Dee de dee! It is I, returning from the pit of despair (otherwise known as a new semester at school). I know you all are probably having a busy semester too, so what better time to have a new update?
Jimmy paced in front of the office building. He wasn't sure what had possessed him to make the trek to the law firm. It was ten minutes after seven and there was still no sign of Cindy. He began to think that this was a revenge scene and she was going to let him stand out here all night, when the front door opened and she finally appeared.
She didn't seem the least bit surprised to see him. An amused smile spread over her face, "Sorry to keep you waiting Mr. Neutron. I had to finish some paperwork."
"What? Oh you thought I was here to see you? No, I was just taking a walk through this fine neighborhood."
"Is that right?" her smile broadened, "So I suppose you wouldn't be interested in having dinner with me then?"
"Oh, I doubt even you could manage to secure a table without a reservation on a Friday night."
She shrugged her large bag onto the ground. "Well I figured that a busy restaurant wouldn't be the ideal place to grill you on your enigmatic personal information. What would you say to getting some takeout and going back to my apartment?"
Her abruptness took him by surprise. The woman was direct, to say the least. "Why Miss Vortex, are you trying to seduce me?"
She stepped closer, her expression changed to sultry. "Oh Mr. Neutron, you'll know when I'm seducing you."
He chuckled uncomfortably, "Um, what?"
She burst out laughing. "Oh my gosh, your face!"
His brow furrowed, "You know. It's not wise to tease the person who you're working for."
She slung her bag over her shoulder, "Then it's a good thing I don't work for you. Looks like I'll have to bribe you with Thai food and the joy of my presence."
"An enticing offer to say the least," he said dryly.
She unlocked the door to the apartment and gestured for him to enter. Before Jimmy could make it entirely into the room, a large English bulldog, who let out a series of gruff barks, assaulted him.
"Whoa, down Kujo," he said breathlessly.
"Oh, that's just Humphrey. He's here to create the illusion of a guard dog. But he's really a big baby. Aren't you?" Cindy scratched under his chin and the nub of a tail began to wag. She pointed to the small settee and the dog hopped up. "I'll grab some plates, you make yourself at home."
Jimmy scanned the room they had entered. A coffee table covered in magazines sat between an overstuffed blue sofa and a large television. A sewing machine sat in the corner by a basket of folded cloth. The walls were sparsely decorated, save for one photo collage hung above the couch. He made his way over to look at the photos, all of which were of the blond lawyer and a dark-skinned woman with braids on a variety of poses. He sat on the couch as she walked in, carrying a tray full of food. She set it on the table and gracefully sat next to him.
"Alright Mr. Neutron, give me the full story."
Cindy watched as James slowly filled a plate with food, clearly stalling.
"I don't know why you're so interested. I don't have any exciting plot twists for you."
"I find that the plot twist is a device has become overused, resulting in it becoming a cheap tactic to provide drama. I'm far more interested in non-fiction." She tucked her feet under her legs, settling in for the tale.
James let out a sigh, "My parents knew that I was gifted from the time I was five. "
"Gifted how?"
He rolled his eyes, taking a bite out of his pork satay. "Intelligence-wise. When you get kicked out of kindergarten and your parents pay to take you to the psychologist, you get called 'gifted' rather than 'a trouble-maker'".
Cindy bit back a chuckle. It grew increasingly difficult to tell if he was joking or not.
"My dad was a used car salesman, but the town was so small it didn't really support us. My mom became a waitress when I was eleven in order to start saving for my college education. Unfortunately, it happened a lot sooner than they had planned."
"What do you mean?"
"I skipped a few grades and graduated high school three years early, and took out more loans than should be legal. It really took a toll on them, so I knew something had to be done. I started selling the blueprints of my designs to businesses to help, but ended up making a business out of it. That's how Neutrotech got started."
"Miraculously, I managed to find some investors to back the company, so I didn't have to starve. I managed to pay off most of the loans so my mom and dad could actually go back to living for themselves."
A shuddered expression crossed his face, "But I never forgot those early years. Customers treated her like garbage. Like, just because she worked for minimum wage she didn't deserve basic human decency." He looked up at her, "That's why I feel so awful about the way I acted this week."
Cindy tried to ease the tension, "Well if you do it again, I know to just call her."
Jimmy didn't crack a smile. "My dad started moonlighting as a janitor at the dealership. The work practically put him in the grave. As soon as the company made enough to pay off my school, I forced him to retire. If I had it my way, mom would be living in a mansion with servants tending to her every need. But she refuses to be idle, so we settled on her continuing work at the diner as the pastry chef." A warmth spread over his face, "She's always loved to bake. The house always smelled wonderful. I would go back to shopping exclusively at thrift stores and bargain marts if I could just wake up to the smell of her breakfasts each morning."
