The Beast

T W E N T Y F O U R : J E A L O U S Y I S A D I S E A S E

Jessie went into work with a big smile on her face. It had been one year since she had left Patrick and everything that surrounded him. But today, getting into this building, feeling like she was doing something useful actually was like the beginning of her new life.

She just hoped she wasn't going to meet Theo today. She had gone home and realized just how stupid she was being. She couldn't let things continue affecting her. That was not how to live.

From now on, she promised herself that she was going to try as much as possible to live the life she knew she deserved. She was going to make friends and nothing was going to stop her.

After asking directions to the office of the Human Resources head, Jessie took in a deep breath and got into the elevator. She really hoped that she wasn't going to just burst into tears or something, considering how nervous she was.

That was it. The office. Jessie knocked timidly and got in when she heard a come in. The voice was soft and feminine and Jessie didn't know why, but even from behind the door, it soothed her.

She got in and saw one of the most beautiful people she had ever seen in her life. This woman's skin was brown and smooth. Her eyes were the most startling clear brown and her mouth looked expressive.

As soon as she saw Jessie, she burst into a huge smile. "Hi! You must be Jessica Rabbit!" she exclaimed and Jessie didn't even know how to explain it, but she felt instantly at ease with this woman.

"Hi. Yes that's me," Jessie said with a smile on her face, though hers was not as big.

"I'm Karina. Nice to meet you. Please sit down." Jessie obeyed dutifully and waited for the woman to start.

"First of all Jessie– I can call you Jessie right?" At Jessie's nod, Karina continued. "So Jessie, I'm glad you're punctual. So, I am going to show you to your office and show you what exactly you're going to be doing. Is that okay with you?"

Jessie nodded then said, "Yes Karina."

Karina smiled at that. Then stood up. "Okay let's go. I'll show you to your office and we can start the day!"

Jessie smiled and mimicked Karina's action, following the woman as they got out of her office. The whole time till they reached Jessie's floor, Karina was talking.

If you had asked Jessie half the things this woman was saying, honestly, Jessie wouldn't have told you. But she kind of liked the chatter. It was better than just staying in some kind of awkward silence.

"So here we are. You are going to notice that there are already emails on your computer. We've created a work email for you and the password and email is on that tablet. We hope you will find you place here."

Karina said all this with a warm smile and sounded so concerned that Jessie couldn't help but return the smile. The woman was honestly so sweet for doing all this.

"Thank you Karina," Jessie replied. She felt like hugging this woman but maybe it was too early for this. She didn't know how these things worked. So she stood there awkwardly.

"Okay, just– Theo!" Karina interrupted herself and Jessie's eyes got wide.

The man in question stopped. Then he walked towards Karina and gave her a hug. It lasted more than Jessie would have wanted so she looked away. Technically, she had no right to feeling jealous, especially since she was refusing to talk to Theo.

"Theo, meet Jess–" Karina started and it made Jessie turn to her. But Theo had already interrupted.

"No need for introductions Kar. Jessie and I... know each other," he said, looking straight at Jessie.