Whispers of Willow

Chapter 3

"Ugh!" Willow uttered as they exited the empty parking lot. "Do you believe that woman? But at the very least, I proved my point. She is a swindler, and this was a waste of our time."

Zack kicked a stone and lazily shoved his hands in his pockets.

"You're right. I shouldn't have dragged you here," he said, and a second later, he threw his arms in the air, "but I was so happy before she started talking about you! Everything she said, I believed. I mean, what was she even talking about? Your father needs magic? Magic!"

She laughed nervously.

"I'm not sure. But at the very least, this proves that I was right. This was all a lie to make you happy with deluded ideas and possibilities that would never happen in real life."

***

The next day, Willow sat in the bus seat on her way to work. It wasn't too crowded today. Just a few people who shared the same route and destination. She could hear the girl sitting behind her scrolling through reels on her phone; a man sitting in the other row speaking loudly on his phone, talking about the flight that he had missed. Willow plugged her earphones into her phone and played slow music. Surprisingly, this was the highlight of her day. It was a pause from her fast paced life—a break from assignments, deadlines, grocery shopping, laundry, and a dozen other tasks. This was the only part of her day that was free of obligations. Taking the same route, watching the green city of Syllton come to life, and occasionally chatting with fleeting passengers.

Fortunately, she got the window seat today and spent the entire ride looking through the window as she felt the warm breeze flowing through her hair. She noticed cars passing by; a teenage girl riding a bicycle; a cop questioning a cab driver on the side of the road. Willow jerked forward and grabbed the side handle to steady herself when the bus came to a stop at the traffic light. She noticed dozens of pigeons flying over the traffic, circling around, and landing on a nearby tree. A man, dressed in all black, riding a motorcycle, sped past the bus and all the other vehicles. Willow wondered if the face behind the helmet was a handsome one or not, but she would never know.

Willow's attention was diverted from the view outside when an elderly woman sat down beside her. She gave the woman a friendly smile and chatted with her for the rest of the ride.

The calm of her commute contrasted with her job as an intern at a weekly magazine. She went straight to her cubicle after politely greeting her coworkers, and she began working. The office occupied a section of the floor. It had pastel-colored walls and cubicles to give off a friendly vibe, and though it did look appealing from the outside, it was anything but that in reality.

During lunch, Willow sat with Zack in the break room at a corner table near the glass wall. The rest of the room was occupied by their co-workers, who were either using the coffee machine or the microwave. The loud chitchat was drowned out by Zack's voice.

"I've been on two dates with him, and I'm realizing that I'm not as into him as I thought I was," he said, taking a bite of his salad.

"Are you still convinced the fortune teller was a good idea?" Willow commented playfully.

"You're not going to let that go, are you?"

"No," she chuckled before holding the fork up in the air and explaining why dating is so difficult. "It's risky, and there's a lot of uncertainty."

His eyes widened, and he began speaking with a mouth still filled with spinach leaves.

"How do you go about finding a boyfriend, then?"

She looked out the window to see gray clouds sitting silently in the sky.

"I'd get to know him first," she stated, looking back at Zack, "before going out with him."

"But isn't getting to know each other the whole point of dating?"

"Yes, but the disadvantage is that it is associated with a romantic prospect. I'd rather get to know someone platonically first, without the pressure of an impending relationship, and then decide whether or not I like them romantically. It's simpler that way, rather than leading someone on."

"You're going to die alone."

Her smile disappeared.

"I know."

***

Willow resumed her work and was too preoccupied with her screen when she heard the dreadful clicking of heels.

"My office, now," her boss said.

She quickly stood up and followed her. On her way, she noticed Maxon exit the elevator and walk to the opposite side of the office. Even at a lower level, he was practically her boss because the company was owned by his father.

Willow quietly knocked on the boss' door before entering without waiting for confirmation, and she returned to her cubicle in seven minutes. She sighed and opened the Word document.

"What did she want?" Zack, who was sitting in the adjacent cubicle, inquired.

"She wants me to write an article about CC Drinks," Willow grumbled.

"Uh ha, and what's wrong with that?"

"CC Drinks is the worst!" She tried to whisper because she was afraid someone would hear her. "They are harmful to the environment and to your health. All of their products are loaded with sugar! And they generate a lot of plastic waste! I'm not sure why I have to write something praising them."

"That brand agreed to advertise with us. So go figure."

"Ugh! Zack, I understand that. But it doesn't make it any less annoying. All my morals and beliefs stand against this."

After hours of working on articles and captions and checking how her social media posts on the magazine page were doing, Willow turned off her computer and gazed through the window at the night sky. It was pouring outside. The sound of rain and cool weather made her want to curl up in a blanket with a good book and coffee in her hand. She turned back around to be greeted with an empty office. Everyone had left for a team dinner, and since she wasn't a permanent employee, she wasn't invited to these outings. Willow gathered her belongings and exited the building.

The guard was sleeping in his chair, and there were no signs of the rain stopping. She did not have an umbrella, so she stood on the pavement holding her backpack over her head to at least save her hair from getting wet and frizzy. She stepped out onto the sidewalk and felt the cold wind sending chills down her spine. A walk to the bus stop would surely get her sick the next morning. So she stopped and debated whether to go back into the office building to wait for the rain to stop or get soaked. While she waited for her mind to make a decision, she heard the roar of an engine, and soon a sleek black car stopped beside her. The window rolled down.

Maxon leaned over to her side from the driver's seat.

"Getin," he said.