Hey, not me!

Chapter Thirty: AA.

I had never been hangover on a Monday, maybe because I was never inebriated, but still. The week after my distant cousin's wedding, I showed up at work feeling like a weight was hanging off my head. I wished I hadn't stayed up late on a conference call with Sheila and Gina. The girls had had so much stories to tell and somehow I had let them tag me into their midnight tales. My throbbing headache was my price to pay.

I had almost completely forgotten the state of affairs at work until I walked into the lobby. Reality hit me like a tonne of bricks which quickly sobered me up. It seemed like I was still the topic of the office gossip and nobody was feeling kind enough not to stare. For a moment, I considered going back home and calling in sick. However, I quickly let go of the idea knowing that I would be bored to death at home. I braced myself and put on my bravest smile.

I walked out of the lift and onto my office floor. I was surprised when a few of the early birds gave me smiles and greeted me warmly. I knew that I had earned their trust at some point but the pleasantries were an unexpected bonus. I found my mood brightening up even as I smiled back. I guess not every part of the company was rigged to explode in my face. I had my own little niche to escape to after all.

I easily settled into my office and prepared myself for a productive week. The days seemed to fly past and before I knew it, it was already Thursday. I was proofing through some work documents to ensure that things were in order for the week. My department had doubled its productivity over the past months and I felt like a proud mama. This month's paycheck was bound to be extra fat with how hard we had been working. I could just imagine the excitement going around in the office. I was interrupted by my work phone going off.

"Aisha speaking, how may I help you?" I spoke into the receiver in a cheerful voice.

"You sound excited to hear from me," the smug voice on the other end teased.

"Oh, it is you." I said as my good mood slipped away. "How may I help you?"

"Could you come up to my office? I need to discuss something important with you," Jacob stated.

"Okay," I agreed even as my mood soured all the more.

The two minute journey to the CEO's office was the longest of my life. I really did not want to see him after our last encounter but it was not like I was in a position to decline. I felt like a petulant child who had been summoned to the principal's office. I gritted my teeth together and rushed past his assistant who gave me a slight smile. I was instantly accosted by Jacob's bright smile as I entered his office.

"Aisha, just the person I wanted to see. Please sit." I took the seat opposite him without a word. I didn't feel particularly cheerful to see him and wasn't about to lie about it. "I am going on a business trip to Kisumu this weekend and was wondering if you would accompany me." He explained. My brow furrowed further even as I wondered how he was still unaware of my disinterest.

"Is this a request or an order?" I questioned uncomfortably.

"A request of course. You don't have to come if you don't want to but I don't see why you wouldn't want to. We're friends after all and it would be a nice excuse to hang out," he said in a cheery voice.

"About that, I really would prefer if we kept out relationship strictly professional. So, I will have to decline your offer." I clarified.

"Just like that? What is it really about, Aisha? Did I do something?" Worry creeped into his voice as he finally noticed my lack of enthusiasm.

"Yes and no. I did not like it when you called me a prude. But this is more than that, I just don't want people to get the wrong idea about me. And people talk," I explained.

"So what? People talk all the time," he replied dismissively.

"Is that all that you got from my statement?" I asked.

"Oh, yeah you also mentioned that you didn't like being called a prude." He said with a light chuckle.

"Yes, I did. So aren't you going to apologize?" I prompted.

"Why? I didn't do anything wrong. And you are a prude even if you don't like being called one. Look, I don't know if you are aware but friends tell each other the hard truths. And I wouldn't be a very good friend if I wasn't honest with you," he responded condescendingly.

"Yeah you are right. Friends should be truthful with each other," I replied mildly. His smile reappeared at my statement. "Which is why you and I can't be friends anymore because I do not think you would like to know what I really think about you. I would appreciate it if you kept your distance and do not contact me unless it is work related. I would like to take my leave now."

"Are you being serious?" He asked in a dangerously low voice. His jaw ticked as he clenched his teeth together.

"Yes," I answered shortly.

"Fine, I shall no longer waste my goodwill on you. It was very unprofessional of me to begin with. You are excused," he said.

I quickly got to my feet and bolted. I released a sigh of relief as soon as I was out of the door and made a beeline for the lift. Jacob's assistant had a knowing little smile on her face and I knew she'd been eavesdropping again. I didn't care at this point. I was just glad to have slammed shut that door before it brought me any trouble. Being friends with a man like Jacob was bound to drag in some unwanted demons into my life.

Just then, my phone binged with an incoming text message. The ID showed it was from Gina and I couldn't help smiling. It read:

"Hi love, so I run into an old friend from college and she mentioned something I thought would interest you. There's a support group that meets every Friday at Westend Library for people who've never married and wouldn't want to. She said it's called AA which stands for Aro-Aces or something like that. She didn't get into much detail but I though you might want to check it out. I could take you.😊"