"Fate fell short this time, your smile fades in the summer. Place your hand in mine I'll leave when I wanna."
My morning alarm went off like it does every morning. At exactly 6:45 A.M. blaring Blink 182's Feeling This. The sun was streaming through the blinds in my room into my eyes. I moved my hand around the nightstand next to my bed blindly looking for the phone the music was coming from when I heard a crash. "Fuck" I muttered remembering the glass of lemon water I was drinking the night before while marathoning "How I Met Your Mother". I finally found the phone, unplugged it from the charger and put the alarm on snooze. Groaning, I put the blankets back over my face to block the sun and drifted back to sleep for the next ten blissful minutes.
When I woke up I had completely forgotten about the broken glass. I swung my legs over the bed and stretched and put my right foot on the floor. Pain immediately seared through my big toe and I quickly brought it up to knee level to inspect. A nice large shard of glass stuck out on the bottom of my big toe. "Fuck" I muttered again. I took a deep breath and held it as I pulled the piece of glass from my foot. I exhaled and watched blood begin streaming down my toes one by one. I figured there was nothing I could do so I got out of bed and carefully jumped to avoid the broken pieces of glass spread over my floor. Running to the kitchen I grabbed the broom and dustpan then returned to my room to sweep up the diamonds scattered across my floor.
After the broken glass fiasco I continued my morning routine. Grabbing my bag of toiletries I went to the bathroom to shower. Of course the water was too hot when I had turned the switch from tap to shower head. I could already tell how my day was going to go. After my hair was washed I hopped out of the shower and checked my phone to see what the time was. 7:30 - I was going to be late for work. I threw my hair into a ponytail, put on my favourite black and white polka dot pencil skirt, white blouse and a pair of red stilletoes. Running to the bus stop I pulled out my phone again to check the time. 7:45 and I had to be at work by 8. I looked down the street to see if a bus was coming. Nothing, fucking fabulous.
I pulled my phone out to call a taxi when I was interrupted by an obnoxious red mustang convertible pulling up to the stop light. "I'm not the way you think I am! No-oo-oo-oo!" The guy in the passenger seat sang to me while throwing flyers up in the air. He was a cute ginger with a trucker hat and I had always had a thing for gingers. I immediately blushed as the flyers flew around me and onto the sidewalk. He turned the music down, "Hey pretty lady! Come see my band play tonight! I promise you won't regret it." He winked at me and flashed a smile as the light turned green. The mustang drove off and I stood frozen on the sidewalk and picked up one of the flyers just as the bus pulled up to the stop.
When I had finally arrived at work it was 8:20. My boss was going to be pissed. I'm a receptionist for a large insurance company in Chicago. Exciting, right? Nope, not at all. However it paid decent and gave me some wiggle room after paying my student loans and rent for the month. I walked over to my desk, put my grey leather over sized purse on the back of my chair and started up the computer. "Laila!" I was caught off guard by the surprisingly pleasant tone of Carol, my boss. I stood up from my desk, took a deep breath and walked into the office of the breathing dragon.
"Carol, I'm sorry I had one hell of a morning - one of those days, you know?" I apologized staring at my feet.
"Oh don't worry darling. Happens to the best of us." I looked up at Carol. She was an older woman probably late fifties with a short silver pixie cut. She peered over her glasses at me with a raised eyebrow and a sly smirk.
I immediately knew why she was so happy. "So I assume the date with Arnold went well?" I took a couple more steps into her office and sat on the leather seat opposite her.
"It was amazing! You have no idea! He's so charming and handsome and I haven't felt this way since I was a little girl." She giggled, which was extremely odd of her. I chalked it all up to finally getting laid and smiled at her, "Glad to see you happy Carol."
"Thanks Laila." She smiled and played with the brooch on the collar of her green blazer. "Now, down to business. We have to call Michael Sanders today to get confirmation of the..."
I tried to take mental notes of everything she was asking - I really did, but I couldn't get my mind off the ginger in the trucker hat from this morning. What was so captivating about him that I couldn't stop thinking about him? I replayed the scene in my head again and got butterflies in the pit of my stomach as soon as he mentally winked at me and flashed his perfect white teeth at me. If this is how he got the girls to go to his shows, he's certainly going to get far.
"Laila, are you even listening to me?" Carol snapped her fingers in my face.
"Yes, totally. Michael Sanders." I responded automatically knowing I even sounded dazed.
"Well, then get to it!" Her voice sharpened and there was the Carol I knew and loved.
"Yes Carol. Will do." I got up and turned on my heels to exit her office.
"Laila?"
I stopped dead in my tracks. "Yes Carol?" Spinning around to meet her cold green eyes.
"Nice shoes." She smiled and winked at me.
But for some reason I couldn't help but wish it was the cute boy from this morning.
