THE COFFEE DEBT

“Sleeping on your job is punishable by company law,” Becky teased, her voice a contrast to the quiet lonely apartment.

Evania having dozed off, awoke to the pile of newspapers and magazines dominating the table, next to a pile of printed articles. It was late__past midnight but she wasn't ready to face Jonathan’s wrath again. Becky her only company had stayed the night to help her compile the report on Yelena’s online newsletter.

“You're really going this far to impress a spoiled rich-ass big boy, huh?” Becky wondered, her tone tinged with a layer of sarcasm.

“What's wrong with that anyway, you know I have to get Marcus out of Wandsworth,” Evania replied, her voice a low hiss in the silence of night.

“Well, then stop dozing and finish up,” Becky advised.

Evania gazed at the phone, already midnight, her squinting eyes turned to the laptop screen, she began to type again as the clatter of the keys instantly filled the quiet night air.

“Why is he so consumed by the Russian girl? I know the Daily Star might want to buy her company but something tells me there's more,” Becky inquired.

“Yelena used to be his girlfriend,” Evania murmured, her voice barely above her breath.

“Then why aren't there any records online or on paper,” she inquired, her voice rising.

“I can tell Jonathan did something,” Evania whispered, her voice nearly lost beneath the insistent tap of the keyboard.

“Wow! Jonathan covered up everything about their relationship__ impressive,” Becky scoffed, an amused disbelief in her voice.

“That old article with a photo of them at Oxford. ” Evania murmured, holding one of the printed articles.

“The two of them must have been college sweethearts,” Becky suggested.

“I don't think we should include that in the report,” Evania replied, her inquisitive voice gaining track.

“Excuse me! He asked for it, so why not?,” Becky proposed.

“Becky! I'm not ready to lose my job,” Evania yelled.

“He literally asked you to investigate his ex-girlfriend, which is why their history matters,” Becky interjected.

“No please, he wants to know about Focus Tv, that's all.” Evania responded to her claim.

Evania hit the final key and powered off the device. With a yawn and weary sigh, she walked over the stack of paper and threw herself onto the nearby couch, pulling the blanket over her.

“Find somewhere cozy and get some sleep,” she murmured, as Becky stood.

“I'll take the bed,” Becky replied, shutting the bedroom door behind her.

As the morning unwound, the busking rays of sunlight burned through the grey curtains. Evania awoke to the empty atmosphere of her room, kicked the blanket and dashed to the bedroom door, she swung it open but Becky wasn’t there. 

Her phone began to rang, she raced back to the couch where she'd left it.

“Goodness! Where are you?” she asked.

“At work, where else would I be,” she responded, her voice intoned with a curious lilt.

“Wow! Thanks, this is what I get for helping you get home while you're drunk,” Evania retorted, her voice toned with a feeling of disappointment.

“I'm sorry, today I had to take Maya to school,” Becky defended, as she hung up.

She scuttled to the bathroom, and took a quick fast bath, dashed to her kitchen for her metal flask. The typical messy morning she always awoke to. As she walked back to the living room, a horning sound burst through the windows, she was already halfway the perron when she remembered her medication and turned back , but the cab driver kept blaring his horn impatiently.

She retreated, sprinting back down the stairs with her hobo bag slung over her shoulder. Without further ado, she sunk into the backseat and gave a breif signal to the driver who immediately drove off.

Evania scuttled through the hallway, her black heels thudded against the floor, depicting her confident stride. She was already accustomed to the top floor having captured Jonathan’s attention lately.She stopped at the door, took a deep bracing breath and greeted Geoffrey, Jonathan’s righthand man.

“Good morning Geoffrey,”

“Good morning Evania,” he replied, his voice deep and calm.

“Can I?” She signalled to the door.

“Oh yes, My lady, go on,” he affirmed, a slight smile on his lips.

Evania pushed the door and walked in gracefully. Jonathan looked up, his gaze following her as she placed the thick brown envelope she'd carried onto his massive crystal glass table.

“Evania, always a pleasure to see you, the envelope always accompanying your unpredictable visits,” Jonathan said, his tone reluctant.

“There you go.” she answered simply.

Evania handed him the brown envelope and retreated a step away. She threw furtive glances at him as he opened the document. She wasn't sure he was generally impressed or just being nice for the first time but his next words sparked something unusual in her.

“Well, we could work with this.” He said, his head nodding in agreement.

Her eyes opened wide, she took a deep refreshing breath and for a moment, she felt her soul lighten, as if it'd momentarily left her body. Then her senses, all restored again, she composed herself, cleared her throat and straightened her spine.

“I'm glad it passed your vetting process.” Evania said, her eyes shying away as the tall handsome man smiled at her.

“Well, I guess we're on a clean slate now.” Jonathan suggested, softening her voice.

“Maybe.” She replied, quickly dismissing the potential of a deeper connection he might have been hinting at.

“Look! I'm only being considerate here.” Jonathan defended.

Evania smirked at him, her eyes sharply gazing at her once hard-headed boss. With a nonchalant gesture, she posed a reluctant request. “Will that be all, sir?” 

“Not really, how about a treat for the work well done.” He asked.

“No need for that, I was just being versatile,” Evania responded.

“You're catching up, aren't you.” Jonathan teased, a playful glint in his eyes.

Evania's heels thudded against the glittering marble as she reached for the doorknob. With a simple honest smile, she pulled the knob open. Just before she stepped outside, Jonathan’s voice echoed through the air like a cool refreshing breeze.

“I would love us to grab a drink tonight, I mean coffee, really.” He confessed, stumbling slightly over his own words.

Evania turned back, stared him directly in the face and smirked. “Well, if you insist, but I get to choose the venue.” 

“That won't be a problem.” He replied, his voice calm and raw.

Evania shut the door behind her as she walked through the wide empty hallway, her footsteps pounding as she rushed to join a group of ladies in the lift. Her brown face was radiant, marked with a sweet smile. They all stared at her as she smiled at herself. Suddenly realising she's alone, she scuttled out hastily.

As she hurried back to her desk, her phone rang in her hands. She swiped the screen without even noticing the caller but a male unusual voice greeted her.

“Hello! Is this Evania?” He asked.

“Who are you?” She asked, feeling curious.

“Well, this is Thomas’s associate, he gave me your contact,” He replied, trying to sound professional.

“Okay, Is anything the matter?” She asked again.

“Not really, I only called to tell you, I'll be taking over Thomas’s duties concerning your case.”  He confessed.

“Why so?, Did anything happen to him?” She asked, as her heart began to race.

“He won't be around for a while, so he asked me to take over. ” He responded.

“Wow! I can't believe he did this to me.”  Evania wondered.

“Well, I'm sorry, but we've meet to discuss steps for the bail.” He replied.

“Okay, so when can we meet?” She asked.

“Sunday at Wendy's, I was told you hang out there.” He answered, as he cut off the call.