Leila was a wreck. Kelvin didn't send her flowers today. He left the house earlier so she ate breakfast alone. Leila didn't realize until she sat alone at the dining table, a large breakfast in front of her, that this new lifestyle, this routine was one of the best parts of her day. She took only a bite before clearing the table.
When lunch time came and Kelvin didn't invite her to Pacific as he always did, she didn't call him. She waited, subconsciously glancing at the window that should have been decorated with the flower for today.
"Your secret admirer sent nothing today?" someone teased. Someone who sounded eerily familiar to Susie. Only Susie could make silly, audacious jokes like that.
Leila didn't look up to confirm her suspicions. If she paid more attention to her laptop and less to that troublesome woman, she would go away. Her vision blurred as she skimmed through the email Amara sent her.
The sponsors of Stars Glow would be here at Tech Valley in an hour's time. 3 pm. No lateness. Only the presence of the project leader was requested. The content of the email made her shudder. This would not be her first or last presentation alone but she was scared. Was it because Kelvin didn't kiss her goodbye?
Shit. Why did it hurt her? It was only a peck, not a big deal. And she didn't like flowers that much. She could write herself a note. Besides, she refused his affection. Perhaps this was the repercussions. Her chest sagged as her fingers ran over the edge of the laptop. No matter what she told herself, the ache in her heart only worsened. She wanted them to be cool.
Lily knocked on her table and she looked up. "Yes?"
"Are you sure we shouldn't join you?" Lily asked. She motioned to Susie who was arranging some files on her desk. "We can come along for moral support."
"No, it's fine." Leila's smile was so fake she was surprised Lily didn't call her out on it. She might have told Kelvin today was a good day for the presentation but she felt underprepared. "I'm almost done." She brushed her hair over one shoulder and tucked the files she would share to the sponsors under the laptop. "No big deal."
The animation on her laptop screen showed youths between the age of seventeen and twenty-one. Speech bubbles were above their heads with short chats and numbers. The correct statistics for revenue.
"Kill it, baby," Lily murmured.
If her nervousness didn't kill her first.
Lily's hips swung left and right as she sashayed to her seat. Her friend waved at her when she continued staring and she shook herself out of her trance.
The alarm on her phone rang. 2:30 pm. She would be there early for the presentation. Her fingers hovered above her screen as she contemplated texting Kelvin. There was no information on any of the sponsors. She tapped on his contact, typed a message and deleted it.
Adjusting her skirt and blouse, she tucked the laptop under her armpit with the files clutched tightly in her grip. The meeting was on the top floor, the floor before Kelvin's and she played with the thought of showing up at his office unannounced. The gossip about him had reduced so she wasn't certain he came to work today.
Mike was in front of the elevator when she reached it. They stood in awkward silence for a second. "Hey."
"Hey," she replied. Her voice shook. She hoped he wouldn't notice but he turned to size her up. She cleared her throat. "Hi."
"Are you okay?"
Leila shook her head. "Yes."
Mike laughed. "Your body and lips are saying different things." He moved an inch closer to her so their shoulders touched. "I understand you're dating but we used to be cool before then. We can still be cool."
"Yeah?" It came out small and unsure. Mike nodded. Leila bounced on her heels. Today, she was wearing flat shoes. Maybe she should have accepted Lily's offer and let the other women join her to do this. "I am having a presentation. Nervous as hell."
His arm wrapped around her shoulders in a side hug. A voice in the back of her head screamed to step away from him but Leila was so emotionally drained she would accept any form of comfort. It was just an arm anyway, nothing intimate. One friend comforting another.
It was stupid of her to think Kelvin would wait until she was ready. Men always said one thing and meant another. Leila wished those dark, painful thoughts away. It was in the past and it would stay that way.
"Don't be," he said. He gave her shoulders another squeeze. "I'm sure you will do fine. Like you did on Tranne Culture." A short fashion project their departments worked on together. It was a huge success, thanks to her hard work and commitment. Reviews of it could still be found on Instaagram. It was their first and last branding project outside their usual. "This will be a breeze."
The elevator slid open before she formed a reply. Kelvin and Amara stared back at the duo. His eyes narrowed briefly, gaze darting between her and Mike. Her mouth dried up, she wanted to shrug off Mike's arm but it seemed to have increased in weight.
The boss and his assistant took a step back for them to join them inside the elevator. Leila felt like she was entering into the execution chamber as she stepped inside. Mike's arm fell away and she released a ragged breath. She reached for the buttons on the wall, at the same time as Mike, their fingers brushed and she jumped back.
"Sorry," Mike told her with a laugh.
It wasn't funny. She knew Kelvin didn't find it funny either. The elevator was quiet. Mike got off before her and she prayed for the ground to open up when he patted her arm to say, "Good luck, Leila. Smash it."
The gesture was innocent but to her husband, it couldn't have been. Kelvin cleared his throat once when the elevator's door closed. Though Amara was aware of their relationship, Leila didn't turn to Kelvin. She was already nervous, a look at him might worsen it.
Her arms shook when the number changed, one more floor to her destination. The files dropped and Amara scrambled to pick them up. Leila murmured her gratitude to the dark-skinned lady, accepting the files which slipped from her grasp again.
What was wrong with her?
"Get a grip, Leila," Kelvin gritted out.
Anger flashed behind his eyes, even his glasses couldn't hide his disgust and annoyance. She wanted to lean into him to seek the comfort she craved from someone else. His silence hurt her. His words hurt her. Everything about him was hurting her.
Leila hugged the laptop and files to her chest. If the files fell again, she would die of embarrassment.
"Sorry, Sir. Yes, Sir."
The lump in her throat was too hard to swallow, she didn't look back when someone whispered her name. It must have been her imagination because it happened only once. As soon as the elevator stopped at her floor, she bolted out of the metallic prison.
Her arms didn't stop shaking until she was seated inside the conference room. She greeted the female servers arranging bottles of water on both sides of the table for their guests. There was an ashtray beside one of the bottles of water.
Was Kelvin coming? Leila would love that.
The wall clock on the wall above the projector chimed. Five minutes more for her to lose or win the approval of the sponsors. If they said no, would Kelvin still support her? For this project, she wouldn't mind him using his advantage as the big boss of the firm.
One by one, the servers filed out, leaving Leila with her thoughts. Cold air rushed out of the air-conditioner attached to the walls but beads of sweat still formed under her armpit.
Another chime from the wall clock and the jerking of the door handle made her rise to her feet. It was time.