Annabelle's slumber was shattered by the piercing shriek of her alarm clock. She groggily reached out and slapped the snooze button, silencing the noise. As she opened her eyes, the bright morning light streaming through the window made her squint. She closed her eyes again, muttering to herself, "Just five more minutes..." The warmth of her bed was too inviting to resist, and she drifted back to sleep.
An hour later, Annabelle jolted awake, sitting up with a start. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes and reached for her phone to check the time. "Twenty-nine minutes past eight..." she mumbled, her voice husky from sleep. Her eyes still felt heavy, but as the fog of sleep began to clear, she realized the gravity of the situation. She checked the time again, this time with more urgency. "Twenty-nine minutes past eight... Oh gosh, I have a meeting with my supervisors by nine!"
Panic set in as Annabelle leapt out of bed and rushed to the bathroom. Fifteen minutes later, she emerged, her hair still damp from the quick shower, and dressed in a crisp white blouse and tailored trousers. She grabbed her handbag and dashed out the door, waving her hand frantically to hail a taxi from a distance.
In her haste, she failed to notice a tall, dark-haired man standing on the sidewalk, his piercing blue eyes fixed intently on his phone. Annabelle's hurried steps led her straight into him, and she apologized profusely. "Oh my goodness, I'm so sorry..."
The man looked up, startled, and their eyes met. He was ruggedly handsome, with chiseled features and a strong jawline. His dark hair was styled in a messy, piecey cut, and his blue eyes sparkled with a hint of amusement. A faint stubble lined his jaw, giving him a slightly rough-around-the-edges look. He smiled, his lips curving upward in a gentle smile.
"No worries, it's okay. Are you in a rush?" he asked, his deep voice soothing her frazzled nerves.
"Yes, I'm late for an important meeting," she said, her eyes still fixed on the taxi ahead of her.
"Oh, I see. Can I drop you off? My car is parked just a few walks ahead," he said.
"No, don't bother. I already stopped a taxi," Annabelle replied.
"No, no, don't waste your money. I'll drop you off. I insist," he said.
Annabelle didn't have the time to argue, so she agreed, and the two walked to his car. As they drove, Annabelle couldn't help but feel a sense of relief.
"Sorry for putting you through this stress," Annabelle said.
"No stress, no stress. By the way, I'm Jake," he said, his eyes fixed on the road as he drove.
"Oh, nice to meet you, Jake. I'm Annabelle," she replied.
"Wow, nice name," Jake said.
"Thanks," Annabelle replied.
They both engaged in a conversation, and Annabelle laughed a bit as Jake told her some jokes, just to ease her worries. She finally arrived at her destination and checked the time.
"I'm still a bit early," she said to herself. She then turned to Jake. "Thank you so much."
"You're welcome. Before you go, can I have your number?" he asked.
"My number? Erm, sure," Annabelle replied.
The two exchanged numbers, and Annabelle stepped out of his car, waving goodbye to him.
Meanwhile, in the journals office, the workload increased as they struggled to meet the deadline for a presentation due on Monday. Maximum effort was put in place, and everything was near completion. At intervals, Mirabel gave them a break to ease off stress, and after the break was over, it was back to work.
Vicky and Mirabel's date was in sight, and the two made no little arrangement for their upcoming date. There was no time to discuss those things. Vicky reached his home by 7:00 pm, feeling weak and strained. He went straight to his room and lay down on his bed. He took a deep breath and muttered to himself, "What a day..."
He sighed and then headed to the bathroom for a quick shower. He then went to his mother's room, saw she was fast asleep, and went back to his room. He picked up his phone and dialed Mirabel's number.
"Hey, what's up?" Mirabel asked.
"That's it," Vicky said.
"What do you mean?" Mirabel asked.
"I mean, you just said 'hey, what's up' and that's it. Nothing else," Vicky replied.
"Is there another mode of greeting? Because you're confusing me. What's wrong with 'hey'?" Mirabel asked.
"Wow, Mirabel..., Wow, I expected more from you," Vicky said.
"What do you mean, Vicky?" Mirabel asked, her voice tinged with amusement. "Is there another mode of greeting? Because you're confusing me. What's wrong with 'hey'?"
"Look, Vicky, today was stressful, please don't stress me further," Mirabel said.
"Oh, I am sorry, clearly it seems you were the only one that had a stressful day. Sorry for bothering you," Vicky replied, his voice laced with sarcasm.
"C'mon, Vicky, I didn't mean it that way... Fine, how was I supposed to greet you?" Mirabel asked.
"Never mind, it's fine," Vicky said.
"Hey, darling," Mirabel said, her voice softening. "Is this better?" she asked.
"Now you're talking," Vicky replied, a hint of a smile in his voice.
Mirabel laughed and said, "Okay, my love."
"Anyways, tomorrow's our date. We haven't made any plans," Vicky said.
"That's correct... Where are we even going?" Mirabel asked.
"You choose," Vicky said.
"No, you choose," Mirabel replied.
"Erm, I'm not so familiar with restaurants around here, so it would be better that you choose the place you want," Vicky said.
"Alright, then let's go to The Place. It's not so far from my house, so it's very convenient," Mirabel said.
"Can you imagine..." Vicky started to say, but Mirabel interrupted him.
"Vicky, I am just joking. It's a suggestion... I mean, it may be the place where we will, you know, have our first kiss," Mirabel said, her voice playful.
"If that's the case, I am in. I will pick you up after office hours tomorrow evening," Vicky said.
"Don't bother, Vicky. I will text you the address of the restaurant, and we'll meet each other there," Mirabel replied.
"What? Gentlemen let his date go all by herself? I insist," Vicky said.
"Alright, then. I'll text you my home address. For now, goodbye. See you at work tomorrow," Mirabel said.
"Alright, goodbye," Vicky replied.
Vicky breathed in and muttered to himself, "I can't wait..."