Chandler
CHANDLER
G od, Sam is testy today. She’s usually like that with me, but something seems off. I even considered letting her take lunch before me to make up for taking up her parking spot again. I also feel a little bad about how her first presentation went. The way she glared at me was like she was trying to murder me with her eyes. The way her nostrils flare just a little when she’s irritated at something I’ve said. If looks could kill, I'd have died about seven times before ten AM. If I’m honest, I like to get a reaction from her because I think it’s cute. That's one thing I can't deny: how beautiful she is. Sure, I may take things too far sometimes, and even though we got off on the wrong foot, I do enjoy working with her. Mostly, I enjoy teasing her, but I should have known today wasn’t the day to mess with her after how the meeting went. Maybe I was a little too harsh this time. Even if I did think it was cute, the way her nostrils flared when I finally got to her.
No matter how beautiful I think Sam is, it’s clear she can’t stand me and hasn’t since the day we met. By the way, she flipped me off when I was leaving for lunch; it seems like nothing has changed since then. I had just been promoted to a senior accountant, and since Sam had a business degree, we hired her on under me to handle all types of different accounts for our clients. She showed up with coffee that had spilled on her skirt, looking like she had rushed to the interview. Despite that, the interview went very well. Ken asked all of the questions while I sat back and listened. I thought we'd be a good fit. It quickly became clear, though, that Sam and I communicate very differently. I admit I can be a hardass sometimes, very direct, and sometimes a jackass, but work needs to get done. I know she hates having to send me reports all the time, but it’s her job. It also probably doesn’t help that I told everyone she was my assistant when, technically, her title is also 'Senior Accountant.' It was just a joke that got out of hand, and I liked her fetching me lunch on Tuesdays. She got me back by eating my lunch every day for two weeks, so I started going out on my lunch hour.
I've had to stop myself from asking her why she was late today. Sam and I don’t have that kind of relationship, and it’s really none of my business, anyway. Besides, it seems like she’s already found a way to blame me for her tardiness.
Our receptionist, Angela, smiles at me when I walk by her and toward the double doors.
“Have a nice lunch, Mr. Randall," she says, giving me her signature warm smile.
I smile back with a nod. "Always do, Angie."
I’m almost in my car when I realize I’ve forgotten my water bottle. I look at my car, double parked in mine and Sam’s spot, and consider not going back to get it. I know I’m being an asshole by double parking in her space.
At first, it was an accident. I had planned to be at work at 6:30 in the morning, but I was running a little late, and I wasn’t paying attention when I parked. This led to her storming into the office, fuming and demanding I move my car right then and there. We argued for 15 minutes, and she made me late for an important meeting. I hate being late. From that point on, I just started doing it to piss her off. Petty? Sure, but so is she. I pull at the neck of my shirt. It's too hot to be without water today. I stroll back into the building.
Angela is laughing and talking to one of our newer accounting assistants, Everette, but she still looks up at me, smiling. “Back so soon?”
I grin back at her and say, “I’ll be gone again shortly, don’t you worry.”
I stop in the bathroom before going back for my water bottle. Maybe I could get Sam lunch or something to make up for being an asshole today. Or at least for not letting her take her lunch early. Maybe she’s just hungry. She’d probably think I poisoned it, though. Perhaps if I asked her what she wanted to eat, I'd get a straight answer instead of her usual suspicion, but I highly doubt it. If we do end up having to travel to North Carolina together, we should probably try harder to get along, even if that means grinning and bearing it. I can only imagine the constant migraines Ken would probably have from our arguments and the constant emails from Sam and me about our disagreements. When we first started working together, there were meetings at least once a week with complaints from the other staff about our arguing. That’s why they made us share an office.
He called it 'Team Building.' Yet, he sits us away from the people we work with behind a closed door, so I’m sure it was to keep everyone from witnessing us bicker every few seconds. We’ll just have to see how serious Ken is about the North Carolina trip. If we do, it’d better be worth it.