A Bolt From The Blue

The awaited morning is here finally. I tried to wake up an hour earlier than usual. I need to be there as early as possible, and making a good impression on my coworkers is my aim for the time being. I need to be on my best behavior and show my full potential.

On my way to the office, my face was kissed by the sunrise rays and touched by the morning mist. I hardly could open my eyes. The coffee hadn't kicked in yet.

On the mention of coffee, I packed some beans with me, because the ones in the office are terrible, they taste like a dreadful dark beverage that you'd brew from burnt hopes and aspirations, there was also instant coffee, and I hate it, not just the empty unsavory taste but even the idea of making the art of brewing a good coffee become as shallow as dissolving instant coffee packets rather than the delicacy of extracting a flavor from the depth of every bean, that's how we pay respect to the beans who are serving their holy purpose of existing.

Therefore, I had to take some beans from my house so that I could make some later for the staff, to let them taste real coffee and of course, for me, I'll need barrels of it to survive this long day with only four hours of sleep.

The office was calm, and silence was ruling the place for a sweet moment. I was alone enjoying the peacefulness of the morning, but I realized that I wasn't. Mike got here before I did.

The meeting is happening in half an hour, and from what I gathered it's about a project they've been working on few months now, Mike asked me if I could make them some coffee, and I'm glad he asked, I made the coffee, took a tray full of coffee mugs, and walked to the conference room.

It was a very large room, with a huge black table surrounded by a couple dozen chairs and a big window. On each side of it a large thick dark gray curtain that matched the light gray walls; when I entered, noticed few people already there. I gave everyone a mug and put the tray with all the extra mugs and a pot for refilling on a side table near the door.

The room was suddenly full. I sat at the back trying to get a seat with a good view and also not to be too forward. Mike had finally joined the chairman. Their entrance made the noise lessen, everyone in their seat opened their tablet or laptops, and so did I.

Mike grabbed two mugs and handed one to the Chairman, on whom I finally could get my eye, and I couldn't believe what I was seeing. I guess I'm delusional, hallucinating from all the caffeine I have administered into my body.

It's Sam, flesh and bone, taking the head seat, with confidence emerging from him and making others a bit uncomfortable.

I on the other hand was anything but confident, I was very nervous about this meeting and now I saw Sam here, the guy I hoped I'd never see again, now few feet away from me, his presence was overwhelming, blurring my thoughts, and I feel my heartbeat sending odd waves to the rest of my body, manifesting as goosebumps and shivers. My body still responds to the idea of him as if it is a necessary element for me to be whole. I know it's not true, but I'd like to believe so.

All of this overwhelming feeling I was having and this confusion that shut down my brain was again amplified when his eyes landed on mine, he was commenting on someone's idea, when our eyes met I could feel electricity passing between our gazes, and he stopped talking for a split second the continued as his eyes looked elsewhere.

He must be as surprised as I am. The startle in his eyes was obvious to me, at least. Maybe the rest of the team didn't notice the change in his demeanor, since he hid it well.

In addition to the 'surprise,' he may be disappointed as well, seeing someone you didn't expect or don't want to see at all, I may get fired at this rate, and I hardly was able to land this job.

The meeting is going very smoothly. The ideas the team was proposing were very creative. I had some ideas, but I was too afraid to pitch in, and gladly no one asked for my opinion.

When Sam wanted to wrap up the meeting. Mike had this genius idea to present me to the whole team and, of course, to Sam.

They were very nice and gave me genuine smiles when I presented myself. I have met most of them already. When everyone officially welcomed me, Sam included.

When he stood up wrapping up the meeting "Everyone, that was a good insight into where we are standing regarding the project, and as you know I really care about the creative part of any project, and it's a good opportunity for our new intern to blend in quickly" He looked at me and continued " Rose, would you come see me in my office later? "

I don't think I'm allowed to do anything else but nod and accept the offer/order or whatever it was " Yes, of course, " I said while drawing a smile on my face, I could put a sincere one, everyone who'd look at me for more than two seconds would know how fake that smile was.

I don't know how to handle this situation up till now, but I'm not in the wrong. I didn't plan any of this, but for some reason, I feel uneasy about this whole thing.

I can't believe it's just a coincidence that the whole thing is like a planned scene in a play. I feel that I might have been trapped in this. Was he stalking me? like, did he plan this? Was I just an easy pawn to the corner with all his fancy knights and bishops while mine were killed when I didn't pay attention to my surroundings?

This is just a possibility but may as well be true. The odds are high, and coincidences like these happen in movies, tales, dreams, or imagination. This whole idle situation is consuming my mind and sanity.

And what does he have to say to me? ′ I got you! ′ ′ how does it feel in the trap' or maybe ′ You can't work here anymore and I'd appreciate it if you quit'. I don't want to fire you and be the bad guy. I hope it doesn't get worse than this.

Mike gave me some tasks that helped to keep my mind busy, even if it was not enough apparently, Sam could take the largest space on my mind just by appearing in front of me, and no matter how hard I tried to shrink him in my mind and let the work get cozy in my head.

