Not A Love At First Sight...

Chapter 5

All the way through the drive to the restaurant, Kelly could barely stop looking at the time. The digital car clock stared intensely at her, it was as if it knew she was in deep trouble and was out to mock her the more.

Kelly stays close to the restaurant with just twenty minutes driving distance, despite this, it seemed like a very long journey this morning. The time was moving so fast but the distance seemed to be getting longer the more she sped off.

"No! No!! No!!! Not now please." Kelly said out loud to herself as she immediately stepped hard on the brakes. She saw the traffic light's bright red and the countdown to green. On any other morning, she would have slowed down from afar and patiently wait for the bright green to pop up while humming to a nursery rhyme about traffic lights - William always teased her whenever she does this. He would playfully taunt her by asking how a fully grown adult like her could be so childish? They would both laugh it off and continue with their drive...

Kelly let out a soft chuckle at this beautiful throwback but the smile soon turned rogue when she remembered the mess William had left her in. She slammed on the steering wheel as she tried to get off the beautiful image of the times she and William were together. She wasn't ready to forgive him yet and those dejavus would only make her heart melt towards him. Thankfully, the sweet memories started to get blur and in no time, they were all gone. However, it left her in her default panic mode which had consumed her since that morning when she realized the mess at the restaurant.

"I really need to stop panicking!!!" She muttered as she tried to catch her breath. She thought she could still beat the traffic light countdown, but she was wrong. The light went red just a few seconds before she could wedge through and she had to step hard on the brake to avoid causing anymore damage that morning.

She got more impatient with every second that passed by that the light was still red. If the light was a person, she would have begged her way through but since it wasn't, she had no choice than to wait while hoping it wouldn't be too long...

Kelly zoomed off the moment the bright green popped up. The rest of the drive was a clear one as she soon pulled into the restaurant. She grabbed her purse and hurried into the building. She almost ran into Andrea who apparently was also on her way out of the building. They both caught themselves in an embrace as they tried to salvage the situation and avoid falling.

"Kelly!!!" Andrea exclaimed at the realization that it was her friend who just bumped into her. She quickly held her hand and pulled her to a corner away from the prying eyes that were inside.

"Are you okay? What happened?" Andrea exclaimed again while Kelly kept mute with tears welled up in her eyes. Andrea could tell she was going to break down any moment. She then pulls her in for a tight friendly hug.

Kelly let out a deep breath slowly as she inhaled the sweet fragrance and warmness from her friend. She really needed the hug.

"Where is your phone? I've tried calling you severally to no avail." Andrea asked as they both slowly pulled out of the hug.

"I really don't know how the time got by so quickly. I even had an alarm set for this morning but somehow I didn't hear anything ring. My phone is right here..." Kelly explained as she reached into her purse for her phone but it wasn't there. She spread the purse wide open to check bit it wasn't there. That was when she realized she must have left it in the car. She looked back helplessly but wasn't willing to waste anymore time going back into the car to get it. Andrea noticed this and then offered to get it for her while she goes to Xavier.

"You go and see Xavier while I get your phone. Here, give me the keys." Andrea said and then stretched her hands out. At first, it seemed like a good idea to Kelly but on a second thought, she felt going to Xavier alone wasn't a good idea. She wasn't in the right frame of mind to face him alone. She could use a friendly face and moral support.

"What?" Andrea asked when she saw the reluctance on her face.

"I don't think I can face Xavier alone, I'm scared I would say the wrong thing and mess things up the more. Why don't you come with me?" Kelly explained.

"Your phone?" Andrea asked.

"It can wait till we're through with the boss." Kelly replied almost immediately. Andrea agreed and they made their way inside, straight into Xavier's office.

"You'll be fine." Andrea mumbled to Kelly as they watched while Xavier took off his apron and hung it on the hanger. He was just coming from the kitchen when they entered.

He looked so furious and the two friends could tell he was fuming with anger. He didn't even answer Kelly when he greeted her. That was understandable. He put so much trust in her when he delegated such huge responsibility to her, only for her to stab him right in the back without a warning.

"I take it that you're here to tell me that you've found a job elsewhere." Xavier said as he sat in his chair, and signaled them to sit as well.

His question was such a demoralizing one for Kelly. She wasn't expecting him to be that blunt. The mere thought that she could lose years of devoted dedication over a silly mistake scared her the more. Just as she hoped, Andrea gave her a reassuring smile as she carefully reached out for her hand and held it under the polished desk. Kelly held her tightly too.