other side, “Don’t worry. I’ll try to contact him. That punk is probably sleeping in today. Hey! I gotta hang up. Will call you back ASAP.” He hung up. But I couldn’t brush off the feeling. I got up and went to the Marketing department and saw his desk empty. I was about to turn back and go when I heard Selvina calling me. Selvina was Rome’s colleague and she knew me well. She approached me with a face that had worry and fear written all over. She asked me anxiously, “Hey, Prita! Do you know where is Roman?” “Not really. But he’s probably taking his day off.” I said as much casually as possible. “Oh, No! He can’t. Boss will fire both of us if he is absent today. We have a really important meeting today and it starts in an hour.” She said, hyperventilating this whole time. Strange! Rome might be a sleep-loving person but he never slacks off from his job. He takes his career pretty seriously. I told Selvina, “He’s probably coming. Don’t worry. I will get him for you.” She didn’t look too convinced at my words. I gave her an assuring smile and went out of the department. I called Benny again but this time, he didn’t pick up. I had no other choice but to call his mom. As soon as she picked up, she started, “Oh! Thank Heaven! I was about to call you, sweetheart! Romie isn’t picking up since this morning. He called me last night and said that he was gonna stay at Aaron’s. But, honey, I just called Aaron and he said Romie didn’t go to his place last night. Where could he be?  I’m scared, honey. Why won’t he pick up his phone? Is he with you?” I was dumbfounded. What? How was that possible? Rome was not at home? Then, where is he? But I can’t tell that to his mom. So, I used my most normal voice, “Yes Aunty, don’t worry. He was with Benny last night. Now he’s in the office. Working. He’s very busy. He’ll call you afterwards. I’ll make sure he does. He’s okay. He just has a lot of work pressure. That’s all.” His mother sounded kinda relaxed, “ Oh. Thank Heaven. I was worried. That boy’ll give me a heart attack someday. He was not picking up. He never does that. You know that, right?” “He’s very busy today. That’s why he didn’t have time. I’ll tell him to call you. Don’t worry. Okay, I’ve some work. I’ll call you later. Bye!” I felt bad lying to Rome’s mom.

I hung up the phone and fear started oozing into my skin. There was only one option remaining. Aaron. I needed to call Aaron. They were friends since their kindergarten days and they sometime crashed at each other’s house after work.  I dialed his number feeling a bit uncomfortable Aaron because I’ve only seen him once, but somehow had his number for emergencies like this. He picked up and said, “ Yes.” “Hey, Aaron! It’s Prita, Rome’s friend.” “Yeah, Prita. Tell me.” “Aaron, have you heard from Rome?” His voice boomed over the line, “ That i***t was supposed to meet me last night but he is off somewhere. He isn’t picking up his cell, either. Tell him that I will be sure to punch his stupid face off when he comes to meet me.” I was lost of words. Realizing that he might have scared me, Aaron calmed down a little and said in a less hostile tone, “Why are you asking, by the way? Is he not in the office?” Fear started rising up my stomach and my voice shook, “ No. I have also been trying to reach him but he isn’t answering his phone. His mom is really worried. Clearly, he isn’t here. He isn’t that irresponsible to do such stuff. You know him.” I tried to gulp my fear down. Aaron fell silent for a while and regained his voice, “Okay. Relax. He’s probably off doing something stupid. I will find that jerk and pulp him up. I’ll call you back. Bye!” Beep. He hung up. I went back to my desk and crashed down. I started thinking of ways I could look for him but none of them seemed plausible. Then I had the craziest idea. I could go back to that alley. I could find that man. My gut told me I would find a clue there, from him. What? Have you seriously gone mad? I rebuked myself. But I needed to find Rome.