Lionel leaned against the beige metal door frame and rapped a knuckle on the open beige metal door.
Iva’s body tensed, halting her frantic search through the top-left drawer of her desk. She eased her clenched hand out and tucked it into the open bag on her lap. “What’s up?”
Lionel’s eyebrows pinched together, causing his nose to scrunch up against his wide-framed eyeglasses. “You all right, then?”
“Everything’s…fantastic.”
Lionel tilted his head, and a smile fought against the concern on his face. “Sure it is.” He relaxed his shoulders, but only a little. “I’m assuming your project meeting went well?”
Iva averted her eyes as a scowl overtook her face. “Just fantastic.”
“They didn’t cut your budget again, did they?”
Iva held her jaw tight. She drew her empty hand from her bag, then swiped the mouse on her desktop and hammered a staccato on the keyboard before she flipped her laptop closed and ripped the cord out that connected it to the external monitor on the right-hand side.
“Christ.” Lionel crossed his arms and checked over his shoulder. “It’s clear that Neil is tighter than two coats of paint, but this is bloody ridiculous.”
Iva shoved a leather-bound notebook into her bag, then swiped the zipper shut. “That’s one way to put it.”
“So, what now?”
Iva dropped her laptop into the still open desk drawer, then let it slam shut. “Right now, I need to go. I’m late for a meeting.”
Lionel’s eyes darted between Iva and the desk. “Okay. Right.” He stepped back from the door as she stomped past, both her bag and coat gripped in one hand. “So, we’ll see you later, then?”
Iva stopped. She tilted her head back but didn’t look right at Lionel. “Probably not.” Then she raised her head and walked on, around the tight cluster of cubicles, past the reception desk, and out the front door.
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Photo by Francesco Liotti on Unsplash
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