13. Theo
Ihad never been more motivated to run a riot than I was right now, staring at Audrey’s text. She’ll be gone in a month, something she wanted me to know and fuss over, just like I’d been doing all night long. I barely got a wink of sleep, then as soon as the sun rose and seeped through the blinds of my unforgivably dark apartment, there I was, stewing over Audrey once more.
She’s mad, that’s for sure. And like I thought earlier, I don’t blame her for it. But how could she show up in my life for just a month, after everything, only to be leaving so soon without a trace? Something about this made me feel like it was a second chance, and while it’d been five years, I wouldn’t lie and say I didn’t have some lingering feelings, or regrets. I wasn’t going to stop dating for a girl in Australia that I didn’t think I’d ever see again—still, I found myself looking for one-way plane tickets when things got tough, hoping that one day I might be able to right my wrongs. The reality was, five years had come and gone, and I was still the same person I’d been from that fateful trip. But how much had five years changed for her?
She seemed more brazen, stern, and—dare I think it—cruel. From her comment yesterday, she clearly still held the same life-long wish of moving to France and leaving everyone behind. But she hadn’t gotten there, and it looked like she was worried she never would. Some might consider it a shame, but if her detour to London had never happened, then we would never have been placed in each others’ paths again. While I wanted to sympathise, I’d be stupid not to capitalise on the situation. And that’s exactly what I planned on doing.
I got into my taxi, dressed to impress. I was wearing a light-coloured suit under a thick, black overcoat. I’d even spent an extra minute or two checking if my hair was okay, before running into on-coming traffic to ensure I got the closest cab available. And when the taxi finally reached Audrey’s marketing office, I paid my fees and stepped outside, greeting Dad by the curb. That’s right—this was my ultimate business hijack. If Audrey was here for only a month, I’d be using up every second I had to get under her skin. It was the only way I could think of, in order to see what was in store for us—even if she wanted to spend her meetings pretending I didn’t exist.
“I’m surprised you had time for more of a role on the gala project,” Dad commented, shaking my hand with a pleasant, gentlemen’s greeting. His hands were gloved to mask the cold. It was a sign of him growing older, since the low temperatures would make his bones ache. But it still shocked me to think how The Infamous George Atkins could even surrender to age, even if I was watching it happen right in front of my eyes.
“You know how it is.” I grinned. “Can always make room for a big portfolio job.”
“Go hard or go home.” Dad winked, and together we turned to the building. It had a boisterous revolving door upon entry, one that I had to physically hop into if I wanted to keep up with him. I followed him through the lobby and into the elevator. Dad pushed the button to level three, but when we stopped on level two, I was amused to see Audrey staring like a deer in headlights. She appeared to be fighting her demons, wanting to appease my father, but she likely preferred to rot in hell than to be spending a few moments in an elevator with me.
“Come in, Audrey.” Dad prompted with a smile, pressuring her to take a step forward. “There’s plenty of room.”
“Thanks, George.” She wore an expression only I knew was fake, and made her way to the front left corner of the elevator. A clever choice, since I was in the back right. I chewed on the inside of my cheek, trying to hold in the smirk that wanted to etch itself across my face. And though she wanted me to believe that I was being ignored, I caught her gaze in the reflection of the polished stainless steel panelling. She averted her eyes quickly, and suddenly I felt like I’d won a move in whatever game we were playing.
We found our way to the board room, where Dad zoned in on his precious chocolate coated treats that somehow didn’t ruin his trim shape, and Audrey sat opposite me, next to her boss, Ava. Dad had worked with Ava on a few projects by now, so I was pretty familiar with her style, but most of all, the way she signed off her emails. They were always extremely charismatic, and had a little too much flair—she’d feature photos of her in power poses by her desk, with bright pink font to match her outfits. If anything, I was surprised she wasn’t wearing pink today, but her purple trousers and matching blouse weren’t far from the mark. I wondered what Audrey would look like, if she found her next clothing fixation in Ava’s wardrobe. She’d be cute, for sure, but I couldn’t deny I liked her understated outfit today. It was a beige jumper with a frilly collar emerging from the neckline, in a sort of gingham print. I liked observing clothing; it was something my mother used to do when she had a spare moment in the street. Never in judgement, always in admiration. After all, clothes were the most obvious way to get a glimpse of who someone really was.
“We’ve got a few things on the agenda today, and these mainly revolve around your tasks, rather than our own.” Ava pointed out. “For us to market and advertise this event on your behalf, we need to make sure the event itself is smooth-running, and that we know enough about it to gain new attendees across London.”
