The New Assistant

Chapter two

Photo: Ryan Thomson
//////////
Ryan was deep in thought, staring out at the cityscape when he heard the door to his office open. He turned to see Mia standing in the doorway, a steaming cup of coffee in her hand.

"Here you are, Mr. Thompson," she said, walking over to his desk and placing the cup in front of him.
But as she set the cup down, her hand slipped and the hot liquid spilled out, splashing onto Ryan's shirt and lap.

"Damn it!" Ryan cursed, jumping up from his chair and grabbing a nearby napkin to blot at the coffee stains.

"I'm so sorry, Mr. Thompson," Mia said, her eyes wide with fear and embarrassment. "I don't know how that happened."

Ryan glared at her, his anger boiling over. "You idiot! Can't you even do something as simple as bring me a cup of coffee without messing it up?" he yelled, throwing the damp napkin to the floor.

Mia's face flushed red with shame and anger. "I said I was sorry, Mr. Thompson," she said, her voice trembling. "It was an accident, I didn't mean to spill it on you."

Ryan sighed, his anger dissipating. He could see the genuine remorse on Mia's face, and he knew that she was telling the truth. "Fine, it's alright," he said, more calmly. "Just be more careful next time."
Mia nodded, trying to compose herself. "I will, Mr. Thompson," she said, before turning to leave the room.

As she walked out, Ryan couldn't help but feel a twinge of guilt for his harsh words. He knew that he had a tendency to be short-tempered and demanding, but he hadn't meant to hurt Mia's feelings.
———————————————————————————
As Ryan walked to the bathroom to clean up his coffee-stained shirt, he couldn't help but overhear Mia's quiet sobs coming from the women's bathroom. Guilt washed over him as he remembered how harshly he had spoken to her earlier. He knew that he had been out of line, but his pride wouldn't let him apologize.

Instead, he gritted his teeth and continued on to the men's bathroom. He grabbed a wet paper towel and began to dab at the coffee stains on his shirt, trying to ignore the sounds of Mia's crying.

But try as he might, he couldn't block out the guilt that was gnawing at him. He knew that he had been unfair to Mia, and he couldn't shake the feeling that he needed to make things right.

With a heavy sigh, he tossed the coffee-stained paper towel into the trash and made his way back to his office. Mia was sitting at her desk, her eyes red from crying. She looked up at him as he entered the room, her expression guarded.

"Mia, I'm sorry for how I acted earlier," Ryan said, his voice gruff. "I was out of line and I shouldn't have spoken to you like that."

Mia didn't say anything, but Ryan could see the hurt and anger still simmering in her eyes. "It's fine, Mr. Thompson," she said, her tone cold and distant. "I'll be more careful next time."

Ryan sighed, knowing that his apology had fallen flat. He resolved to try and make it up to Mia in the coming days, even if it meant swallowing his pride and admitting that he was wrong.