So Cold

Roland and Barov finished up their conversation and got to work. Another late night. Barov contacted local media outlets to explain a simplified version of the situation, painting Roland as a kind, caring boss who was just concerned about one of his many employees. They were hopeful this kind of story would boost confidence in the company, hopefully compensating for the drop in confidence due to the early reports.

Roland, on the other hand, was busily getting through the various tasks that inevitably piled up on his desk after a day out of the office. He furiously scribbled and typed as he tried to get to the end of the tasks while angrily berating himself.

'That presentation was one of the most important moments for the company, my company. Yet, potentially, I screwed it all up for a girl, a girl I've barely even spoken to outside of work. It's a simple crush is all, and I possibly ruined this product's launch.

'But that's in the past. I'm human; humans are emotional animals. What's moronically stupid is the amount of time I wasted in the hospital. The time I wasted there just meant that I've made more work for the people around me. Barov is overworked as it is.

'Checking that Anna was safe is one thing, but Carter has nothing to do with me. I didn't need to wait hours for him; I have people for things like that.

'Perhaps I'm just not cut out for all of this. At my core I'm a programmer, not an exceptional businessman or manager, so I'm not used to assigning stuff like that to others; it feels too impersonal to me, somewhat cold-hearted.'

Roland continued thinking about such topics. He questioned his own capability as the CEO and his crush on Anna, eventually resolving himself to act more detached as a CEO should.

In the end, he got his work finished, but it was questionable which distraction slowed him down more: thinking about his crush or berating his shortcomings.

…

Anna had the following day off to recuperate. Although her injuries were minor, the traffic collision was still a great shock to her, so everyone agreed that she should take a few days off to calm down and recuperate.

The previous night, when Barov had called her not to go in the next day, she had been slightly disappointed. For some reason, she'd hoped it would be Roland calling her.

'Well, he is the boss of a rapidly growing company, so there's no reason someone like him would call me.'

She pouted slightly.

'But still, a girl can hope.'

As she thought about her disappointment when she'd heard Barov on the phone, she decided to send him an email to test the waters.

She sent:

Hi Roland,

Thanks for giving me the day off to rest, it's greatly appreciated.

How's everything going at the office? Does it feel empty without me?

Anna x

The reply came through around lunchtime.

Anna,

Don't concern yourself with work and rest.

Roland.

The response was blunt. Although the content had a nice enough message, its tone seemed to lack Roland's usual friendliness.

'So cold. Did I annoy him somehow?'

She'd thought they'd been getting along well lately. Roland and Anna had been working smoothly together, and Anna had been greatly impressed by his generosity and compassion at the hospital.

But apparently, she'd thought wrong.