The Alarm rang twice before Emily silenced it. She had gone too far in her Dreamland only to be called back to her reality. Still lying on the bed, Emily stared at the Ceiling. Of course, she couldn't rise to her feet immediately, she needed to take in her environment.
She turned to her left and saw that Brian was already awake. When Brian wears his glasses, it means serious Business. His hands were typing furiously on his laptop, eyes engrossed in his work. He finally noticed two pairs of eyes staring at him. He turned his head to see Emily awake.
Her eyes were still sleepy and her hair was messy. He greeted her and turned right back to his laptop even before Emily could answer back. The room felt so quiet, yet two people were in it. The space in between them was enough to fit in a pregnant woman.
And that's how it has always been between them. Emily stares at the ceiling, and this time she thinks about how her morning would have been if Lucas had been beside her. He would have kissed her head and asked if she had slept well. Maybe swoop her off to the bathroom and they both prepare for work. Emily, She remembers how he pronounces her name.
There is a way he says it that makes her stomach churn. It sounds so sweet hearing him say her name. Wait why is she thinking about Him? I shouldn't think about him. Why is he in my head? Emily turned to look at her husband whose head was buried in work. She remembered how their mornings were and now she is left with bits of the old memories in her head.
He used to look at her like she was the most precious thing in the work and now he doesn't even notice her presence anymore. She tells herself there is no connection between her and Brian. Emotionally, he hasn't been there for her. Her feelings and emotions have been hurt by Brian's Neligence and Nonchalance.
Emily gets to her feet and goes straight to the bathroom. She needs to do her hygiene and get to work. She has always been known for her punctuality. After putting on her well-tailored fitted Dress, she leaves the house. Brian had already left earlier. She goes to take the train to the office.
Hopefully, today is much better than yesterday. As usual, she keeps on processing her world. How Lucas has been making her question her lifeless marriage with Brian. Her thoughts got interrupted when a Child beside her started crying only because the Mother refused to give her a stick of candy. Emily smiled at the scene, the baby looked so sweet.
Eventually, her mother gave her the sweet. Maybe Emily could get a stick of candy from someone, Lucas. While still in her thoughts, her phone buzzed. It was Lucas, Emily froze and hesitated to check. Maybe it was about work and nothing else. Lucas Reed(unread message)Did you get home safely last night?Emily re-read the message for the third time. But why is he asking me now? Why does he want to know if I got home safely? Yes I- Emily has typed three different messages and kept deleting them without sending.
She didn't want to sound rude and at the same time too casual.Yes, I did, I will be in soon Mr Reed.She finally sends the message in. It was just a message but it had sent her heart into so many spiral jumps. As she got closer to the workplace, Emily realized she wasn't ready to face Lucas Reed yet.
She enters the building and takes the elevator. She met some collegians and they exchanged pleasantries. The elevator is one of the places to here gossips. And Emily had caught onto some gossip. The Head of Data Analytics is having an affair with an Intern. It felt like they were talking about her and Lucas, only there was no affair.
They finally got to her floor and Emily let out a deep breath, a breath she didn't know she had been holding in. She feels watched but Lucas wasn't even in sight. Maybe she is now getting paranoid. The Telephone rang, it was Lucas's secretary. "Mr Reed wants to see you". Her stomach tightens and Emily stared at the mirror on her table for about 2 minutes.
She adjusts her clothes that need no touch. Everything was in place but she still felt uneasy. Emily told herself she needs to be very professional and not let her emotions tangle with her Job. She takes a deep breath and gets herself together before opening the door. When she got into the office. Lucas's head was buried in the pile of work that was before him. He finally raised his head and scrutinized her. He didn't say a word but looked at her for a few minutes.
Emily who was feeling fidgety where she was, could have almost burnt under his scrutinizing eye. "You look tired" He said as his brows narrowed.Emily who was caught off guard, didn't know what to say. She thought he had called her regarding one of the reports submitted. She didn't even know what to say to that. He stands up and walks close to her, right up close. "
You work harder than anyone here. I don't think anyone ever tells you that." And for the first time, she feels seen.There was silence between them. He was right before her and she felt so small in front of him. It is only normal because he is much taller than she.
The clock in his office gets ticking and if a pin drops on the floor it will be heard. They were both looking at each other's souls through their eyes. Emily wanted to respond but she had not yet found her words and had been left speechless.Her chest tightens as she is too close to Lucas.
The praise felt more personal than professional to her. Has he always been noticing her?. But again why does that matter to me? Why am I even overthinking about this? She can't even remember the last time Brian had praised her. These past years she has been starved of knowledgement and this Man in front of her just did that.
She has been feeling empty at home.Emily finally got herself together, and they are at work. What is she doing up too close with her Boss in the office during work hours? He probably says the same to everyone here. It is no big deal, she told herself. Emily straightens her posture and pulls herself out of the mental holiday she had gone on.
She wished he hadn't said this to her. She knows this moment will keep replaying in her head. She would think about this long after she leaves his office. This thought frightens her more than it should. Just as she was about to respond, a knock was on the door.And Lucas shanked back to reality and stepped back. " We will talk later".
Emily took that as the clue to leave the office. We will talk later. Emily is sure she will be uneasy all through the day because of what just happened. Emily walks out of the office and closes the door behind her. Her legs feel sore as she walks back to her desk. The hallway that could contain 20-30 People suddenly felt so small.
She tried to avoid eye contact with anyone as she finally located her desk. She sits at her desk and opens the Emails on her computer. Emily wasn't sleeping but this was her making a mailing mistake. Mistakes a beginner would make. Her mind was definitely all over the place.
Her thoughts drifted back to his voice, his tone, and his broad shoulders. The way he looked at her, he had this concerning look on his face. That should not have happened, she told herself. I didn't do anything, it's just work. Emily tells herself that she needs to do that. He is just a Boss who is kind and cares about his employees' welfare. I am sure he does that with everyone and I am overthinking this.
Emily tried to convince herself. Her laptop chimed slowly. It was a message from Lucas Reed. She glanced at the corner of her screen and froze. She didn't open the email. She knows it was nothing inappropriate and definitely about work.
Maybe another task or report. Still, her finger is glued to the mouse for a few minutes, still staring at the unread notification from her Boss.She opened the email, saw it was just some revised figures. She closed it and deleted it. For as long as Lucas Reed's name still popped up in her mail, she was for sure to feel uneasy and she didn't trust herself anymore at this stage.
The house smelled of roast chicken as Emily got home. Brain was already home, on the couch with his two shoes kicked off while watching television. "You're late". He said to her, his eyes still fixed on the screen.
"Work" she replied, dropping her bag and removing her shoes at the door.
She went to the room, changed her clothes, washed her hands, and went to the kitchen to take over the supervision of the food.
They sat down to eat dinner. They both sat opposite each other at the end of the table. Brian checked his phone between each bite. Emily always noticed this habit of his.
Nothing was wrong between. Nothing was
But the distance between them was wider than the halls of the Church across the street