THE SUN BATHED ON VIENNA’S STREETS IN ITS GOLDEN WARMTH, AS the morning unfolded casting long shadows that cast along the cobblestone path, the streets filled with pedestrian everyone enjoying the beautiful morning while, she ran to save her dear poor ass from the loan sharks chasing her clutching her purse in one hand she stormed out from the crowd.
She internally thanked her long legs to help her run fast. She was running for an hour now, her long brown hair flying as she ran. She was far away from her home and workplace but still close enough to get caught. She was running mindlessly hoping to lose the loan sharks tailing behind her,
“Stop, you bitch!” screamed a bald man from a little far behind her. He was old enough to be her father but in height he came to her half arm.
She kept on running, glancing behind time to time to see if she lost her tail or not, people just stared at her for a moment and ignored her as if it were a daily routine for them. She turned in an alley, running. She turned her head to look at the men chasing her, not finding them. She smiled, running, when she bumped into something hard like a brick wall. The collision sent her sprawling on the ground. Her eyes widened with a mix of surprise and irritation, and;
“Ouch!” she winced at the pain shooting through her elbow.
A fleeting scowl crossed her face as she hissed in pain rubbing her elbow anger and frustration filled her senses she looked up to see a man standing still in his white button-up opened from the collar, black jeans, his hair tousled from running his hands in them too much, transparent glasses covering his eyes – which was to her no use as he didn’t saw her coming– sleeve folded, an expensive watch glinting in sunlight.
The streets, full of hustle bustle, stopped. Stunned, silent pedestrians stood, leaving their work, staring at his un bothered and still figure. Her anger intensified, glaring at the man. She stood on her feet, getting the clear view of his face, –sculpted cheekbones, clean-shaven, blue icy eyes and black hairs. He wasn’t looking less than a Greek sculpture, which she would have appreciated had she not been frustrated and angry about the situation.
His eyes hovering over her slim tall figure she was tallest in her friends always but now standing in front of this man she felt like the smallest creature on earth she ignore the feeling of complex taking in and focused on her anger she stared at him her eyes flaring anger he raised his eyebrow bemusement etched on his features.
“Are you blind?” her voice sliced through the air, her frustration palpable in her voice “Can’t you see where you’re going?”.
No response. Her frustration went upon a notch she left out a sardonic breath placing her both hands on her hips she looked at the people who were now silent and looking at her wide eyed like she was an alien, some women gossiping distinct chatter were breaking in the silence she looked at the still figure in front of her.
Who she would have thought was a statue had she not seen him raising his perfect eyebrows anyone could tell just by looking at him he was rich and looking at everyone else’s reaction to him she understood he was popular too she blew out the hair in front of her face before removing them with her fingers.
“Are you mute too? Or you just took ‘ignorance is a bliss’ phrase too seriously?” she asked, straightening her spine and tilting her head a little to meet his eyes, her hands talking with her mouth. She added a bit of curiosity in her voice even though she was everything but curious about a strange frozen statue, that’s what she called him in her mind.
She would be lying if she said that his intense icy blue eyes didn’t send a chill down her spine in this utterly hot morning of Vienna.
She raised her eyebrows silently hoping for him to answer and,
He did.
Not the way she had thought but, he did answer.
“Move!” one word, just one word, in his cold voice as cold as his icy eyes.
Everyone gasped and chatters increased, a chuckle escaped from her lips in disbelief and shock she didn’t get herself focused on the way his voice held the authority.
The part of her that was scared would have stepped aside and given him the space he wanted but, the part of her who was the competitive one, the stubborn and the frustrated told her to fight back and insult him, even if her instincts told her to listen to the first part she focused on the latter. She stepped forward pointing her finger at him;
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“You-” her brief defiance crumbled as a distant shout pierced the air. Her gaze snapped away from the man to the approaching loan sharks.
“She is there, look!”
Oh, God!.
She was a dead meat; she was a dead, dead meat. Her anger from earlier flew like dust and ashes, leaving fear in her wake. She looked at him with wide eyes, something like amusement flickering in his icy eyes, seeing her afraid, before he covered it with his previous cold gaze. she glared at him lightly.
