Kaitlyn blinked in surprise, taken aback by his abrupt dismissal. She hesitated, not being able to shake the feeling that she had done something wrong and was now being dismissed or scolded. His stare still looked frightening, for every other employee, they would think they were fired. "But..."
"Email me the work, and I'll get someone else to print it out." Lennox said, dismissing her with a wave of his hand.
Kaitlyn packed her things, not being able to shake the feeling that she had done something wrong and was being punished. She sighed just as she put on her jacket, her bag, and her laptop in one hand as she let herself out of her office.
"Errand?" Taylor asked just as she approached the front desk.
"No, he told me to go home." Kaitlyn shrugged, even though the words felt weird to say.
Taylor's face contorted in confusion and shock, which she quickly tried to mask but Kaitlyn had noticed it right on time.
"He might be calling it early too. See you on Monday." Taylor said with a warm smile, yet her soft blue eyes held an apology
behind them. Kaitlyn smiled back, an unknown wave of panic hitting her.
Kaitlyn drove straight to her best friend's workplace. The familiar cozy cafe gave her some comfort just as she walked inside, standing out in her corporate work clothes. She walked to the counter, waiting for Gregory to attend to her.
"What happened." Gregory said as he finally made his way to her, he could notice her mopping face no matter how she tried to hide it.
"I might be getting fired." She said as she shrugged off her jacket.
"What?" Gregory asked, alarmed. "Wait why are you here at 3 anyway?" Gregory questioned further.
"He asked me to leave early." Kaitlyn pointed out. Her entire drive here was her trying to convince herself that it was normal he had sent her home in the middle of the day, the logical side of her brain kept reminding her that she had been doing an impeccable job.
Yet the interaction with Taylor played in her head severally and not even the most logical parts of her brain could not interpret the look in Taylor's eyes, the pity.
"What did you do?" Gregory asked.
Kaitlyn shot him a glare as she could never do anything wrong to sabotage her job.
"What if he's just tired of looking at you?" Gregory pointed out, making Kaitlyn's mind swarm with more reason why she could abruptly get fired like that.
She exhaled loudly, feeling exhausted by whatever it was. "Cinnamon latte?" She asked pouting Gregory who chuckled before leaving her to prepare her beverage.
Kaitlyn brought out her laptop, ready to mail the work over to Lennox. Just before clicking to send her phone dinged, signifying she had a text.
"Hey, it's Einar." She felt disappointed to learn who it was, she sighed and scolded herself internally before typing a reply.
"The great Armenian food guy?" She sent.
"Yes the white boy with the most impeccable food choice."
"Hope you don't mind, Got your number from Taylor."
"That's okay." She typed before putting her phone away so she could get the email sent. Her job was already on the line, she didn't need to add even more reasons for Lennox to give her a sack letter.
"Here you go sweetheart." Gregory said as he placed her cup of latte in front of her, she gave him a tight-lipped smile and then looked back at her computer.
"For someone who might be getting fired, you're doing a lot of work." She heard Gregory say. Her friend was leaning on the counter and taking her mug to his lips before taking a sip, his
typical habit.
"Just need to send this last email." Kaitlyn said before clicking send. She sighed and exhaled loudly, then shut off her laptop and put it away.
"We should go out for drinks night." Gregory suggested handing her the mug, she took a sip, deliberating if that was a good idea.
It's been a while since she went out for drinks with Gregory, she had been too preoccupied and down from trying to find a job and now she had her brain still weighed her options as she put down her mug, Gregory watched her patiently.
"Kyra could come." He suggested, taking up her drink again, and taking a short sip. Kaitlyn rolled her eyes at his suggestion, and Gregory chuckled.
Yes, Kaitlyn and her flatmate weren't enemies, and neither was she repulsed by her fake tanned roommate. She just didn't enjoy her company, which was a conclusion she came to after various attempts to try and enjoy her company.
"Well I'm bringing someone." Gregory shrugged.
"Like a date?" Kaitlyn enquired.
Gregory wasn't one to introduce her to anyone, he always said if it were serious he would introduce her.
"No, not a date." Gregory objected, trying to hide his expression and looking anywhere but at his friend.
"We've been seeing each other for a while now, been out for drinks a couple of times. So this isn't a date." He defended, Kaitlyn beat back a loud chuckle, not wanting to spook her friend or discourage him from bringing his new 'Friend.'
"Oh." Kaitlyn said, taking a sip. Trying not to pry too much.
"You should bring someone, or I can bring someone for you?" Gregory offered.
"No, I'll invite a colleague or something"
"Okay, I should attend to other people." Gregory said before walking away.
Kaitlyn grabbed her phone, she had new messages. From Einar. "Hope you're well, you left work early?" His question reminded her to worry, worry that Lennox might be upset about something, or just tired of seeing her around his office and now wants her gone. Either of the two didn't sit well with Kaitlyn.
"I'm okay." She texted back, hoping her vague text could give him enough clues so he would drop the subject.
Kaitlyn spent almost 2 more hours at Gregory's cafe. She managed to obsess over her job within that time, bring her laptop out again to get back to some people and give a follow-up. She even sent Lennox some emails with documents to look through and some helpful information for his meetings next week.
He did not reply to any of them. Although he never did, reply to any of her emails in the first place. She had nothing else to do, nothing else to do but worry about.
Gregory came from time to time to scold her for pouting and looking overly miserable and chasing away 'paying customers.'
Einar had been texting her too, talking more about other restaurants and if she had plans for this weekend. Currently, she has left him on reading.
"Einar." Gregory said as he picked up her phone, looking at her with both his brows raised in question.
"IT department." She explained.
"Invite him for drinks." Gregory said with a smile shoving her phone in her face.
"I'm not even a month old at work, now you're telling me to invite him for drinks?"
"Who cares he seems nice, besides I'm not telling you to go to bed with him. Just some drinks and some dancing that's all," Gregory said with his most convincing smile.
Kaitlyn could tell he would be more comfortable if she had someone with her that night, so she nodded and shot Einar a text. Chances are he was already home by now.
"Sure, what time and where?" Her phone dinged with his message, causing Gregory to swipe it from her, and reply to her colleague instead.
"Go home. Wash off, you smell like you're 9 to 5." Gregory ordered as he placed her phone back in her hand.
Kaitlyn still couldn't shake the bad feeling that something was wrong between her and Lennox. She had scolded herself several times to get such thoughts out of her head.
Her scolding was useless, even now when she was completely dolled up and ready to head out for drinks, she still could not lose her frown.