The Assistant (Matt Sturniolo)

8

Ding!

One new email. Who'd have guessed

From: Matt.Sturniolo
To: Y/N.Y/L/N

Morning,

I took care of some of the emails from your list from before. I did the schedule for this week already, but you need to get into a habit of having them done ahead of time. No excuses.

Here's a new list for today and expect the big weekly list soon. I have a meeting this morning and then I'm in court for the rest of the day. You know where to find the schedule.

I'll see you tomorrow.

- running out of doctor pepper. You can get a combo pack at Target

-we need to do a tour of my place sometime, which will allow you to do more for me.

-out of shampoo, here's a link to the brand I use. Get conditioner while you're at it.

-make a reservation for lunch for me and a friend next week Wednesday. Don't mess it up.

-look up my high school reunion for the end of the month. Check my schedule for October 26th

-I need a card for a co worker who had her baby. Drop it by and I'll sign it.

The rest of my day switched between reading emails and working on the list, as Mr Sturniolo avoided me as he walked by my desk like I didn't exist.

Two can play this game.

It was like this for the next few days, we both acted like the other didn't exist. We communicated through email. He was cranky when he spoke and always sent me things to get done. Not even a 'thank you' was given when the things were done. I learned that he couldn't be bothered for much.

~

I'd barely seen him today because he was in court, but that didn't stop him from ruining my day. We had a moment the other day, or he did and it was gone and forgotten now. When I dropped off his mail after court, he didn't even look at me. Being ignored still stung sometimes.

The phone had been ringing, only giving a stronger name to the crazy day. I didn't know why Peter was giving me a dirty look whenever I saw him, but I stopped caring about him a long time ago. I wish I could say the same for Matt.

"Hey, do you still have that file for my case? I want another look at it" he asked, stopping in front of my desk.

"Yeah" I looked away from my typing to my cluttered desk.

"You should clean this. It'll help you be more organised"

"I know" I said, handing the folder to him. Watching him take it, my eyes ran across my bare left hand. A chill ran down my spine. No, no, no. Where is it? This can't be happening.

"Thanks" he mumbled, but his voice was just a whisper in my mind. My mind was full of endless possibilities of where my ring went. "Everything okay?"

"What?" I refused to look at him as I looked around my desk. I opened up the drawer, but it wasn't there.

"Y/N, what is it?" He grabbed my attention by using my name. When I looked at him, his eyes were full of worry.

"My ring. I can't find it" I explain, searching the drawer again. Next I searched my purse and the dish of paper clips.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I know you love that ring. But it's just a ring, I'm sure you can get another one" he insisted and I shook my head. "Y/N, honey-"

"No, you don't get it, Matt. I can't replace it-"