Lavender

Sunlight kissed her eyelids good morning. It was a bright day. Everything was looking more alive and fresher. She pulled sheets over her face and then turned over. Her phone buzzed under her pillow. She opened one eye and looked around. She had slept peacefully last night but was still tired from the wearying week.

She checked her cell phone. There was a text message from her cousin sister, Flora.

“Hello, dearest. I’m going to Ohio with Auntie Betty. I’ll come back in a week. I would have called you but then I thought you might be sleeping. Anyways. I’m hoping to see you soon. I love you.

-Nana.”

Her grandmother had asked Flora to text her on her behalf. Flora was 10 years older than her and had two kids. She had always been a supportive person in Penelope’s life. When everything was falling apart, she helped her get things together and rooted for her success.

There were other messages from Nora as well. The first one was an hour later the time she left the restaurant.

“Hey, did you get home? Sorry I had to rush. Text me when you reach.”

The other was around midnight.

"I gave Damen your phone number just now. He said he will be there at your place tomorrow. I want all the deets." She had put a wink emoji next to it.

Duh. She mentally slapped herself. She still wasn't sure if it was right to have your boss at your home to help you with the work. She kept looking over the screen.

There was one other message from an unknown number. It was from Damen. She read it. Kept starring at it. ‘And after all, we are friends now.’ His words replayed in her mind. She turned off her phone and held it to her bosom and then slumped back on her bed and stared at the ceiling.

She sighed and scratched her head. After lying there aimlessly for a few more moments she put her phone aside and then walked inside the bathroom to take a relaxing shower. After that she made breakfast. After eating she did the dishes and brushed her hair. She cleaned the apartment a bit. She wasn't wearing her contact lenses today, she searched for the glasses that she had put away while cleaning and picked the book she was reading last night.

She was sitting on the chair, reading, when she heard a knock. She checked her phone, there were no notifications. She stood up and walked towards the door. She turned around to look at the wall clock. ‘He came earlier than I expected.’ She murmured.

She swung open the door to find Hailey standing on the other side, wearing an apron as always. She dropped her arms down. “It’s you.” She wasn’t expecting her.

“Expected someone else?” She wiggled her eyebrows.

“No. Not really.” She shook her head and moved aside for her to enter. “Come in.”

“No, no. I was just here to collect your keys. Nathan told me you forgot yours at your friend’s house. He said he’ll get them copied for you.”

“Oh, thank you very much. You are the best human I’ve ever met in this city.” She picked up the keys and handed them to her. She put them in her apron’s pocket. “Alrighty. I’m going downstairs to meet Ms. Phthalo. I’ll see you around.” She smiled.

“Bye-Bye.” She waved.

As Hailey walked downstairs, she found a man in the lobby. Holding a bag. A girl’s bag. Not that she was judging him or something but that she knew the owner of the bag. Penelope. A smile danced over her lips. He was taking out his phone when Hailey said, “Hello, mister.”

He looked up. “Hi.” He warmly smiled at her.

“Are you here for Penelope?” Her eyes were getting brighter with every passing second.

“Yes…? How do you know?” He cautiously asked.

“Wild guess.” She was still smiling. “I’m Hailey by the way.” She waved her hand up in the air. “Damen. Damen Laurent.” He nodded lightly. “Ah, can you tell me… which way to go?”

“Oh, yes. Second floor. Down the hall. Left side. 2B.”

“All right. Thank you.” He smiled again.

“Have fun you too.” She said and walked away.

Damen shook his head lightly and walked upstairs. He walked down the hall and stood in front of her apartment. He gave a light knock at the door. The door opened almost immediately. “Did you forget something, Hailey?” She was holding a book in her hand, not looking at the person in front of her.

“No, she was downstairs.” He said with a grin. She looked up at him and stumbled backward causing her book to fall. She picked it up quickly. He was all washed and dressed up. Hair gelled back. Wearing a nice pair of shoes. And, she was wearing a baggy shirt with trousers. Although, she had brushed her hair this morning. She looked at him and then at herself.

‘Nobody dresses up in their own homes.’ She thought to herself.

She bit her lip not knowing what to say. "You don't want me to come in?" He said with a subdued smile. "Uh- no, I didn't say that." She shook her head and adjusted her glasses. “Come in.” She moved aside for him to enter.

