Meeting Him Again - 1

Liza walked into the beige and gray-colored high-end office expecting it to be calm and silent as usual. She loved to come early to the office, not only because it gave her a head start but also because she enjoyed the calmness that the silence brought her. It allowed her to think and to enjoy being by herself. It was a sign of her independence and she loved it. It was not just a job for her but it was something that had enabled her to stand up for herself without depending on anybody and that's why it was so special to her. Her cabin was her sanctuary where she could immerse herself in doing the work she loved. When she stepped into the usually silent office she was surprised to find it teeming with people. Everybody was rushing here and there.

Some were cleaning the desks, some were arranging the files, she was about to ask what was happening when Nick, one of the helpers, came up to her and said –"Miss Nestor. I have fixed the broken coffee machine and I have also cleaned the printing room, do you need me to do something else?" he asked and before Liza could give a reply to the frazzled boy and ask him about what was going on, he rushed off to someone else who called him to help in carrying a huge stack of files. Liza made her way to her cabin, dodging the people. She was very confused. She had never seen the staff like this. They were bustling here and there. Even the old coffee machine which had remained unused for the last two decades was cleaned and fixed.

So, Liza picked up the phone and called Rachel. "Can you please explain what's going on?" Liza asked as soon as she picked up the phone. "Hello to you too Liz" Rachel chuckled. Rachel was Liza's secretary but both of them shared a very close friendship. Rachel with her long auburn hair and brown eyes had instantly clicked with Liza and both of them had bonded over the goodness of Cheese and Pepperoni Pizza. "It's not a time for pleasantries Rach. What is going on? Everybody is running around like a headless chicken. It's a mess. "Liza asked exasperated. She loved her alone time in the office and not getting it was making her cranky. "We are getting a new boss," Rachel replied. "What ?" Liza almost shouted. She hadn't expected this. "Do you mean that Leslie is resigning?" Liza asked. "No, Liz. She is going to head the other branch. Our branch is being handed over to someone new." Rachel replied. "Oh" was all Liza said.

Liza loved working under Leslie. When Liza had first taken the job, Leslie had been like a boss from hell, giving her a humongous amount of work to complete in a tiny deadline, making her redo everything just because of a single mistake but soon she realized that Leslie cared for her. She was like a big sister to her if not a mother. She had seen Leslie sending Nick to get dinner for her on the nights when Liza had stayed late, forcefully sending her on a day off when she was not well. Leslie had given Liza opportunities to grow and Liza would forever be grateful to Leslie. And as sad Liza was to see Leslie go and become head of the other branch, she was glad that Leslie was not resigning from her position altogether. "Liz you better come out of that cabin of yours, Leslie and the new boss have just arrived," Rachel said and hung up.

Liza sighed and got up. She wasn't excited to meet the new boss but she knew that it was required of her to go and greet him. So she lazily walked out and stood at the back of the crowd, not bothering to try to catch a sight of the new boss, not that she could have seen the face of the new boss even if she tried to. So after standing there for some minutes she turned around and went to her office. It was a few seconds after she entered her cabin when her phone started to ring. She picked it up and spoke "Hello", she spoke, her voice calm. "Ms. Nestor, please come to my office. I have something important to discuss." Leslie said "Yes mam. I will be right there" Liza replied and hurried over to Leslie's office.

Jonathan sat in the plush leather chair in Leslie's office. He was getting anxious with every passing minute. "Ms. Nestor will be here any minute," Leslie said. Jonathan had been confident this morning when he had prepared himself for the day ahead, excited even. But as the moment to face Liza was approaching he was becoming more and more nervous. He had planned it out clearly but now he began to consider that maybe it was a bad idea, maybe he should have left Liza alone before he could think anymore the door of Leslie's Cabin opened and he heard Liza's voice ask "May I come in Mam?" Leslie nodded and said, "Yes, please come in Ms. Nestor". Jonathan saw as Liza hesitantly stepped inside. She was dressed in a deep blue shirt which clung to her figure and a black pencil skirt with Black heels. Liza's hair was in a tight bun and her lips were painted deep maroon. Jonathan literally lost his breath looking at her. Liza hadn't noticed him yet and he didn't even want to imagine what her reaction would be. "Ms. Nestor I would like to introduce you to your new boss Mr. West," Leslie said.

Liza's eyes widened as Leslie said "Mr. West" she hoped that it was someone else but even she knew that it was highly unlikely. She peered around Leslie only to come face to face with Jonathan. He was dressed in a gray formal suit with a black shirt under it and a silver tie. She recognized that tie like the one which she had gifted him on their first anniversary and fury blazed in her veins. She got over her shock and put on her mask. "Nice to meet you, Mr. West," Liza said forcing a polite smile on her face when her thoughts were far from anything polite. Jonathan nodded his face set in an n equally emotionless mask. "You will be assisting Mr. West in all the meetings and help him to get a grip of the publishing business," Leslie said drawing Liza's attention to her.

Liza knew that she would be having a hard time maintaining her professional façade and spending extra time with Jonathan was not on her to-do list, so with sugary sweetness, she spoke "I am sure Mr. West is a very capable businessman Mam, I don't think he will be needing my help" "But I am new to this business and I would be really grateful if you could help me" Jonathan cut in before Leslie could answer Liza. He wore a smile on his face, the one which Liza wished she could punch off. "Yes, Liza, and I am sure you will learn something new too," Leslie said, her tone daring her to refuse. "As you say, mam," Liza replied, looking straight at Leslie. She wasn't someone to go down without a fight, however, she knew that fighting was futile in this situation. She punctuated her affirmation with a nod and got out of the cabin as soon as she could.

Liza had never hated Jonathan more than she did now. She was shaking with anger by the time she reached her office and slammed the gate shut, scaring the shit out of Rachel. She sat down on her chair and buried her face in her hands. She hated that Jonathan had somehow ended back in her life and now whether she wanted or not she would have to interact with him. Her emotions were in a jumble, she wanted to cry for her fate, she wanted to laugh at life's joke, she wanted to smash things and scream at fates for doing this to her but she did neither of the things instead she took deep breaths and started working on the manuscripts checking each of them thoroughly in hope of distracting herself away from all the feelings building inside her. She was determined not to let Jonathan affect her anymore and by the end of the day, she was sure that she could face Jonathan again.

Liza sighed and got up from the char. Her neck was stiff from working all day, she cracked her neck and looked at the clock on her table. It showed 10:00 pm. Liza peered outside from her window's cabin only to find out that everybody had left. Rachel had messaged her an hour before that she was leaving. Liza closed the blinds of the glass window and walked over to her table. She sent the last of the emails and switched off the laptop, sliding it into her leather bag she left the cabin.

Dim golden lights were lighting up the office, Liza looked around enjoying the peace the silence brought while waiting for the elevator, the silver gates of the elevator opened up and Liza walked into it not bothering to see if anybody else was with her. She reached out to press the button for the ground floor only to find it glowing red indicating that somebody had already pressed it. She turned around to see who it was only to meet green eyes. Jonathan was once again standing in front of her. "Hey Liza," he said. Liza didn't respond instead she turned back and began glaring at the elevator doors. Sure, she had prepared herself for facing Jonathan every day but that didn't mean that she wanted to be stuck with him in an elevator. Her heart beat faster and a light sheen of sweat began forming on her forehead. Suddenly the elevator felt claustrophobic and from this alone Liza knew that her life was going to be difficult from this point forward.