"Don't you visit?"
His wistfulness faded away, "I can never seem to get enough time to fly to Texas, and they refuse to let me buy them plane tickets." He cast her a sardonic smile, "I guess some problems you can't just throw money at."
Cindy set her hand on top of his. With a small smile she said, "I'm supposed to be the one throwing your words back at you."
He smiled back, "I'll give you dibs next time."
Suddenly the front door swung open. "Cin, one or both of us needs to go grocery shopping. All I could find for lunch today was a banana and a bag of corn chips." A young woman with an armful of purses shuffled in before noticing the two seated on the couch. "Oh. Am I interrupting something?" Her tone combined with a raised eyebrow implied she thought something amorous was going on. It took Jimmy a moment to realize that it was woman from the photos.
Cindy snatched her hand back, "Hello Libby. Can you be normal long enough to say hi to James?"
"James?" her confused look gave way to realization, "Oh, you must be Mr. Neutron. I've heard all about you. I'm kind of surprised to see you here actually. She didn't tie you up and drag you here, did she? Blink twice if you're being held against your will."
Jimmy chuckled, "No, I was invited," he stood and realized for once he was meeting someone who didn't expect him to shake her hand. He instead gestured to the room before sitting down again, "This is a lovely apartment you all have."
Libby nodded, obviously trying to suppress her smirk. "Thanks. What are you guys up to?"
Cindy held up a "Just eating dinner. What's with all the bags?"
Libby rolled her eyes, "Stewart wants the straps reinforced to make sure they don't fall apart. So guess who gets to spend all weekend sewing?"
Cindy must have noticed Jimmy's confusion, because she added, "Libby's a personal assistant for a fashion designer."
"Excuse me!" Libby shouted, throwing down the armful, "Stewart Tee is not simply a fashion designer; he is a fashion innovator!" She gave a dramatic flourish with her hand before falling back on the couch laughing.
He could tell they joked about this often. It almost felt like intruding on a private moment, but Libby looked over at him smiling.
She grabbed a carton, "So I had to lug all those out of my car and the stupid wind knocked half of them out of my stack."
Cindy sat up, "You didn't just leave them on the sidewalk?"
"Nah, Sheen's getting them."
Suddenly the door swung open again. A tall man with a purple scarf wrapped around his neck gamboled into the room. "I found the last one babe!" He held up a small gray bag. "Whose your friend Cin?"
Jimmy stood up again, "James Neutron, I'm-"
The Sheen guy jumped forward and grabbed him in an embrace, "What's up my man?"
"Um, stock prices?"
Sheen let out a shrill laugh, "That's great man."
Jimmy smiled awkwardly. He had grown accustomed to strictly formal greetings, so all this affection made him uncomfortable.
"Do I smell takeout being generously offered to me?" Sheen grabbed a carton off the table.
"Hey, plate please! There's enough for all of us."
Libby set up two folding chairs and the group circled around the coffee table, which was covered with cardboard container.
"So Sheen, what do you do for a living?"
The young man looked up from the plate of dumpling that he had been devouring. "Mmm, I'm a male model." He struck a Vogue-esque pose.
Jimmy chuckled, until he realized that no one else was taking it as a joke. "Oh. Seriously?"
Sheen laughed, spewing bits of meat everywhere. "Yeah, I moved in with my cousin in Branford to work at my uncle's garage. But the crazy thing happened: this agent guy came in to get his rear-view mirror replaced and he said I 'had excellent bone structure' and wham bam poof! Now I'm a model."
"Fascinating."
"Then my Libbycakes moved in here with Cindy, and I could kill two words with one throw.
Cindy face palmed.
"Um, I'm not sure that's how the expression goes."
"Whatever homie. So, you guys won't believe what they had me do with an iguana today!"
Jimmy hadn't enjoyed himself more that evening than he had in ages. They laughed, they talked, and they relived humorous anecdotes of their working lives. It had been so long since he had actually spent time with people his own age. His only somewhat friend back home was the shy Carl, who was living with his parents until he finished college. And they only saw each other when Jimmy had time to video chat. Usually he spent his days in a boardroom with people twice his age, who all seemed waiting to pounce if he made a mistake, and his nights working long hours to pick up the slack.