Amid this turmoil, the phone on my desk rang. It startled me, I felt my body getting tense. It was probably him, and the time for me to be humiliated had come.

I finally snapped out of it and replied, and I heard a calm and beautiful voice, "Is this Miss.Smith?" my words stumbled on my tongue for a second. " Yeah, this is her!"

" Sam is ready to see you. He's going to finish a --- and would welcome you in like uhm 10 minutes in his office "

" Yeah, I'll be there," I replied curtly.

I put down the phone and closed my eyes to take a breath. I need to pull my shit together and be the woman I was, the woman I am without Sam, or before Sam.

I was the hardest shell there is, as hard as steel but now with him around, his presence, his voice, his eyes, I'm this little girl, this trembling pile of feelings always on the verge to break like if I was a little brittle peanut.

I got up, tidied the wrinkle on my skirt, and started to walk towards my executioner, who I expected to have daring stares and some lethal words.

I got this; I thought to myself, I should be the trooper I always was, I always leaned on. I can handle this situation, he's just a guy after all, may as well be a stalker maybe a serial killer who's hunting me, this sounds terrible but I have a bigger problem, not bigger but at this moment that's how I feel about it.

I can't stop my hands from shaking, and my heart is beating. I think people can hear it if they pay a tiny bit of attention, and honestly, it's a relief they don't.

I tried to do a breathing exercise on the elevator and it seems that it worked a little bit, but not enough.

The secretary's office was quite fancy, the chairs she had were pretty cozy, they were creamy white the same as here with different designs; the window was on the side and she had plants on every corner, not plastic but real plants, and her desk was organized with a very appealing vase of bouquet flowers, that she may have just received.

Some of us get flowers, and some of us receive thorns; not that I'm complaining. I was the one who got myself into this, it's all because of my poor choices and rich mistakes. It felt good at the moment, and terrible now.

Her face lit up with a quick smile when she saw me, I smiled back and she welcomed me " Hi, you must be Miss.Smith" I replied with a smile "Yes, just Rose please " she offered her hand for a handshake " Nice to meet you, I'm Lucy; please sit down " she checked her computer "Mr. Rogers will see you in a second " I nodded with a smile on my face hiding the terror I'm feeling.

She finally gave me the green light to get into the office, the sight of it got me, if I ever dreamt of working in a heavenly office where work won't feel like work but making a change in the world, this is the place.

A wide huge window with no curtains, I guess he has those windows with glass that can block light when needed, his desk was enormous, with two chairs on each side, and a coffee table, and HIM was sitting contrasting with his library behind him and the dark brown wall.

He was focused on his monitor when I closed the door. His eyes flashed in my direction, and his lips curled the widest smile I had seen on his face, and now his attention was all on me " Rose please, take a seat " I awkwardly took my steps to the chair and took a seat, eyes on the coffee table and the little vase upon the magazines, I could feel his gaze hovering all over me.

" It was nice to taste your coffee sooner," he said with pride in his voice, I looked at him and it irritates me that he gets to be this happy while I'm tormented by all these thoughts in my head.

" I wasn't planning on it trust me," I said with a sarcastic chuckle, "Is that so!" he replied . " so to what do I owe this honor Mr.Rogers" I said dryly; my words were sharper, but the way I said it made it serrated and sharper.

He tried to inspect me, to figure me out, but I am finally the invincible person I always have been, except that in his presence, I lose some of that.

He picked up his smile, but not its brightness "What's up with the honorifics ?" "You're my boss, seems like the right thing to do, don't you think ?"

He adjusted himself, his forearm on the desk, interlocked his finger, and put a serious face, that I'd only seen when he was playing the other day, a day that felt like ages ago but it had barely been a week.

He cleared his throat " Rose, Did I offend you?"

" No not at all"

"So what's wrong, it feels like I've done something wrong "

" Maybe there's an inner reason for you to feel that way "

" What do you mean?" with an offended look in his eyes

" I don't know, you tell me!! why you're everywhere ?" I paused and all I could see was a handsome face with a WTF expression, when his lips were about to mumble something, I interrupted " Like how come, I oddly met you in the park, and you were a dedicated fan of my favorite book series, then you show up in a club with couple hundred people, and NOW you're here, you're my boss goddammit !! "

He pushed himself out of the chair, walked around the desk, and pushed the magazines and the little vase off the coffee table, the beautiful white lilies and yellow roses were scattered all over the floor.

That move scared the shit out of me for a split second, but when he sat down on the table facing me that's when I was terrified.

I kept my eyes on the flowers, they were the most peaceful thing I could lay my eyes on,

I didn't dare to look at him, fear was all over my body, I was so tense and anxious that I couldn't even move, maybe run away but I just froze.

I just yelled at my boss and accused him of stalking me, that may be true, but I'm enraging a lion in his den.

His body was on the table I could feel his presence, and now I felt his hand on my chin, feeling his touch made my body tense a little bit more than it already is, my body blenched, and my eyes clenched.

His hand was turning my face to his side, once I faced him" Rose, open your eyes" he calmly said