'I should have thought about this small talk thing as well.' She mumbled. He walked forward and placed her things over the table and started looking around. He walked towards the balcony and touched a flower pot. “You like succulents?” He asked and looked at her.

She simply nodded.

“Cool. Very cool.” He walked back to the couch and sat. She was still standing near the kitchen, looking at him.

“Are you done checking me out?” He asked.

“Huh?” She dumbfoundedly said. She then realized she was looking at him the whole time. She spun on her heel and opened the refrigerator. “Do you want something to drink?” She said with her face inside the fridge.

“Water is fine.” He leaned back on the couch. She poured him some water. “Here.” She handed him the glass. He sipped it and placed it on the table. She was still standing behind the chair. “You are not gonna sit?” He looked at her.

“Yeah, no, yeah.” She said and dropped herself on the chair. She was awkwardly sitting when he said, “So?”

“Huh?”

“Let’s start working?” He tapped his both knees.

“Yeah?... Yeah. Yes, Sure.” She mentally slapped herself and stood up. She walked behind the curtain wall and took out an extension with her. She plugged in her laptop and opened the file.

She was sitting on the floor, across from him. “So,” She started saying, “Um, Marissa said that these are the rejected ideas. I have to come up with a report saying why they were rejected and have to provide what I think might be better solutions.”

“Why are you sitting on the floor?” He looked into her eyes.

“Huh?” She adjusted her glasses. “I- I…” She cleared her throat. Searched for words. Nothing came out.

“Come sit over here,” He patted the couch. “I don’t bite.” He chuckled.

She sighed and walked around the table to sit with him. He flipped over some pages and started skimming them. She sniffed lightly. He was wearing perfume. It was a light zesty smell. “It’s Sauvage Dior. EDT.” He said without looking at her.

Her eyes widened. Her heart started throbbing. She felt heat rising in her body. From her neck to her cheeks. She looked away instantly. He looked at her again. Her face was giving a shade of pink. The corners of his lips tugged up lightly. “It’s unisex. You want it?” He leaned towards her.

She shook her head and scooted over. He clicked his tongue, tried to suppress his smile. “Okay, whatever you like. About this… I can solve this one for you and then you can solve others by looking at it. And, of course, you can ask me whenever you are unable to provide a solution.”

She tried to grasp everything and nodded in response. He took the laptop and started drafting a solution for the first rejected idea. He kept on explaining the important terms to her while typing. In about 15 minutes he had drafted the complete solution for her. He handed her the laptop for her to continue the work.

“Do you have more books?” He pointed at the book on the table.

“Mmhm.” Her eyes were focused on the screen. “They… There is a bookshelf in my bedroom. You can have a look.” She said without looking at him. He stood up, adjusted his shirt, and walked towards her bedroom.

He slowly opened the door. The curtains were off the window. Her room was clean. He slid his fingers on the dresser and looked at his reflection in the mirror. He ran his hand through his hair. He slowly walked towards the bookshelf. He turned around one more time, trying to absorb all the details. He ran his fingers on the back of all the books. They were all adjusted alphabetically.

He then randomly picked a book. ‘If I had your Face – By Frances Cha’ He read the title. He opened the book. On the first page, there was her name and a date written. The date when she either got the book or started reading it. He flipped through the pages. She had underlined some context. Marked notes somewhere. Scribbled replies to some lines. He laughed to himself.

There was this line she had highlighted, “In New York, you can talk to anyone about anything at any time and have a conversation so long you'll fall a little in love with that person, and then never see them again.”

He then moved forward to find another underlined context, “I will build myself up so high in such a short time that when he leaves me, I will become a lightning storm, a nuclear apocalypse. I will not come out of this with nothing.”

He read it once. Twice. And thrice. He sighed and placed the book back. He looked out of the window. The sunlight hit his face. His eyes shining brightly, giving the pure aura of brown. He then closed his eyes and inhaled deeply, his hands in his pockets. He smelled lavender. It was her fragrance.

He opened his eyes and one more time looked around and then walked outside the room closing the door behind him. He walked towards the balcony and sat on the bean bag. “Found nothing good to read?” She looked through her glasses. She had tied her hair in a bun on the top of her head now.

“Didn’t feel like reading anymore.” He looked outside. The skies were clear, some random white clouds were wandering. Something inside him had happened that disturbed him. He kept sitting there, staring into the empty spaces.

***