Naomi
"Vous marceau de talent sans valeur." Claude yells to one of the interns, who showed her a new design. The intern had a confused scrunched up face and Claude got even more mad.
Claude hates when people make faces at her. One wrong look at her and she will fire you on sight. You can tell Claude was mad because she was yelling at everybody in French. When you get Claude yelling in French, that's when you know it's bad.
"Sortir de mon visage!" Claude says while shooing the intern away. The intern took a hint and ran away, crying. I try to walk out before Claude can talk to me about her problems. As always.
I take baby steps toward the door. "NAOMI!" Claude yells, as she lays on her couch that's in her office. I roll my eyes and slowly turn around towards her. "Yes, Mrs. Claude?" I say while standing in front of her.
"Fetch me a drink." She says, shooing at me. I roll my eyes as I walk over to her personal mini bar, pouring her a drink in her glass cup. I grab the drink and hand it to Claude, as she snatches the drink from my hand. I begin to walk away but she yells my name once again. I grab a chair and sit in front of Claude.
"I never wanted to own a fashion business. My family was always strict about me investing in my fathers. They told me if I never took over the business, they were going to disown me." She says, while drinking her whiskey and crying all in one. She would always make me listen to her problems like I was her therapist.
"I wanted to become a model, you know." She says as she sets her drink down on the mini office table and gets up and begins to catwalk. "When I was young, guys would fall on their feet looking at me. They would worship me." She says as she flops back in her couch, picking her drink up. I just sit there, in silence, with a stale face.
She looks at me and I look back at her, she then gives me a get out face. I get up and finally walk out the door. "Why were you in there for so long?" Justine asks me as she comes up to me.
Justine was the assistant of Claude.
She's been working here for the same amount of time as me. She's the only person in this office, I'm friends with and like. We've hung out before and ever since then we've clicked. She's met the girls before and they act like as if they've known her for a lifetime.
"You know how Claude is. She is always venting about her life regrets." I say, while rolling my eyes.
"Girl, why you talking in yo white people voice? Its just us." She says as she closes my office door.
"You don't know who's listening." I say, looking side to side.
"Girl, you stupid." She says as we both continue laughing.
She sits down on the chair. "Girl, don't you got a job to attend to?" I ask, grabbing one of my sketches. "I'm on break." She says as she kisses her teeth and takes out her earpiece. "Claude is going to fire you one day." I say, getting back to work. "She'll be doing me a favor." She says, as she laughs.
"So, what you doing after work?" She asks, looking at me. "Noth-" I try to say before I get cut off by a unknown number calling my phone. Justine looks at me with a confused look and I throw her one back. I pick up the phone and answer it.
Hello.
Is this Naomi?
This is she.
Oh ok. Its Luke, Ryan told me to call you.
Oh, for what reason?
For you to come by my house, so we can discuss the outifit.
I had completely forgot about that. When me and Ryan got off the phone, it flew to the back of my mind.
Hello
Oh, sorry. Um, yeah. When do you want me to stop by?
What are you doing right now?
I'm currently at work.
Well, if you can, you can come over after your done.
Ok, sounds like a plan.
Yup. Well, bye.
Bye.
I hung up the phone and placed it back on my desk.
"Who was that? He sounded fine as hell." Justine asks getting up from her seat.
"He's nobody." I say, getting back to work.
"Whats his name?" She asks.
"A name." I say, while my face is in the files of designs for next months release.
"He definitely is 'somebody' if you don't want to give up his name." She says.
"Luke." I say, with a stale tone in my voice.
"What he look like?" She says poking me.
"Chocolate skin, nice pearly white teeth, average height for a guy." I say.
"Ooo, you describing my dream man." She says, while biting her bottom lip.
"He's taken." I say
"And how do you know that?" She asks crossing her arm.
"Because he's dating Ryan."I say.
"Wait what?" She says with a shocked look.
"Yup." I say, stale.
Justine looks at me with a face. "Wait, are you...jealous?" Justine asks with a high pitched voice and lowkey yelling. "Can you shut up?" I say putting my finger over my mouth, and shushing her. "So you are jealous?" She says even louder this time.
"Ryan is my bestfriend. Why would I ever be jealous of her?" I say.
Truth is, I am jealous of Ryan. I've always been, since highschool. She's always been the attractive friend. Guys would constantly ignore me, but talk to her. Guys would even ask me to hook them up with Ryan. Honestly, I feel like a shitty bestfriend for being jealous of her. It's not her fault guys don't find me attractive that much.
That is why I could never leave Daniel alone. He was the only guy out of my entire lifetime that actaully saw me. Loved me for me, and praised me for my beauty, aside from the cheating and toxicity. All the other guys wanted me for my body and never genuinely wanted me.
Maybe that is why I was always jealous of Ryan and the guys she dated. She could find a guy to love her.
I snap out of my thoughts and look at Justine, who is waving her hand in my face.
"You ok? You zoned out for a minute there." Justine says with a concerned face.
"Yeah I'm fine. I was just thinking about something." I say.
"Mmm." She hums as she throws me a look.
"But what was he calling you for?" She asks.
"After work, I'm going to his house to talk to him about this piece I'm creating for him. For some event or something." I say.
"And why are not excited?" She says with a confused face.
"Ummm, why I need to be excited for?" I ask, confused.
"You going to this fine ass guys apartment. And you ain't excited?" She says.
"Number one, this 'fine ass guy' you talkin' bout is
Ryan's boyfriend. This is nothing, but strictly business." I say. "And-" Justine try to say, before I cut her off. "And nothing, but business." I say, with emphasis on the B.
"Ok, girl, whatever you say. Well imma go back to work before Claude catch my ass." She says putting her earpiece back in as she gives me a hug. "JUSTINE!" We hear across the building. We both pull away from the hug and give each other a shocked look. "Bye, girl." She says, as she zooms out of my office.