Rising Tensions

Esmeray

"It's almost time." Lucy announces as she steps into my office. I give her a small nod, my eyes fixed on my phone.

Its Monday. And every Monday I get the same call, either bad news or worse news. Today I can only hope it's not the latter.

Nine on the dot my phone rings.

Nurse Darlene.

Taking a deep breath, then I pick it. "Hello?"

"Miss. Adams," she sighs deeply and I already know it's worse. "Your mum had another episode last night. It was…" she trails off trying to find the right word, "She was a lot more aggressive than usual, she kept insisting that her daughter is dead, even though we showed her your recent pictures."

Dead…

Lucy, who has been standing by a corner, gives me a sympathetic look then signals its time.

"Thanks Darlene. I'll come over after work." I murmur, rubbing my temples.

As I hang up, lucy hesitates by the door. "We should get going." I say, forcing my voice to stay steady as I gather the documents for the meeting.

She opens her mouth as if she wants to say something but closes it, nodding instead, and opens the door for me. I give her a small smile that says it's okay, even though it isn't.

***

The office goes quiet as I step into the boardroom. My gaze locks with Noah's across the room. On the outside, he looks fine but I know him more than that to actually believe that. His eyes keep wavering and his shoulders are tensed.

I shove every form of concern away. His problems have nothing to do with me anymore.

"Let's get started." I say, my voice authoritative and steady, as I take my seat at the head of the table.

Davis, one of the board members flips through a pile of documents, clearing his throat then starting, "As we all know, AppVanguard and Appura studios are leading in the tech industries, when it comes to apps we never disappoint—"

My attention drift back to Noah. His eyes are on me, unwavering this time. There's something different about the way he looks at me, right now. But I force myself to look away, not wanting to delve deeper into unwanted thoughts, and instead focus on Davis, who is still talking, his voice dull and face practically buried in the documents.

"This new company will be beneficial for both companies—"

"Are you kidding me?" Noah's voice cuts him off sharp and angry.

The whole room freezes.

"I—" Davis stammers, caught off guard.

"The benefits, the merging, our upcoming apps!" Noah snaps his voice rising, filled with frustration. "This meeting was supposed to be about all that! Instead, you're reading to us like we're in grade school!"

The whole room is filled with silence, not a sound. I'm completely speechless, I've never seen Noah have a sudden outburst before. My head swirls with a mixture of anger and confusion.

"Meeting adjourned." I say, my voice cold and Noah rakes a hand through my hair. No one dares to complain or ask for an explanation, they all rush out, leaving just him and I alone. I stand up, picking my things and stomping to the door.

Noah moves quickly grabbing my hand but I snap it away, turning to him. "What the hell was that?" I demand, a step away from exploding.

He stares at me for a moment, without saying anything before he sighs. "Fuck, Ray…" he trails off pressing a hand over his eyes, rubbing his temples. "He messed up; all I did was correct him."

I chuckle bitterly, shaking my head. "Correcting him? You weren't doing anything like that Noah! You just transferred your problem on him like a venting wall."

He sighs, and lowers his head. And for a second, my heart pulls wanting to reach out. He looks worn out. "Look," I continue my voice calmer now. "I get that you have problems, believe me, we all do. But that one speaks to my employees like their trash."

With that I turn on my heels, slamming the door behind me.

Back to my office I catch sight of Davis. I'll talk to him later, but now, I'm too out of place.

I shouldn't be worried about Noah. Not then, not now, not ever, but for some reason—I am. It takes everything in me not to rush back there and ask him what's wrong.

Pushing those thoughts aside, I step into my office and shut the door. That's when I notice the chair behind my desk is turned around, someone seated on it.

What on earth.

"Who are you?" I demand my voice filled with irritation. I don't have time for this.

Without turning around, the person starts giggling like a psychopath. But the worst part is, it sounds so familiar. My heart rate increases and I clench my fists taking a step closer.

"I asked a question." My voice is steady and I sound confident. Good.

The chair spins around slowly and my heart drops.

Sheila.