“Good plan.” Dad smiled, finding a seat next to me with a handful of candies in tow. He looked at me to elaborate, and I took the lead.
“It’s safe to say, we have most of the gala outlined. The same hall is booked as always, and we’ve got a returning string quartet that made last year a hit.”
“Fancy.” Audrey rolled her eyes in front of me. I paused, revelling in her attempt of mockery, before a smile stretched across my teeth.
“Yes, that’s what our guests thought,” I confirmed cheekily. “Like Dad has probably said, our current guest list is finalised, so we don’t need to scramble to fill seats. But now we’re in the works of making sure the event not only gives value, but is a night to remember.”
“We better work on that. I know you’re quite familiar with overpromising nights to remember—” Audrey’s sentence came to a halt after Ava gave her a cold glare. Only to not show up, was where I assumed she was getting at. I looked to Dad to assess his reaction, and I sighed in relief to know he found it amusing. I knew being here at Audrey’s workplace was a challenge in itself, and I’d hate for Dad to take it out on her for being pissed about the arrangement. In saying that, I also knew my father to be one of the most laid-back people I ever had the pleasure of knowing. Even if Audrey did cross the line of business etiquette, she’d be easily forgiven if she gave the project her all.
“You’ll come to learn that overpromising isn’t something I do anymore,” I quipped.
She acted out a sorry look. “Who gave you false feedback?”
“Alright, alright! I’m starting to feel like there’s more to this than just the project,” Ava interjected. “Have you known each other before this?”
My mind raced to other meanings of the word ‘known’, like what I was taught in high school when reading The Crucible. We had known each other, in every definition of the word. And the more I thought about it, the harder I was able to get it out of my head. “They did say they knew each other after the last meeting,” Dad confirmed on our behalf, like he was in possession of some hot gossip.
Ava looked between me and her glaring employee, before calmly standing. “Audrey, come chat with me outside for a moment.”
I let out a low whistle, as if she was getting in trouble, and then Ava’s line of fire turned to me as well. “Control your son, George.”
“Yes ma’am.” He laughed, waiting for them to exit the board room. It didn’t do a lot for privacy—the doors and walls were still made of glass, and that didn’t hold back the sound, either. Snippets of “I don’t care what he was like in the past”and “pull yourself together”could be heard thanks to Ava’s elevated tone. I would’ve been worried for Audrey, if she wasn’t already dishing out responses of her own. It seemed bickering in the office wasn’t so rare here. “Do I need to have this talk with you, too?” Dad asked, catching my attention again.
“And what have I done wrong?” I crossed my arms, feeling like I was back in grade school being lectured for talking in class.
“Don’t pretend I can’t see when you’re getting under someone’s skin on purpose,” he remarked. “We Atkins don’t stop until we get what we want, and it’s a bad trait when it comes to women. To make things run smoothly, I could always relay the results of the business meeting to you, so that you don’t actually need to show up here.”
Suddenly, I became focused. I wasn’t about to lose this chance with Audrey, even if I didn’t know what this chance actually was. “That’s not necessary, Dad.”
“Good answer,” he praised. And right on time, the glass door swung open, with Ava looking proud of herself for her calculated scolding.
“Shall we get back to it?” She grinned.
“I’d love to,” I said honestly, opening up my notebook.
The rest of the meeting went without another hitch, and I no longer felt Audrey’s sharp gaze on mine. If anything, I noticed her avoiding eye contact now more than ever, and for some reason, that felt like a step in the wrong direction. After I finished talking, handing things back to Dad and Ava to discuss, I studied Audrey more carefully, and while she was taking notes of her own in a navy, leather-bound work diary, I watched a message flash up on her phone from her best friend Lucy: ‘It’s just one month. Try out some small talk.’
It was an odd feeling, knowing you were being talked about, and being able to spot it right in front of you. Though, the sudden pang in my gut wasn’t from being spoken about, but instead from the cruel reminder that Audrey would be gone in a month. Whatever head-butting antics of our office romance that I’d imagined would take place, simply wouldn’t get the chance to pass phase one, where we’d annoy each other into realising we still had feelings to explore. As far as I saw it, Audrey didn’t have any feelings for me—aside from casual animosity—and I didn’t have the time. Her eyes went to the message on her phone, and she quickly looked up, wondering if I’d seen it. But I didn’t hide, and I wasn’t about to heckle her about it, either. Instead, I smiled, showing her I understood. And while she might’ve been taken aback by the gesture at first, she then took on a more comfortable posture, sinking back into the curve of her chair, as if I were any other co-worker in the room.