~Chapter 03~
As I was staring at Sebestian's concentrated face, I understood that he was intentionally not giving away his thoughts because of his poker visage.
The moment I had written down my idea in a book, I decided to make a beeline toward Sebestian's office room. It was a normal sized quarter with a cluttered impression. I had to adjust my vision to get used to such an incognizant mess, especially his disheveled desk.
Crossing my arms behind my back, I rocked back and forth on the balls of my feet. I was sizzling with the fusion of jitters and excitement. I hadn't even realized that I had spaced out until I heard Sebestian speak up. "Valerie, if I'm not wrong?"
"Yes, sir." I smiled politely and he nodded his head, still looking down at my book and the sheets of papers laid out on his desk.
"Now," he began, glancing up at me with a solemn expression. "I'll be honest here, it's a so-so thing," he told me, balancing his hand from left to right and scrunching his lips. "Quite a fantastic idea if you're a scholar in the field but… I don't know if it'll be interpreted correctly by the audience." His apologetic expression made me sigh in disconsolation and my shoulders slumped. "However, this is something decent that I've got so far," he continued, tapping on his desk with his index finger.
My face lightened up in a jiffy and all my downcast hopes were lifted up. "Really?" I asked him just to make sure if I wasn't hearing things.
Sebestian shrugged and smiled at me. "You bet but I'll still have to show this to Ms. Maxwell for her approval regarding this idea's execution. Then if she likes it, it'll be taken forward to the top management meeting. The final card is for them to love this idea. Let's see if it can make 'em smack their lips."
"In short, my idea has a sliver of a chance to make it till the execution part is what you mean, don't you? I mean, you're just making it sound a bit less harsh… right?" I queried, pursing my lips.
I knew that this was going to happen because even if I think my plan to be splendid and unique, it's always less if somebody else has the one that is better than mine. And I guess, this disadvantageous side of working in a big corporation was something that I had somehow overlooked. If I could get the extravagant opportunities then competition would always side with that bar.
"No, that's not what I'd meant. I think it can go ahead and we'll make sure of a few alterations but yes, your idea's my bias. Right now, I just hope that Ms. Maxwell likes it." He stared at my book with a deep look of concentration. "You go ahead," he finally told me.
Taking that as my dismissal, I left his office and weaved my way through different sections of groups discussing something animatedly, to my cubicle.
"Yo, Valey baby!" Chelsea greeted me, slinging an arm around my shoulders.
"Hey, Chelsea." I smiled at her after cleaning my desk.
"Did your guy like the idea?" She asked me, getting up from her chair and stretching out her arms.
"Can't be so sure but I am hoping for the best," I mumbled, showing her my crossed fingers and she nodded. "What about you? Aren't you gonna assert your plan as well?"
"What? No. I'll save myself from the hard work. Thinking is not my thing. I can only think when it comes to designing stuff. That's my forte," she answered, her eyes wandering about. "Anywho, wanna join me for the break. It's just me and my annoying friend, Keith Brown."
"Annoying and a friend?" My voice was laced with amusement. She playfully rolled her eyes but didn't say anything. Furrowing my brows, I traversed my eyes all over the ongoing hotchpotch as well. I could see a few people working while some of them were goofing around with their friends and the remaining ones were having lunch on their desks itself.
Chelsea must have noticed my puzzled expression because she explained to me, "We can have our breaks whenever we want as long as we don't breach any guidelines. Also, two breaks only and we cannot disturb anyone who's working." She winked as if she never followed that last statement.
"Ms. Maxwell seems like a cool person," I said, nodding my head in appreciation.
She scoffed and rolled her eyes. "As if. It's a rule implemented by the great Jonathan Williams to create a friendly work environment."
My eyes widened in realization and my veneration for him increased even more. Mr. Williams never ceased to disappoint the fan voice inside of me.
"Come on, let's go." She ushered me toward the exit of our huge workplace. As we were walking, Shivaay's desk came into my view from afar. Wanting him to join Chelsea, her friend and I for the break, I asked her, "Would you mind if my friend tagged along?"
Chelsea looked at me with incredulity. "A friend? You've made another friend already?" She sounded impressed.
