Make Me (Editing)

fifteen

Four days. It had been four days since I'd last seen Mr Gray, who had conveniently decided not to show up to work for the rest of the week after our interaction on Monday. No one had talked about his absence, nor had they discussed the relatively public confrontation between the boss and myself. I could only assume that people had made the connection between the two events in their heads, but it seemed as though the topics were unanimously regarded as taboo. It was now Friday, and although I was relieved that I hadn't had to deal with the CEO's sour attitude, the ever-growing pile of work on his desk was definitely starting to concern me.

Despite my poor opinion of most aspects of his personality, I had never considered Mr Gray the type to abandon ship. This was so unlike him; the man hadn't taken a day off in yonks. Even on the rare occasion when illness had kept him home, he had always logged on and been just as active as he would've been in the office. But not this time. He wasn't replying to anyone's emails. He wasn't picking up anyone's calls.

As a consequence, my phone had not stopped ringing since I sat down on Tuesday morning. As the CEO's assistant, all queries directed at him were transferred directly on to me. I was getting everything from meeting requests to product inquiries; even the odd call from some of his past flames to help keep me amused. I had no idea how anyone managed to keep this up for any length of time. I was completely exhausted.

Walking into Mr Baird's office on Friday afternoon, I was a yawning mess. The kind old man smiled warmly, gesturing for me to take a seat in the armchair across from his desk.

"Thank god it's Friday, hey?" He chuckled, noticing my fatigued demeanour. "What a week."

"You can say that again," I replied, sighing deeply.

I had recently discovered that Mr Baird was sort of like Mr Gray's under-study. He of course had his own stuff to do while the boss was around, but he also had the knowledge that was necessary to take over in a case such as this. For that reason, he'd become my closest asset over the last few days, and had definitely saved me from making some very detrimental decisions in Mr Gray's absence.

"After the week you've had," he noted, "I'm honestly surprised you're still here."

"You know what they say;" I laughed. "When the going gets tough, the tough get going."

"Truer words have never been said," his eyes twinkled as he spoke. "You certainly are a tough one, putting up with Mr Gray for as long as you have."

I smiled, grateful for his complement, but not really sure that 'tough' was the right descriptor for little old me.

"Why don't you head home a little early today," he suggested out of no where. "You've definitely earned your weekend."

"Oh no, Mr Baird," I tried to decline the offer. "I couldn't leave you to do all the work yourself. There's way too much for one person."

"Mr Gray doesn't deserve you," he chuckled, shaking his head jokingly. "Go home, Miss Carson. It's an order."

"Fine," I laughed, getting up from my seat and heading for the door. "If you absolutely insist."

"Have a great weekend," he smiled.

"You too."

---

"Have you got the tickets, Al?" Nikki asked as we waited for our train to show.

"Yep," I replied, opening up my wallet app to double check. "They're on my phone."

After spending the entirety of Saturday snuggled up in bed, I was desperately eager to get out and see the world on this gloriously sunny Sunday. Nate had been called in as a medic for a Major League Baseball game, and had managed to get me a few front-row tickets to the match. I'd never been to the baseball myself, but had been assured by most everyone I'd talked to that I could never be considered a true New Yorker until I had. Nikki and Conner were both die-hard fans themselves, and had jumped at the opportunity to introduce me to their wild obsession.