Dream Boat

Chapter three

The strangest dream woke me. Mr Jackson was pulling me to himself and I kept saying it was a bad idea, yet his persuasion never eased. He smiled and those dimples came out to full glory. I was almost lost in them when I realized I was still in his office. I started to pull away from him when I saw Diana coming towards us then he let go. It was the weirdest dream I had had in forever. I never thought we would get along and I sincerely still didn't think we would. The dream makes me feel the lowest I have ever felt. Why was I dreaming of another man when I had the sweetest man already? Mr Jackson couldn’t and shouldn’t be my business yet here I was dreaming of him for whatever reason. Sometimes it felt like my head knew exactly what to do to sabotage me.

I wake to an empty bed and the reality of not having Adrian arounds starts to dawn on me. My tiny apartment doesn't smell like freshly squeezed oranges or toast. When I got back home last night, I had finished fixing the Abys project and was ready to greet Adrian with a most remorseful apology. Instead, I met a note on my neatly made bed. Another perk of being with Adrian, the house was always tidied.

Hi babe, I won't be back till Thursday. There's mashed potato and chicken roast in the microwave. Don't overwork yourself.

Love

Adrian

You may be wondering why a note and not a text message, it’s 2022 for God's sake. Well, In the first week of our relationship, he would text and call at every opportunity and it just irritated me. I kept getting distracted so I called him out for it.

I had been heartbroken after I read it and then I ate dinner alone in my apartment. It felt so empty without Adrian. I had made sure to complete all of my pending projects just to spend all of the night with him so I had nothing to do. Eventually, I opted for sleep.

I decide to dive in more work since I had no classes till Thursday. I was only offering two courses, Mrs Brooks and an elective to boost my final GPA. I work on my favourite piece, a personal project. I have been improving it for two years and I realise it has become more of worship than addiction. It expressed every version of who I was and how I had grown. It helped me love and appreciate the woman I had become. I was still admiring the piece and tinkering on it when my phone rings.

”Hello” I say.

”Good morning Ms Drew, I hope you're doing fine. This is Diana from Abys associates. Mr Jackson is expecting you by the office today, does noon work for you?”

”Yes, Diana. I'll be there at noon.” I tell her.

”Perfect, I'll forward the address to you right away. Thank you.” She says before hanging up.

I wrap up my work and head for the shower. By the time I'm ready to leave my apartment, it's 11:04a.m and I think I had done a great job. I wore in my most sophisticated outfit, a black suit with matching heels. I pull my hair into the neatest pony tail I could muster and strut out in confidence. I was certain he would love my design and all I had to do was start thinking of the best firm to throw my applications to. There were too many and picking a single one has been my biggest chore.

I drive in silence, humming and tapping the wheel till I arrive at my destination. A grande building awaits me as I reach. Being in my line of work, it's impossible not to appreciate art when it's standing before you. It's about 30 stories with transparent glass covering every inch. I smile to myself, may be this might just be the firm I've been looking for.

I walk through the doors and I'm greeted by the receptionist. In no time, I'm on the lift to the 30th floor. The elevator doors open I am in the middle of a vast waiting area. Three white couches and a coffee table in the middle. A single door which most likely leads to the main office and a desk to the side with it's coffee maker and a rolling chair. It doesn't take a genius to figure out that would be Diana's space as she walks out through the door, approaching me.

” Oh, hello. You must be Iris, a pleasure to meet you.” She says with her arm outstretched.

”The pleasure is all mine” I tell her, maintaining my smile.

”Mr Jackson is ready to see you, you can go in” She says and takes her seat.

I nod and head for the door she came out from.

I meet his back turned to me, staring at the city and I think to myself how its such a typical move. Naive young lady aiming for a job and falling for the boss. I wasn't going to act oblivious to what the setting looked like but I'm sure as hell not naive.

” It's a lovely view” I muster.

He turns and graces me with that stoic look. He doesn't appraise me with his eyes or his mouth. It's a huge contrast to what I am used to.

”I gave the job to someone else, do you think you can work with something a little harder?” He says flatly.

The tip of my ears starts to burn as I try to make meaning of his words. Before I can make out any words, he talks again.

”You’ll get a full-time employment if you can give me an impressive piece. Something out of the ordinary. I want to refurbish a home but nothing impresses the lady of the house. Do you think you can impress her?”

I am slightly upset about him giving my job to someone else but a full time job here had to be a dream come true.