No one here seemed to care what he did for a living or how many decimal places his salary was before taxes. They listened to his stories and opinions, and weren't afraid to disagree. The group talked about everything from favorite type of take-out to what was wrong with the current minimum wage, then ended up playing charades. He laughed until his sides hurt, even when the rambunctious Sheen was punching him in the arm while trying to guess "bird".
And then there was Cindy. Cindy, whose face displayed every emotion as she expressed every though and feeling that entered her mind. After a day of dealing with terrible customers and rich jerks like him, she clearly reveled in this safe haven. He was ever aware of the proximity of her warm body and sweet aroma as they sat mere inches away from each other on the couch. Her presence was intoxicating.
This had to stop now.
He might be the same age as the rest of this group, but he didn't have the freedom that their entry-level positions offered. He was a CEO for Pete's sake! With a company as large as Neutrotech there was no room for error. He couldn't do anything foolish like trust some advisor to oversee the acquisition of a copyright or… or let a pretty lawyer distract him.
He glanced at his watch and realized that it was almost eleven. At this rate he was going to be up until three finishing the environmental regulation paperwork.
Cindy must have sensed his sudden unease, because she made to get up. "Ok guys, I think we've harassed Neutron enough for today." The two others chuckled and Sheen leaped over the table to grab Jimmy's coat.
He shrugged it on and said his goodbyes, thanking them all for the pleasant evening.
"I'll walk you out," Cindy said.
He had been hoping to make a clean getaway so he could just slowly drift away from her, but that appeared to be impossible now.
"Ok," The left the cozy apartment and made for the dank elevator.
He hesitated a moment, but decided it was better to say it now rather than in a lobby full of people.
"So, tonight was-"
She interrupted his hesitant speech, "I'm sorry about all that. I know it wasn't the quiet dinner of interrogation you thought you were going to get."
"This was really fun. Dinner was wonderful and I liked meeting your friends…but-"
"I can personally promise that Sheen will never tackle hug you again," she raised a hand in oath.
"But we can't do this again."
She looked taken aback. "What?"
"Well, I am technically your employer right now. Once could be perceived as comradery between colleagues. But to do it again would be beyond inappropriate."
Cindy looked taken aback. "Um, since when does eating dinner with your peers constitute a breach of the company code of ethics. It's not like we had sex in the break room."
Jimmy could feel himself flush at her blunt response. He suddenly realized that the elevator had not only stopped, but was wide open to the ground floor. There weren't that many people in the lobby, but they were all staring at the din.
Cindy stalked to the front door and held it open, gesturing for him to follow.
They stood awkwardly on the deserted sidewalk. Cindy stood in a defensive position with her arms crossed. If looks could kill, Jimmy would be a pile of ashes right now.
"Alright, go ahead: explain how an innocent act like us having dinner will somehow get everyone fired."
"Well, that might not; fraternizing with employees does, and you all aren't exactly my peers."
Cindy snorted, "Fraterniz- we just hung out!" Suddenly, all the mirth left her expression. "Wait, what do you mean we're not your peers? We're all the same age pretty much, just trying to make a living.
"Look, you might be able to stay up all night hanging out with your friends, but I have hundreds of people depending on me to finish paperwork and manage their careers. I don't have the freedom to goof around that you all do."
He could instantly tell he had said the wrong thing.
"Oh yes, the freedom that our shitty jobs bring. Libby has the freedom to be out of work the second a new clothing fad comes along. Sheen has the freedom to get evicted if his agent can't find him a shoot next week. And I have the freedom to use my Ivy League law degree that won't pay for rent, food, and my student loans, so I get work a crappy food service job and be treated like garbage by people like you. Oh wait no, you."
"I know you probably thought-"
"I thought I would give you a chance to explain you grade-A jackassery this week. I thought maybe we could get to know each other a little better and possibly make work a fraction less awkward. I thought maybe the stick up your butt was removable, but apparently it's permanently attached!"
A burst of wind sent a chill down his spine. Well, maybe not just the wind, but he saw Cindy shiver. He made to offer her his coat but she stepped back.
"Don't touch me! Just…just go. I'll see you at work on Monday, Mr. Neutron. Have fun in your glass house until then!" And with that she stalked off into the building.
Guess what loyal reader: I'm entering a fandom writing contest on Inkitt(.com)! Unfortunately, Blackbelt Beauty Queen is to short, but if you love What's Life Without a Little Drama you can vote for it at Inkitt(.com)/fandom (I can't post the site on here, so remove the parentheses) or search for me (it's still TwoDaysTooLate). Voting ends October 21st, so thank you all in advance!