Emily paid her no mind but buried herself in her work. She had already missed so much in the morning and needed to hurry up and complete it.
Emily never took notice of the situation in the office as the hours slipped away unnoticed until the office began to empty for lunch.
The sound of chairs scraping and footsteps fading reminded her of how drained she felt.
With a long frustrated sigh, she slumped back in her chair, drained and exhausted from her chaotic morning.
Her stomach growled in protest, a sharp reminder that she hadn't eaten breakfast. She rubbed her forehead, the dull ache there only deepening.
The thought of going out into the noisy cafeteria or nearby restaurants felt unbearable. What she wanted most was a moment of calm and silence, if only for a little while.
Looking at the file sprawled out across her, "The day had already been chaotic enough." She mused.
The door creaked open. Melissa's head popped in, her familiar warm smile lighting up the room. "Emily, let's go for lunch," she called.
Emily shook her head. Melissa had been her good friend, but since she was transferred to another department they rarely got together except in arranged meetings, which were hard to come by due to her busy schedule.
"You go on, I have got something to do," she replied.
Melissa gave her a one-sided eye, unconvinced. "Are you sure?" she asked.
Emily nodded frantically to convince her, desperate to avoid more questions.
At the moment, she wanted nothing more than to rest her throbbing head on the desk and shut the world out.
catch her breath.
"Just be sure you are telling the truth." Melissa smirked before she sauntered off with a promise to get her something for lunch.
A faint smile touched Emily's lips. "I'd appreciate that," she answered, and Melissa shut the door behind her.
With the office finally silent, she sighed with relief. Maybe this was the moment she needed.
A time to herself, a time away from noisy and scheming colleagues, away from the burdensome parents, away from her chaotic life.
She leaned back on her chair, closing her eyes, but in a brief moment, she flickered them open.
A soft smile tugged her lips as she picked up her phone, her fingers automatically navigating to her social media app.
She was scrolling through her messages when her hand paused, hovering shortly at a familiar chat…one that had become her quiet escape over the past few months.
"Luci."
That was the only name she knew him by. His icon never showed his face but rather a flower, which happened to be her favourite: "Rose."
They had never met, never spoken beyond texts, but somehow, she had confided in him more than with anyone else while he gave her a listening ear.
And with so many cities apart and thousands of miles away, she was sure their paths would never cross, so it was easier to say he had become her dumping bag.
He was always there: offering advice, listening to her rants, throwing in the occasional sarcastic remark that made her forget her troubles for a while.
She couldn't help but wonder how his voice would sound when he spoke. She made a decision to request a voice note someday.
A bright smile crept up her face as she wondered what he might be doing at the moment. Her fingers hovered over the chat icon in contemplation. "It's lunchtime, will he be free?" she muttered.
With a decisive click, she tapped the chat box. "Hi, Off for lunch?" She stared at the screen, waiting as three dots appeared immediately, signaling he was typing. Emily sighed in relief.
"No, I will go soon. How was your day?" he replied.
Emily: "Day? So terrible that I nearly lost it."
Luci: "If the morning is terrible, should you be planning for a horrible afternoon now?"
Emily smiled at the response. That was him with humour. "But come to think of it, what would the afternoon be like?" she muttered to herself.
Luci: "Alright, care to share with me your morning? Maybe I'll send out the magical wand to fix everything for you."
Looking at the reply, Emily smiled brightly. "I really need that magical wand to take me away from my adoptive mom, you know. Maybe I would live longer away from her and my sister," she thought to herself.
She hesitated for a second, then sighed and started typing out the series of events she had encountered through the morning.
This was the one space where she could be honest, where she didn't have to pretend she was fine.
With the assurance of a path that would never cross, she didn't have to bother about any judgmental look or side-eye.
She leaned back in her chair, staring at the last message he sent:
Luci: "Don't you think skipping food is a dangerous idea? Exhaustion plus an empty stomach equals disaster.
Emily: "Not really. I'm just tired."
Luci: "You're still alive. Now, you get something to eat before you pass out at your desk and blame the company for over-labouring you."
Emily chuckled. She could already imagine the frantic steps that would course through the hallway of the company.
While many others would huddle together to whisper and murmur about whatever they thought was the reason.
Emily laughed at his wording. But then that was why she had kept him among her friends over the few months his skill in giving advice that didn't feel forced. It was effortless, comforting, even addictive.
"Maybe one of these days, I will request to see his picture. He is a friend worth knowing better," she thought to herself.
Emily chuckled, shaking her head. He was right, her stomach had been protesting for hours.
Melissa came in at the same time, handing her a box of lunch she had packed for her.
Emily was very grateful for the two friends, one was unknown and never met yet providing emotional comfort, the other food. It was not too bad for her; she was not alone.
By the time Emily was done chatting with Luci, her mood improved a lot.
Taking the lunch from Melissa, she thanked her profusely. She had really saved her stomach.
With her mood lifted, she hummed a beautiful tune as she returned to her work full of energy.