Last Place You Look

Chapter 4

I hadn't texted him back. It was late. I fell asleep that night telling myself that I would text him back in the morning. 

If I hadn't been late.

My alarm wasn't turned on and I woke up late, with 30 minutes to get ready and get there. I hated driving to work when I lived close enough to walk, but there just wasn't time. What a great start to my Monday.

I scrambled around the house, throwing on the easiest thing and thanking the universe for a laid back work environment when it came to dressing professionally. Every day was casual Friday and I loved it. I've never been one for dressing up. Jeans were more than enough for me.

I did, however, text him as I was walking into the building.

Me: Good morning. I thought I'd let you know that I smiled yesterday. Quite a lot, actually.

I hit send right as I walked through the door and put it on silent when I was greeted immediately by my boss. She was holding a stack of things for me to look through, articles to revise and edit, pictures to edit for headers. It's like she was waiting at the door for me just to give me a two day workload with a one day deadline. Today was going to be a long day.

I spent the entire day hunched over my desk, once again thanking the universe for a comfortable chair and proper lighting overhead. I'd managed to get half of the articles revised and edited by lunch and I was ready for a break.

Until she brought over more things for me to finish. She gave me more work and took my lunch hour with her as she walked away. So instead of thanking the universe, I cursed it for waking me up late.

The day went by quick. Kira was working with me today so I at least had someone to talk to while I worked. Her workload was just as big as mine. She spent most of our day talking, me listening. That's how it usually went. She talked a lot about our friends, Kimmy and Dustin. Apparently, Kimmy found a ring box in the closet. She and Dustin have been together since we were in college. That's where we all met. I'd met Dustin first at a party Kira had dragged me to and he introduced me to Kimmy. I introduced them to Kira and we became inseparable. At least until they graduated. They were in their third year when we were in our first.

I only half paid attention though. I wondered what Harry was doing. Was he at home? At the store? How many people had bought something today? Was he thinking about me too?

I think Kira saw that I wasn't paying attention, because she eventually stopped talking. I felt bad.

I had someone managed to get everything done by the end of my day, sending out the emails that needed to go out, getting edited images to their owners, and sending out the revisions I'd made. The walk to my car felt like a victory lap.

I hadn't checked my phone yet. I just wanted to be home and relax. Kira brought up taking a bath and it's all I've been thinking about since, so that was my plan for the night. I think I deserved something nice for my productivity today.

I took the short way home, not passing Harry's store. It was tempting, but I resisted.

It was almost 7pm when I got home, and walking into my apartment was like a breath of fresh air. I kicked off my shoes and the cold floor felt good against my feet. I dropped everything in my hands at the door, grabbing my phone out of my purse, and walked straight to the bathroom.

I turned on the tub faucet and waited until it turned the perfect temperature and plugged the drain. I let it fill up, adding in a nice lavender scent to help me unwind after my long day, and just waited for it to fill. I lit a few candles and turned off the lights.

It only took a few minutes for the tub to fill and for the lavender scent to fill up the room. I took off my clothes and slid into the tub, letting the hot water bite at my skin. My friends thought I was crazy because I shower in boiling hot water, but it relaxed me. It felt like I was rinsing away all the negative vibes I'd picked up throughout the day.