Care to Command

43 Party's Over

I cuddle Federico that night and wait for my phone to ring. A text saying 'gotcha!' or 'oops, sorry for overreacting,' maybe a thumbs up emoji. But the notifications never come.

Next morning at work, I catch Lucas striding out of Grant's office with his shoulders tense and eyes impatient. He heads straight to the break room, where I timidly follow.

"Good morning." I stand next to him as he takes a bottle of painkillers from the cabinet.

"Morning."

He goes towards the fridge, but I beat him to it and hand him a bottle of water.

He mutters 'thanks' and chugs it, squeezing the plastic. He lowers the bottle with a harsh exhale, looking at nothing on the floor.

"I'm sorry." He says, meeting my eyes. "I didn't mean to snap last night."

"It's okay, I'm not mad." I shake my head. "Do you want to go for a walk later, maybe get some ice cream?"

"I'll be busy."

I hesitate. "All day?"

"All week."

"With... what?" I frown, but he's already moving. Opening the cabinet to put the medicine back, finishing the rest of the water.

"Work. What else." He shrugs, then raises his eyebrows at me. "Let's go next week."

"Okay... " I say to the empty room as he leaves.

~

I don't bother him for the rest of the day, since he's so 'busy.' But I snoop around in other conversations and rummage through my emails to check if there's an emergency client coming that I might not be aware of.

The Board of Directors are here next week to announce the VP, maybe it has to do with that? Why wasn't I asked to help? Is there a reason all the pressure is on Lucas?

When I see Grant around lunchtime, heating up pasta in the microwave, I approach.

"Hey Grant, do you need help with anything?"

"Uh... no, these machines are pretty simple to operate." His lips curve up with a wary smile.

I chuckle. "I meant with work... Lucas said he's got a lot to do. I was thinking maybe I can take some of the pressure, since I'm not that busy."

He clears his throat, now focusing on the 'simple' machine. "Oh, that. Uh, Lucas asked for more. I didn't just give it to him."

"He's intentionally burning himself out?" Isn't Grant worried?

The aroma of tomatoes and garlic seep into the room as the pasta heats in the microwave.

"Basically..." Grant mutters. "But hey, we got that happy hour this Friday and I won't be here. You can look after the team to make sure everyone behaves."

"Sure... " A small part of me is excited to be trusted, but it's hard to care at the moment.

The microwave beeps. Grant takes out the steamy bowl and sighs. "What a waste, huh?"

"What is?" I inspect the food to see if it's burnt.

"The recipe... " He twirls a fork in it and hands it to me. "It's truly one of a kind."

I'm surprised at the casual gesture, but out of interest, blow on the steam and eat. My eyes pop at the rich bursts of flavor.

"Incredible, isn't it?" He smiles. "And it's not even the original one."

"What's the original one?" I ask, chewing.

"Only Lucas knows, he's the one who created it. His sister just learned it by taste, but it's missing something."