Familiar Stranger
914 Words
Familiar Stranger
I didn’t expect my second day at Allen Holdings to begin with coffee all over my blouse.
“Seriously?”
I stared at the growing stain and sighed.
It wasn’t even nine in the morning.
This had to be a bad sign.
I grabbed a handful of tissues from my bag and dabbed at the fabric, silently mourning what had been my favorite white blouse.
“So…” Jayden said from across the kitchen. “First day went well, second day starts with attempted murder by caffeine.”
“It’s not funny.”
“It is a little funny.”
I glared at him.
He raised both hands.
“Okay, maybe not.”
I sighed dramatically.
“If this is how my week is going to be, I might just quit now.”
“You’ve lasted one day.”
“Exactly.”
He laughed.
“You’ll survive.”
“I hope you’re right.”
⸻
By the time I reached Allen Holdings, I’d managed to hide the stain under my blazer.
Barely.
The receptionist greeted me with the same friendly smile as yesterday.
“Good morning, Miss Carter.”
“Morning.”
I headed straight for the executive floor.
Joe was already there.
He looked up from his computer and frowned.
“You look stressed.”
“I lost a fight with my coffee.”
He laughed.
“I’m guessing the coffee won.”
“It always does.”
He reached into a drawer and pulled out a small packet.
“Emergency stain remover.”
I stared at him.
“You just… have one?”
“I’ve worked here long enough.”
I accepted it gratefully.
“Joe…”
“Yeah?”
“You’re officially my favorite coworker.”
He grinned.
“I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that in case HR asks.”
I laughed.
For the first time since joining Allen Holdings, I felt myself relaxing.
Maybe I really could belong here.
“Good morning.”
The deep voice made both of us turn.
Mr. Allen.
“Good morning, Mr. Allen,” we said almost at the same time.
His eyes landed on me for only a second before moving to Joe.
“I need the Kingston file.”
“I’ll bring it in five minutes.”
Mr. Allen nodded.
As he started walking away, he paused.
His gaze returned to me.
“…Coffee?”
I blinked.
“I’m sorry?”
He looked at the faint stain on my sleeve.
“It happens.”
For a second, I forgot how to respond.
“…Yes.”
“I noticed.”
Then he continued walking toward his office.
I looked down at my sleeve.
Then back at Joe.
“Did…”
Joe was already smiling.
“Did the CEO just make a joke?”
“I think he did.”
“I don’t know how to process this.”
“Neither do I.”
⸻
The morning passed surprisingly quickly.
Around eleven, my desk phone rang.
“Mr. Allen’s office.”
“Miss Carter?”
It was Olivia from HR.
“Could you bring the employment files to Conference Room B?”
“Of course.”
I gathered the folders and made my way downstairs.
The meeting was already underway by the time I arrived.
I quietly placed the files on the table.
As I turned to leave, one of the executives looked at me.
“You must be the new secretary.”
I smiled politely.
“Yes, sir.”
He studied me for a second longer than necessary.
“You look familiar.”
I laughed awkwardly.
“I don’t think we’ve met.”
“Hmm.”
He leaned back.
“Perhaps not.”
The conversation continued.
I excused myself and left.
By the time I returned upstairs, I’d forgotten all about it.
Or at least…
I thought I had.
⸻
The rest of the afternoon was calm.
Until just after four.
I was organizing tomorrow’s schedule when voices drifted through the slightly open door of Mr. Allen’s office.
“I told you not to mention it.”
Mr. Allen.
His voice was lower than usual.
“I wasn’t trying to.”
Another voice answered.
Adam.
“I simply said she looked familiar.”
A long silence followed.
Then Mr. Allen spoke again.
“She’s not ready.”
Ready?
Ready for what?
I froze.
My common sense told me to keep working.
Instead…
I accidentally knocked a pen off my desk.
It hit the floor with a loud clatter.
The conversation inside stopped instantly.
Oops.
The office door opened.
Mr. Allen stepped out.
His expression was calm.
Too calm.
“Everything alright, Miss Carter?”
I quickly bent down to pick up the pen.
“Yes.”
I stood again.
“I just dropped it.”
His eyes searched my face for a brief moment.
Almost as if he were trying to figure out how much I’d heard.
Finally, he nodded.
“Carry on.”
“Yes, Mr. Allen.”
He went back inside, closing the door behind him.
I released a breath I hadn’t realized I’d been holding.
Maybe I hadn’t heard enough to matter.
Maybe I was letting my imagination run wild again.
But one sentence refused to leave my mind.
She’s not ready.
I didn’t know who Mr. Allen had been talking about.
I didn’t know what they were discussing.
But somehow…
Deep down…
I couldn’t shake the feeling that the person they were trying to protect could be me.
- Writer