I nodded my head with a smile. "Yup. Met him in the Fire Up room and he seems like a fun person. Plus, it's a really relieving thought to know that he's a copywriter too because it helps so much," I explained, doing jazz with my hands and laughing awkwardly.
"That's good to know. Who's he again?"
"Oh, yeah." I clicked my fingers quickly. "He's Shivaay. Though, I don't know his last name."
"Wait, you mean, the Shivaay Vyas?!" Chelsea exclaimed on the verge of sounding hysterical.
"Um…" I trailed off precariously.
"The one and only," Shivaay spoke, standing in front of us with an unamused expression and his unfiltered accent lilting a bit.
"God." Chelsea groaned, running her hands on her face. "You must be kidding, right? How did you even befriend him?" She asked, turning to me while I was caught off guard by her behavior.
"By… talking?" I replied unsurely while scrunching my nose. Nobody seemed to be paying attention to us as they were either busy doing their work or chatting with their friends.
She gave me a peevish look. I couldn't tell what was the matter and why Shivaay's presence was bothering Chelsea. It was as if she understood my silent question because she grabbed my arm and pushed me aside. Completely dismayed by her actions, I quickly glanced behind me to see Shivaay shrugging. He was clearly unruffled as he leaned against a wall and immersed himself in his phone. Probably playing some video game.
"What's it, Chelsea?" I didn't mean to sound agitated but what she did back there was nothing short of rude.
"You mean to tell me that you're now friends with a guy who's from top to bottom full of cynicism. He never leaves a chance to insult anybody who comes in his sight including me," she said, frustration clearly evident on her pinched features.
"Maybe…" I uttered in a squeaky voice and scratched my cheek because I was stalling to think what I should say next. I agreed that Shivaay could get candid but that's just him and those traits make up his personality. If everybody steers clear from a person because of their flaws then nobody would be caring about anybody in this world. "Maybe, that's just the way he rolls," I finished sheepishly, quoting his own words.
"Yeah, right," she answered sarcastically.
"Oh, c'mon. Just give him a chance. I mean, you don't even know him. If I could get along with him just fine then I think you could too," I tried to reason with her and I could see the defeat in her eyes.
"Fine. Just watch us getting along well too. I'm sure you'll have a really great time," she deadpanned and I gave her a reprimanding look. "Gah, alright. I'll try, okay?" She finally relented and I smirked.
"Good. Now come on, let's go. I am literally starving right now," I said in a sing-song voice, rubbing my belly. Chelsea nodded as if she just realized that we were heading toward the cafeteria to fill our empty stomachs.
I saw Shivaay standing at the same spot we'd left him before and so I nudged him to bring him out of his "phone world". Surprisingly, he followed without asking any questions.
The moment we reached the cafeteria and paid for our trays, we followed Chelsea because she had told me that her friend was already waiting for us.
As soon as we reached the table, Chelsea took a seat and side hugged her friend. Reluctantly, I followed suit by taking a seat and Shivaay did the same.
Keith's a healthy guy and he looked really adorable with his wide smile. His double chin was very much prominent but I could tell that his body didn't bother him one bit. His eyes were kind until they landed on Shivaay and all of a sudden, his expression dropped.
I pursed my lips because I wasn't ready for him to pass any snide remark toward him.
"Whoa, what are you doing here, donkey clank?" Keith muttered with clear indignation. I frowned at his choice of words. They sounded kiddish but it didn't mean that it was less offensive.
I was about to retort but Shivaay beat me to it. "To steal the fries from your tray even when I have my own." He gestured toward his tray with a smirk before literally taking a fistful of fries from Keith's tray while he looked ready to burst out. "Jackal," he said to rile him up further. "The joke's on you, ha! Besides, what are you guys? 16 or something? Acting like "get a life" high schoolers? Don't worry though, I am here for food only. Strictly."
Shivaay was right. Instead of behaving like some professionals, we were actually acting like some bratty kids.
"Seriously?" Chelsea started angrily. "Not even a minute and he's alrea-"
"I agree with him, Chelsea," I cut her off, shrugging my shoulders awkwardly. "He shouldn't have said that," I said, pointing a finger at Keith. With that said, I quickly scooped a spoonful of pasta in my mouth. I hadn't meant to sound accusing, especially when I was new here but I couldn't just accept the erroneous things going on around me.
