bambi. h.s ✔️

nine.

"Are you sure you don't mind staying?"

"No, I said I would. It's all good." I reassured Michelle as she hovered, her eyes regarding me evenly before she nodded and grabbed her jacket.

"I owe you big time honestly Ivy, I swear I would usually stay but I promised I'd help my Mum out at home." Michelle fussed once more and I laughed.

"I said it was fine, go." I pushed her away from me making her smile before she picked up her bag and gave me one last smile and I was left alone in the office.

I glanced at the clock on the computer seeing it tick over to five forty two and I pursed my lips before glancing around the office, all of the computer screens black before I slumped in my chair and looked back at conference room one.

The door was shut but I could see the outlines of the figures sat around the table through the frosted glass.

Niall and Mr Styles had been in out of it all day with a bunch of people from accounts and HR and now I think it was just Mr Styles and a couple of people in accounts, I was sure I'd seen Chelsea leave and go home around quarter past five.

Michelle had explained when we'd realised that the last meeting of the day, which had started at around three this afternoon had been extended in the Bisner app we used for the conference room bookings out past the end of the day; that when this happened, which wasn't very often, she usually stayed until the last person left.

But, because it didn't happen very often and we were usually out of here five o'clock on the dot she had plans tonight and that was why I was alone in the office spinning around in my chair to keep me entertained instead.

But I got it, I mean it would be weird if we all just went home and left someone in the office.

I knocked out some of the emails that came in so there hopefully wouldn't be so many in the morning before I got distracted by the internet and I clicked through articles on the BBC.

It was times like this and when I was on public transport that I wished I had a book to read and kill time with but I wasn't a big reader and honestly I didn't think I ever would be.

I definitely had gone through that phase when I was like eight but now things I had to think about too much struggled to hold my attention.

Maybe I should get that checked out.

I decided to wash up my mug and I snatched up Michelle's as I realised she'd left it alongside her computer too and headed out into our little kitchen and tried not to get too freaked out that the office was silent and dim.

I let my eyes drift over some of the things stuck to the fridge as I washed the mugs and rinsed down the draining board as I left them to dry overnight, me and her were usually the first ones in anyway.

I headed back out to the office just in time to see the conference room door open and the majority of people trailed out including Susan who reminded me of my Aunt a lot, a smile being thrown my way she left the papers she was holding on her desk and grabbed her bag and bid me a goodbye, everyone else following.

"What are you still doing here?"

I jumped as a voice met my ears and I looked away from the computer screen to see Mr Styles standing in the doorway to conference room one looking at me in shock.

"Oh, I don't leave until everyone's left." I said awkwardly, somewhat embarrassed that I'd been so sucked into a Daily Mail article that I hadn't heard him come out.

Mr Styles nodded slowly before he headed towards his office and I assumed I'd be here a little while longer.

"I won't be a moment."