Dandelion Lover

The door opened with a bang and I slipped inside mumbling about the bright light. I was tired, hungry and worst of all, hadn't had a shower in 24 hours... I couldn't wait to just go home and sleep. Still, the work I had to do kept me in a strange lock. I had to sign the papers and finalize the deal before I could finally get my well-deserved rest. With only this thought turning in my mind, I swiftly went past the desks in the office and slammed the door shut after having reached my own office.

I could hear voices around me but their meaning evaded me at the moment. After finishing up the paperwork still waiting on my desk, I propped my head on the table to rest a bit. I didn't want to sleep, just to close my eyes for a minute...

As in a haze, I felt a fragrant scent drifting near me, the smell of freshly ground coffee with what seemed like vanilla. The tempting aroma forced me to open my eyes and look squintingly at my desk. A fresh cup of coffee had been placed in front of me and behind it, a young woman dressed in a light pink skirt and white shirt was looking at the ground.

I grumpily took the coffee only to chug a large portion of it down my parched throat. The girl in front of me almost flinched at the sudden gesture but kept looking at her feet.

"Who are you?" I asked in a cold voice. I had no energy left to be sociable and her way of avoiding eye contact annoyed the hell out of me.

"Umm, my name is Katelyn Ross and I'm the new copywriter that started this week, " she said in a low voice, drawing out each word as if trying to annoy me on purpose and finally raising her eyes to look at me.

"And?" I asked, looking at her and squinting slightly as the light was too strong for my tired eyes. She was quite small even for a girl, and the type of clothes she was wearing didn't really seem to fit with her look.

She could have been mistaken for a high school kid except for her eyes that sparkled with life, watching me intensely. Her hair was light chocolate and she had lightened her tips to a platinum blond. It looked pretty good together with her pink, almost translucent skin and eyes as blue as the summer sky. If it hadn't been for the glint in her eyes, you could have thought she was a doll, sitting with her arms close together in front of her and slightly moving her fingers one on top of the other.

She suddenly smiled and reached her hand towards me.

"Rob told me to come to introduce myself before you went out again." She almost shouted while her hand trembled a little. As tired as I was, I almost laughed out loud at the nervous looking girl in front of me. After looking at her anxious expression I finally took pity on her and grabbed the hand extended towards me.

"Lukas Gray, CEO and web designer for this small company," I said trying to stifle a laugh. "Good coffee by the way. Call Rob for a bit, will you?" I said nodding towards the door.

"Yes, immediately, " she said while her face reddened. I could tell she was nervous and out of her element, so I decided to let her go for now.

A few minutes after, I heard a loud laugh and the door to the office swung open to allow Rob to waltz in still chuckling.

"You should be nicer to the new employees..." he w.h.i.n.ed while throwing himself on the couch just right of my desk.

"You should have known I'll be grumpy after an eighteen-hour flight," I mumbled while taking another sip of coffee.

"True," he said looking at me with a smirk. "However, it's always funny to see you intimidate others, especially young ones..."

"Just give me a break, I finally managed to complete all the paperwork. We have a new project to take care of so get planning. I'll give you the details tomorrow. " As I decided to pack up and go home I explained a bit about the new project to Rob and opened the door to the bigger office.

"See you guys tomorrow. " I said without looking towards anyone in particular and got into my car to finally drive home.

As I pulled into the driveway of my house, I could tell there was no one at home. All the windows were closed and the curtains pulled shut, not letting any light enter the empty home. A simple click and a switch of the doorknob and I entered my desolate home. I found a heavy silence wrapping around me, and it made me feel uneasy.

However, the silence was more than welcomed for me right now. I went directly to the bedroom, threw my clothes on a chair and jumped in for a short shower. The hot water helped my muscles relax and it made me feel even more lethargic. I got myself a bathrobe and fell onto the bed exhausted. I shoved my hand underneath a pillow to bring it under my throbbing head only to find a small book that captured my attention.

"Mell must have read it before going to bed. " I mumbled as I flipped through the pages with letters spread loosely, feeling bored.

"Wonder when Mell will be back..." I put the book back and drifted to sleep, while still seeming to smell the sweet fragrance of vanilla making its way through my thoughts.