"And you are…?" Keith asked me with furrowed brows.
"Gosh, why do I always forget the introduction part? So, this is Valerie and she just joined here yesterday. She a copywriter. And this is Keith, a total annoyance but he does graphic designing and he's a freelancer as well." Chelsea winked while Keith huffed out loud at his introduction.
Keith looked really cute with his panda-like expression, especially when his double chin showed even more. "Hi, Keith." I smiled.
"Yellow Valerie," he chimed, waving at me happily. "Oh, and I'm sorry if you found my attitude crude earlier but…" he trailed off, chortling in embarrassment. "You know…"
"Nope, I don't." I tried so hard to hide my smile because of his clear discomfort. "Do enlighten me, sir."
He sighed heavily. "Fine. I can't get out of this one. I've got like no excuse. But I am not usually like this."
"Just saying. If anyone's interested then I am Shivaay and I feel so loved here. You're welcome," Shivaay butted in sarcastically.
I laughed while he did a dramatic bow. I could see Keith's almond shaped eyes narrowing but he shocked everyone by slapping his back playfully. Shivaay almost hit his head on the table because of the impact. "We know who you are."
I was glad that Chelsea and Keith were trying to be modest and polite toward Shivaay who I could tell was also taking his sarcasm down a notch. However, it seemed they were warming up to his remarks. I personally found Shivaay funny.
The four of us were about to leave when I felt someone's shadow looming over me. "Valerie?"
I looked up at Sebestian's twinkling eyes and exuberant face. "Sir?" I stood up after looking at the gobsmacked expressions of my friends.
"I have something absolutely important to tell you but you see, I don't have a single second to waste. Follow me, I'll explain the deets to you on the way," Sebestian rushed out the words, clasping his hands. He was almost bouncing on his feet slightly.
Giving one last glance at the stumped faces of three of them, I did as Sebestian told me. I was jogging to match his urgent strides. "What is it, sir?" I could feel my heart hammering against my chest and I was feeling a mixture of fear, happiness, jitters and especially curiosity. From the looks of it, I could tell that it might not be anything intimidating but I couldn't take my chances of getting ahead of myself.
As soon as we boarded the elevator, Sebestian pressed the number 8 while I just stared at him anxiously.
It better be good because I think my heart's gonna leap out of my chest at this rate!
"First off, call me Sebestian. And second, which is to the point, your idea impressed Ms. Maxwell. We took it to the upper echelon of the management and let me tell you this, Mr. Williams has given his nod. Now, I can't elaborate much because it's not the time but he wishes to meet you as you're to explain your entire plan in front of the directors and heads present there," he said quickly, almost in a single breath. If I didn't know better then I would have recommended him to get into rapping.
Before I could process his words or react to them like a normal human being, we were already standing in front of a huge double door room. My eyes scanned around to have a better look only to find out that the entire floor was just one room and constructed for only one purpose. 'Confidential Meet' was written on the plaque and it seemed like the words were glaring at me for no apparent reason.
Sebestian opened the door and almost instantly all the eyes turned to me. Everyone was seated with a stoic expression plastered on their faces. As I looked at each individual, my eyes finally landed on one last person sitting at the very end of the oval shaped, elongated table with chairs circling around the mahogany.
When I stared at Mr. Skye Williams, I couldn't help but seem confused. Never in my life had I felt this whenever I'd seen him in the pictures. However, looking at him live brought me a sense of familiarity.
Have I seen him before? Before the internet did? I tried to rack my brains but my search came up empty.
His gray eyes were glancing back at me in bewilderment but he masked them quickly with a gentle smile. His blonde hair was swishing softly like waves. That's when I caught onto his knowing look and my mind could conjure up only one thing and that was, he is handsome and maybe even that would be an understatement.
Does he know me because I saw that look before he covered it up? Gah, maybe I really did see him just on the internet and am just overreacting. As for him, he must have been weirded out by my stare or maybe caught off guard by our sudden presence?
"Ms. Jones," Ms. Maxwell said, acknowledging me in her signature stern voice.