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THREE
~ Tristan ~
It takes only a second for me to be able to find and pull up Cora's work schedule. She just went on her lunch break thirty minutes ago, and she's due to come back in another five minutes.
I suck in a deep breath, trying to calm myself down.
Professionalism. The word alone is enough to send a few shivers through my body as I try to figure out how I should go about all of this. There really isn't a whole lot of guidelines when it comes to the situation that I find myself in.
I need to be polite, of course. But I want to get through all of this as quickly as possible. There's no need to embarrass her.
I frown at the thought. Cora has been professional, kind, and hard-working the entire time she has been an employee at the company. There has to be a way to go about this without telling her that anything is going on. I could just inform the board that I will handle the situation, but…
The thought that Cora gets caught up in a situation that she's not even aware of makes my stomach twist up. Even if nothing will come out of this email, it's the right thing to tell her, at least. Even if she can't do anything about it, it feels wrong to keep it from her.
My heart starts to speed up in my chest again. It's not the easiest thing to decide on, especially since I haven't really had an entire conversation with her, to my knowledge. She's kind and sweet but... I don't know much about her.
Before I can think myself in a worse state, I catch a flicker of movement in the corner of my eye. The double doors into my office are wide open, and Cora just walked into the lobby that leads to my office.
I can see the flicker of surprise in her body, the way that she hesitates halfway through her step and catches herself. Her eyes scan the scene, and I can feel her gaze fixate on me for a moment. My entire body prickles with its weight, and I can nearly feel her panic.
Just... be polite,I think to myself. There's nothing else I can think of that would help me through this situation.
"Cora, could I see you in my office for a moment?" I ask, trying to keep my voice as steady as possible. There's a flash of fear that ripples through her entire body as I see her tense up, take a deep breath, and then walk into my office.
I almost wince when I see the glint of fear in her eyes. There's no way around having this meeting, but she deserves to know. But... I don't enjoy the idea of telling her. I wish there were a way to go about this that didn't require her knowing.
But that's not fair to her. And I've already gotten this far.
"Have a seat." I wave my hand to the chair in front of my office desk. I move to sit down in my own chair. My entire body is tense, and my stomach twists up with anxiety.
I open my mouth to say something, any of the things that I had rehearsed saying in my mind, but nothing comes out. My entire body feels like it's on fire as my face flushes up. Cora's eyes are still glued to me, which isn't helping me either.
"Is... there something wrong?" she asks, her expression going from worried to concerned for me.
Just get this over with,I snarl at myself in my head and clear my throat.
"I wouldn't say that," I manage to get out. It seems to calm Cora down just a little bit, but there's still a distinct look of fear in her eyes. "Do you remember that urgent email, the one that you told me to take a look at earlier today?"
Cora doesn't even have to think about it before she nods. My mouth opens again, and I have to force myself to make the words come out.
"It's nothing that you have to worry about, but... it seems that the board has found something..." I choke up and stumble over my words for a second. My entire body is fighting back the waves of embarrassment that are rising up my throat and up into my face. "I'm sorry if this makes you uncomfortable, but they've found a website under your name?"
The second the words are out of my mouth, I know she understands precisely what I'm talking about. Cora's face goes two or three shades lighter as she stares at me, her wide eyes searching mine. I try not to squirm as the horror dawns on her, and everything about this situation clicks in place for her.
"Oh my god," she whispers. I can already hear the strain on her voice, and I find myself frozen for a second before I'm able to scramble to try and fix what I just did.
"It's all fine-"
Cora waves a hand, still looking like she just saw a ghost.
"No, I'm so sorry. It's an old website I started when I was still in college, and I needed the money. I'm so sorry. That wasn't meant to-," she starts, but her words are coming out rushed and stumbling over each other until they're barely understandable.
And I can't stand it. I can't stand seeing her like this. There's no reason this should be happening. If it weren't for the board sending me some stupid email about something that shouldn't even matter, this wouldn't have to happen.
My mind is occupied when I reach out my hand over the surface of my desk and take her hand. It happens in a heartbeat, and it doesn't sink in what I’ve done until I feel Cora's hand slip into mine and give it a quick squeeze.
Is this the first time we've touched?It's such a strange thought, but it's the first thought that pops into my head. I've known Cora for months now, and she's been working with me every single day, and this is the first time I've touched her.
