Shafted [ONC 2022]

Rendezvous

"Hey Kadin."

Kadin lifted his head from his work to meet the gray eyes and bright orange hair of his colleague, May. Her station was across from his and he often caught her staring at him like she had a question, but didn't know how to ask. She had a nervous energy about her, constantly fiddled with her hair and rubbed her palms against her distressed jeans. But he'd seen her work and holy hell, she was good.

"What's up?" he asked, swiveling his chair to face her. He tried to keep his voice bright when he spoke to her, because she reminded him too much of the skittish bunnies who'd hang out in his parents' backyard in spring.

"Uh." she rubbed her pen between her palms and looked away. "I hate to bother you, so if you don't want to, you don't have to help but... one of our environment designers is out so I've been helping that team a little, but I'm not very good with outdoor scenes so..."

"I'll take a look. Just send it to me."

She nodded. "Okay, thanks a lot. I'll send it over right now. It's supposed to be a shrine with a peaceful and calming vibe."

"Peaceful and calming, got it." He turned back to his work while she returned to her desk. 2:30. Half an hour until he had to meet with Rukiya. He was hoping she'd hang out for a little longer on Saturday, but she probably had other obligations.

But, he had to admit; he liked her company a lot. Her easy-going vibe was infectious, though he saw some cracks when she talked about her boyfriend cheating. That was a stupid thing to ask on his part—should've just minded his business.

Kadin opened the file from May and got to work on the environmental piece. The shrine was mostly done, only the lighting was off. Outdoor lighting was tricky, so it didn't surprise him that May was struggling. After he was done, he'd send it over to the environment design team for another pass.

Time slipped by him, as it always did when he immersed himself in work, and the next thing he knew, his phone was buzzing. A text from Rukiya came upon his screen. I'm downstairs.

On my way, he replied. He shut down his system and grabbed his bag from beside his desk. "I'm heading out, May. I sent the thing along to the environments team. Text me if anything else comes up."

"Oh, okay. Take care," she said with a smile.

Kadin breezed his way out of the office and headed for the stairs. The elevator he and Rukiya had been trapped in had an "Out of Order" sign slapped on it. Not that he'd ride that death trap, even if it was fixed. It was a long way to the bottom floor, but he didn't care.

Out in the lobby, he met Rukiya standing near the small assortment of chairs arranged around the TVs. She had on a pair of flowing pants with a black turtleneck and a coat draped over her arms—looking very much like she meant business. He raised his hand to get her attention when she looked his way.

"Hey," Rukiya greeted with a smile. "Ready to go?"

Kadin gestured towards the exit. "Lead the way." He followed Rukiya out into the damp, chilly weather. An overcast sky hung overhead, and the sidewalks were wet and lined with mucky slush. He secured his hat to his head to protect his hair from the wind. Beside him, Rukiya was hunched into her coat, her heels clicking against the sidewalk as she navigated the stream of foot traffic.

"It's right up there." Rukiya nodded at the squat, four-story building sitting on 1st and Bowton.

It was warm inside, and the lobby smelled of coffee. Turner, Braxon and Associates was emblazoned on the wall in wood lettering, and the plants lining the space underneath curled around the letters like a frame. The front desk partitioned the cozy seating area from the petite brunette receptionist tapping away at a keyboard.