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“I’m not hungry. Like, at all.”
“I understand, but we’re probably not going to sleep this weekend, so we may as well fuel ourselves, no?”
Emilia left then, leaving Mia to clean herself up. She looked at herself in the mirror, gave a small sob at her reflection and decided she was going to go full Bridget Jones. She changed from her day-date clothes into yoga pants and a t-shirt. Pulled out her woolly socks and wrapped herself in a bathrobe.
Let the wallowing begin, she thought to herself, before heading back towards the living room.
* * *
Mia had to gather all her strength to go into work on Monday morning. She’d spoken briefly on the phone to Jack the day before and asked him not to meet her at the elevators, and not to approach her if she got to the office before him. He hadn’t liked it, but he’d agreed anyway, and for that, Mia would be eternally grateful.
As it turned out, she needn’t have worried. Ruth from Human Resources was waiting for her in the lobby.
“Mia, hi,” she smiled kindly, and Mia found herself unable to speak. “I didn’t want to make a scene upstairs. Come with me?”
Wordlessly, Mia followed the older woman to the elevators, up to the sixth floor, where all of higher management sat. With a jolt, Mia realized she was going to walk through a sea of people before getting to Ruth’s office. Stepping out of the elevator, she was relieved when nearly everyone on the floor she passed pretended she didn’t exist.
“Have a seat.” Ruth gestured to one of the chairs at the round table in her office. Mia knew she’d acquired the round table shortly after starting there, because she believed it made people more comfortable than if they were sitting across the desk from her. “So, Rebecca Williams has reported, officially, at seven oh one this morning that you were seen embracing a colleague, Jack Sullivan, on Saturday. In violation of company policy. What do you say?”
“I say she didn’t waste much time being a tittle-tattle.” Mia couldn’t help it. She was furious at everyone and everything.
“So you don’t deny you’re in a relationship with Jack?”
“Not much point, is there? Firstly, Rebecca saw us with her own two eyes and since she’s been trying to get rid of me since I was promoted, if I deny any wrongdoing, she’ll just use that as motivation. Secondly, I want to be in a relationship with Jack.”
Ruth took off her glasses and folded her hands on the table. “Mia, off the record, if you deny it, and Jack denies it, it’s your word against hers. A note will be made for your personnel file and then… everything will be forgotten.”
Mia couldn’t help it. She actually scoffed. “It won’t be forgotten, Ruth. I appreciate you trying to do this, but I’m sick of sneaking around. I think the policy is extreme—I always have—and I’m almost relieved to have all this out in the open.”
“Well, we have another option. We don’t, for example, have to fire both of you. So maybe you can talk to Jack and you can decide between you who goes and who stays. If one of you quits, the one remaining won’t be breaking policy.”
“This is just all fucked, then, isn’t it?”
“Mia!” Ruth admonished, putting her glasses back on and looking down at the file. “So, I’ll give you until noon today for one of you to hand in your resignation. Okay?”
Mia moved down to the third floor in a daze. She stepped once more from the elevator, feeling all eyes on her as she made her way through the office. She wished everyone a good morning, just like she always did, but didn’t stop until she got to Jack’s desk.
“Can I have a word?”
“Of course.”
“In my office,” she said when he didn’t stand up from his chair.
“No, Mia. Enough closed doors. What can I do for you?”
“Are you serious right now?”
“Deadly serious. What did Ruth say about our relationship?”
Mia felt tears well up in her eyes as she realized what he was doing. He was declaring in front of everyone that he was hers.
“She said,” Mia had to take a deep breath. “That one of us could quit and then we don’t have to both be fired.”
“Okay. So where do I quit?”
“We should talk about this, privately, and we have until midday to decide. Don’t do anything rash.”
“Stop!” Rebecca’s voice rang through the offices. “This is not right! I saw what I saw and you both have to leave! You violated company policy!” Pointing at Mia, she stalked angrily towards her. “You! Not just him! Both of you!” Mia had never seen anyone ‘bluster’ before, and if she hadn’t been so numb, she would have found it hilarious. “You should both be fired for chasing thrills, instead of abiding by our strict no dating rule.”
