A bet that changed their lives

Part 8 - First Day at Work

Arya was all over the place this morning. She had all her things in place the night before, but this morning, she was running around to get her shoes, her lunchbox, all the documents she would be needed. She was jittery and was getting on the nerves of her aunt. "Calm down, will you? You have everything in place! And don't you dare think of stepping out of the house without having breakfast. You have to finish that bowl of cereal and eat these scrambled eggs. There is enough time for you to have your breakfast and then leave," scolded Aunt Susan as she set the plates and bowls for breakfast. Arya sheepishly sat down at the table where Brooke was already seated, grinning at her and showing her a thumbs up sign. She knew that her Mimi was nervous and was willing to do anything to make her relax. Uncle Dan, on the other hand, was a bit busy with his mobile phone, occassionally advising Arya to stop being so restless and nervous, that she had it in her to breeze through the day, and the job.

Around half an hour of bantering, having breakfast and the three boosting her confidence, Arya took their leave and left the house, feeling positive about herself and the day itself. She mentally thanked Aunt Susan for actually making her sit and have breakfast with them. That little amount of time had done wonders to make her feel bright and cheery. Of course, her cute little Brooke had a huge role to play. Uncle Dan's words had also uplifted her spirit, so much that she felt she could conquer the world now. She hailed a cab and once seated, checked her handbag and folder again, in case she missed out on anything. She took a deep breath and looked out of the window. Yes, she was ready to deal with whatever the day would throw at her, ready to deal with any challenges on her first day at work.

***

Derek was going over a few documents while having his breakfast. This was the third time he was going through them and yet he couldn't understand a word. He was distracted, he knew it, and he blamed the important meeting that was lined up for the day for his behaviour. He was not thinking about someone, but about something important, he muttered to himself. He let out a frustrated sigh and kept the papers aside. He might as well just focus on having his breakfast, because he was not really getting any work done. This hadn't happened before with him. But then, everything ought to have a first time, right? Fortunately, he was at his penthouse and not the family mansion or with his mom, or else she would have badgered him to know what was up with him. And honestly, Derek didn't want to hint at Arya or anyone for that matter, at least not so soon.

As he was about to leave the house, he remembered something and jogged over to his room. He looked at his reflection once again, setting his already set hair. He was definitely looking good today, better than how he looked usually. Finally satisfied with his appearance, he stepped out of his house and into the car. He was looking forward to the day, to hearing her voice, to seeing her again.

***

"Good morning, Ms. Arya Davis, I am George Farina," George stretched his hand as he introduced himself with a pleasant smile on his face. "Shall we start?"

"Hi, good morning. Yes, please," Arya meekly responded as she followed him.

George took her on a short tour, mentioning details of where important places like the cafeteria, conference rooms, the copier room were, introducing her to employees along the way. He then took her to the 67th floor, where she had come for her interview. He led her to a small, empty office, which had white patterned walls with a large desk and a couple of chairs. "This is going to be your office, right opposite Mr Jones'. That list right next to the telephone has all the extensions you need to know. Your laptop has been set up, a few contacts already fed in the system. We can take a short break here. You can look around the place. Do keep in mind that you can decorate this place the way you want, as long as you follow certain rules. The top drawer of your desk has an employee handbook, which has everything that you would need to know - dress code, things to keep in mind when decorating your office space, the decorum to be followed within the premises, benefits . Let us resume after 10 minutes. You would need to come to the 62nd floor, to a conference room called 'DevOps'. We need to get you onboarded and start your induction session," he smiled before asking, "Any questions till now?"

"No, nothing yet."

"Great, see you in 10 minutes."

"Sure, I will be there, Thank you."

George left behind an anxious but happy Arya as she took the time to admire her office, a fuss-free space just the way she liked. She slowly turned, taking in the sight of her office. Her office - the words sounded so alien yet so comforting and oddly satisfying. She set aside her handbag and folder, as she made her way to her chair, noticing how comfortable it was. She was pleased, liking every moment of her new workplace till now, and it reflected on her face.

As she looked around her space again, she could already imagine how she would decorate it so that her office would reflect her personality. Unlike her boss' office, hers didn't have floor to ceiling windows overlooking the horizon, but the view was nonethless amazing. The windows let in ample light in her office, making her like it more as she hated dark places. This office oozed warmth and coziness, and she could already imagine herself working here.