“Fuck!” she said as the voices became louder. The sudden shift from the peculiar encounter to imminent danger sent a jolt of panic through her. Without another word, she snatched up her purse and before she started running again she turned and looked at him.
“Don’t show me your handsome face again or your face won’t be handsome anymore” .
She sprinted off, heart pounding. Fear propelled her through the twisting alleys of Vienna. The distant shout now echoed louder, merging with the rapid thuds of her footsteps. She dared not look back, uncertain if that frozen statue still lingered in the background, as she had more to deal with than that strange popular man which she was pretty sure about was a statue in his previous life. The chase was on, and Eveline's decision to confront danger left her questioning her own instincts.
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AFTER BEING EXHAUSTED BY THE CHASE AND THE UNEXPECTED encounter with the frozen statue she finally reached at the restaurant –her workplace– ‘till she reach inside she was breathing heavily, her heart pounding in her chest, sweat beaded on her face, a single drop of sweat sliding from face to her neck and inside her white top her, blue denim jeans clung to her hips, her long hair covering her face the edges coming in her mouth.
She inhaled deeply and exhaled and straightened her posture removing her hair from her mouth. She was tired and her legs were hurting from running continuously. She wasn’t a gym person but the way she was huffing she decided she needed to do some cardio for a foreseeable future.
Hand on her chest she tried to calm her heart beat down, when one of her colleague approached her in the locker room; for a girl like her who was an extrovert she had no friends in reality she was social and a good listener and an advisor too but, the people she meet and had was who just think of her as a psychiatrist —even though she wasn’t— told their problems and when it come to her problems, her dreams and her feelings, no one actually care. She understood at a very young age that no one is true to her and no one ever will be.
“Eve, are you okay?” Meredith asks, seeing her sweaty exhausted state she smiles at her colleague’s concerne
“Yeah, I’m totally fine!” she answers.
“Ms. Eveline Lockwood, would you please come to my office? I want to talk to you about something important” her manager said in his professional low and serious tone.
She replied with a single nod while smiling. She was nervous because she had never got pointed out and called out to the manager’s office.
She was scared of losing this only job she had because finding another job will be difficult and she already had enough on her plate —the unpaid debts and rent of her apartment— her legs were still hurting from the chase and out of nervousness she was limping, her legs felt like jelly. She was sweating and her palms turned clammy, tripping as she walked to the manager’s office. She was feeling anxious about what’s gonna happen.
Was she not working properly? Are customers complaining about her? Did he know about the table no. 3’s blunder where I served him the wrong type of wine because I was worrying about my rent, bills and my aunt’s unpaid debt? Or the guy she insulted during the way here was accidentally the owner of this hotel and told the manager to fire her because his ego was hurt, well it could be possible because he looked rich and authorized enough by his looks?
Her heart started racing at an unusual pace.
One, two, three; Inhale.
One, two, three; Exhale.
She breathed standing outside the office door, wiped her clammy palms from the side of her jeans, knocked on the door and went inside when the manager said ‘Come in’. Her heart and mind racing with uncountable worries.
How is she gonna pay the debts? How will she find another job? Many different worries were making her anxious. Her breathing went choppy as the manager started speaking
“Ms. Lockwood, I've seen your work and you are a very diligent worker.” he said, making her confused though the anxiousness remains with her like an uninvited friend.
“But…?” she asked as she could always sense a ‘but’ in these sentences and her gut feeling was sure that it was not a good one.
The manager sighed and a sympathetic look came across his face.
Oh, Lord! How much she hated these was something only she and her God knew.
Guilt visible in his eyes which she didn’t understand. “See I appreciate your efforts you put in your work and you are some of our most great employees but….” he said, stopping again to sigh.
Oh! She was hating these sighs, this awkwardness, the guilt and sympathy in his eyes and features and moreover she was hating the way her mind was being negative in this situation but she breathed to calm herself down but Her manager's next words, however, took her by surprise.
"We have an investor who wants to put his son in this restaurant. He's paid a considerable amount for that, and unfortunately, we have to let you go."
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