Love In Between

Working at one of the biggest companies asides from Quinn’s isn’t the easiest task to pull off, even with her position as a clerk Ava found it draining, to say the least.

Since she started the job, she became distracted so much so that she barely has enough time to think about any other thing asides from her baby and the job,

Receiving files, sending emails, and receiving was practically all her life revolved around right now, she couldn’t complain she had responsibilities to shoulder,

But the only regret she had was the little time it permits her with her daughter, after the day’s job she would get home worn out and her baby would have already been put to bed in her cot by her nanny,

“Psst, psst Ava,” one of her colleagues called,

“Oh, hey you want me to do something for you?” Ava asked, her eyes fixed on the laptop in front of her, she had bulk emails to sort and send out by the end of work hours asides the files that piled at the corner of her table,

“Not exactly, I see you’re putting in your best in the job that’s a good thing because you’d need your best to scale through today,”

“Scale through today?” Ava asked, her attention now on the sturdy figure in front of her, Miss Alina one of the staff in the company could well pass for a man with her gait, except that she had a contrastingly feminine face and a thin voice.

“Yes, the CEO of the company is coming today— my bad what am I even saying,” she said slapping her forehead gently, now Ava seems interested in what the lady has to say,

“CEO, I didn’t know —- umm tell me more,” she asked curiously,

“Oh Ava, you can’t bury yourself in work and not know what goes around you, you might get kicked out before you even get your first pay at this rate,” Alina joked,

“Kicked out? Why? I haven’t done anything wrong to get laid off,” Ava replied petrified, she couldn’t afford to get kicked out of CT wines she only just started and getting kicked out would mean incurring more debts she had fully employed the nanny to look after her baby,

What would she do? Finding a job is so competitive she didn’t have the strength to go through with it anymore,

“Relax, I never said anyone’s going to lay you off, it’s just a meeting —- okay it’s somewhat not any kind of meeting,”

“Then what kind of meeting is it?” Ava replied nervously, her hands were already beginning to sweat from anxiety,

“Okay fine if you must know, the CEO is going to lay off some people from the company today, some I didn’t say Ava so chill,”

“Some people?” Ava asked, visibly worried,

“Yes some people and your name’s Ava right, cheer up I really think you’d be safe though,” the lady said with empathy,

“Wheat time is the meeting?” Ava asked, picking her words in bits,

“Uhmm… I think in less than an hour he’s here already, he’s in a meeting with the executives after which he’ll be meeting with the rest of us,”

“Oh I see, I’ll see you at the meeting, thank you for letting me know I really appreciate,” Ava replied

“Oh, come off it, it’s nothing really it’s the least I could do seeing that you’re so engulfed in your job even if a fly buzz pass you’d not take notice of it,” the lady joke, Ava replied with a faint smile after some minutes the lady left the office—- Ava all alone with her thoughts, her mind was troubled and her throat was parched,

She quickly finished up with some of the emails so she could go for the meeting in time, it would spell doom for her if everyone’s seated before she went in for the meeting.

“Dear Lord,” she clasped her hands together, she couldn’t lose her job not so soon, this is the only way out of the bills she had to pay, her paycheck wouldn’t be extravagant she knows but it was enough to keep her and the baby going prior to finding a better job.

She thought if calling Roxie, she needed someone to talk to her someone to tell her that she’ll be fine and there’s nothing to really worry about, she picked up her phone to call Roxie but decided against it,

Roxie would be busy at the office, and she wouldn’t want her to worry about her, Ava patted her head lightly to dab the beads of sweats that had form on her head when she got the news,

Ava was already in the conference room for the meeting few minutes to the scheduled time, she tried to calm her racing pulse down by pressing her wrist firmly,

“I see you’re already ready for the meeting,” Alina said, as she took the seat beside Ava,

“Let’s just say I like being punctual,” Ava replied, nervously

“You’re doing a really good job at it,” she teased, poking at Ava’s hand playfully,

“Someone’s tensed, relax Ava you’ll be fine no one’s going to lay you off don’t worry,” she added, squeezing Ava’s sweaty palms warmly,

“I hope so, getting another job is like passing a —-”

“Shhhh…. He’s here,” Alina cut her off before she could complete her statement

“Who’s here?” Ava asked looking around the room, Alina gestured with her head.Copyright Nôv/el/Dra/ma.Org.

“The CEO CT wines is here,” She responded, to Ava’s greatest shock it’s Bruce,

“Bruce?” She asked shocked,

“Yes, that’s him Bruce Clayton…. Do you know him?” She questioned, the whole room appeared to be spinning or maybe it was her, maybe it was all in her head— Bruce was missing, all along he’s the CEO of CT wines her company’s rival,

Blackness engulfed her reasoning, distant voices calling her name,

“Ava,” Alina said shaking her into reality,

“Are you okay?” She asked,

“Yeah I am, I’m fine,” Ava struggled to respond tears welling up in her eyes, she quickly wiped her eyes with the back of her hands, she wasn’t emotionally stable to explain the situation to her colleague,

“How’s she now?” Bruce asked Alina when she came back into the conference room,

“She’ll be Alright Sir, I think it’s the job stress she’s new here,” the lady responded,

“Oh I see,” Bruce replied, he couldn’t have imagined in his lifetime that he would set his eyes on Ava and in his office,

Throughout the meeting he couldn’t think of anything else asides Ava, all these years and he could finally get to see her one more time, he thought of ways he could reach her—- he knows she must detest him who wouldn’t after all the pains he caused her.