I apologise to anyone who was a little surprised or shocked by the last chapter. I know it was a little full on but I didn't want Gillian to be upset for some mundane reason. This next chapter is kind of a set up for the following one. I'm having a little trouble getting the characters right (and not too far off who they truly are) considering I never imagined writing more than one chapter. As usual reviews are appreciated and loved :) Don't own Lie To Me.
***
He peered into her empty office for what must have been the thirtieth time that morning.
'Where the hell is she?' Cal thought.
It wasn't like her to be so late to work. She was usually the first in and the last to leave. Besides himself of course.
'Mind you, she's been doing a lot of things lately which aren't like her,' he thought to himself.
He cast his mind back to last night, Gillian dancing in that club, the screaming match they had gotten into.
Cal erased that last part of his thought. 'Correction, the screaming match she had at you.'
It wasn't like her to be so sensitive. Not that he had ever been in the situation before where he had had to save Gillian from herself. He sighed as he entered her office and walked over to her desk. A diary caught his attention out of the corner of his eye. His hand twitched towards it. Maybe she had something to do today, an early morning meeting perhaps? He shook his head and stepped back. To read her schedule would be an invasion of her privacy and would definitely be crossing that line. But curiosity got the better of him and in one swift motion he picked it up and flicked to the current week. Nothing planned. A small star placed next to yesterday's date caught his eye. There was nothing else written in the small box marked April 2nd but that small blue star definitely marked that day for something. The only question was what.
'What the hell are you doing Cal Lightman?'
He hadn't heard her walk in, he was too caught up in his own thoughts. 'A downfall of mine unfortunately,' he thought with a humourless chuckle. He cleared his throat.
***
She groaned as she pushed open the door to the Lightman Group. Even the squeal of the door opening amplified the pounding in her head. Waking up this morning had been hell. She had pressed snooze about 20 times before she realised that if she didn't get up now, she was going to be late. And she was not going to give Cal Lightman that satisfaction. So she had gotten up, showered, dressed, attempted to stomach breakfast and walked out her front door. As she drove to work she tried to think of anything other than last night. She gave up on trying to block her own thoughts and cranked up the radio, relieved to hear that some loud screamo song she had never heard of before was playing. Usually she hated that kind of music but she knew she couldn't do anything with that awful sound playing, let alone think.
Arriving at the Lightman Group, she parked and climbed out of the car, catching her reflection in the window. Checking to make sure she had remembered to put on clothes that morning, she smoothed down the last of the wrinkles. The last thing she needed was that humiliating dream becoming a reality. She was relieved to find that at least she looked relatively similar to the usually organised and immaculate Gillian she was on every other day.
As she walked through the halls of the Lightman Group she already couldn't wait for the day to end. She reached her office and saw the distorted appearance of someone through the glass door. She frowned. No one should be in her office. She pushed open the door to see the one person she hoped she wouldn't.
'What the hell are you doing Cal Lightman?'
He clearly hadn't heard her walk in; he was too caught up in his own thoughts. But she wasn't going to let this one go. First last night, and now today. She was done letting him meddle in her life.
***
'Just curious to why you're so late love. I was concerned. Thought perhaps your schedule might shed some light.'
'So let me get this straight,' she started as she strode over to him.
He looked up, making eye contact with her. 'Damn she had recovered from that hangover haze incredibly quickly,' he thought to himself.
'You just thought you would walk into my office, over to my desk, open my diary and read my personal schedule. And what Cal, you see nothing wrong with that?'
He tried to formulate a response that was witty and sarcastic. Use his dry humour like he usually did in a situation like this. But for once, his brain failed him.
***
She could tell he was having trouble formulating words. And she was glad. This wasn't just one of those times where he could use his charm on her and she would forgive him. This was an invasion of her privacy. And it was crossing the line.
***
He saw the look of anger on her face. She wasn't even bothering trying to compose herself or hide it. He also saw something else pass over it. Disgust. She was disgusted in him. And she had every right to be. He was disgusted in himself. How dare he just stride into her office and read her schedule?
'Gill, love, I'm so sorry, I know I...'
She didn't give him time to finish.
'Don't even try to justify yourself. Just get out of my office. I don't want to see your face for the rest of the day. Need to tell me something? Get someone else to pass it on.'
'That's a little juvenile don't you think?'
Wrong thing to say. He saw it the moment those words passed out of his mouth. He wanted to reach out and pluck them from the air. Too late. Why didn't he ever think before he spoke?
She straightened her back, taking those last few steps to close the difference between them and snatched the diary out of his hands.
'Get. out. of. my. office,' was her response, her voice laced with venom.
He didn't argue. This time retreating was definitely the best option.