Chapter 31 Melissa's frustration
Melissa Pov
“Yes.”
The word hung between us, cold and final.
“Why?” I demanded.
He leaned back in his chair, his expression unreadable. “Because I said so.”
“That’s not an answer.”
“It’s the only one you’re getting.”
My hands curled into fists at my sides. I wanted to scream at him. I wanted to demand a real explanation. But something in his eyes told me I wouldn’t get one.
“Fine.” The word came out sharp, brittle. “If that’s how you want to play this.”
I turned and walked out, resisting the urge to slam the door behind me.
———
Day One.
I made it work.
I shoved my bag under the tiny desk and sat in the chair that barely fit between the wall and the door. The window…if you could call it that…let in a sliver of grey light that did nothing to make the space feel less suffocating.
My laptop took up most of the desk. I had nowhere to put my notebook. And nowhere to spread out documents. But I made it work.
Sarah from PR came by around ten to drop off my first assignment…it was a press release for an upcoming charity event. She took one look at my “office” and her mouth twitched.
“Cozy,” she said.
“Thank you, I like it here,” I replied, even though I didn’t know if that was true.
She lingered in the doorway for a moment, clearly wanting to say more, then thought better of it. “Let me know if you need anything.”
I spent the rest of the day hunched over my laptop, trying to focus on the press release while people walked past my open door. Some glanced in curiously. Others did double-takes, their eyebrows rising.
By noon, people had already started to talk.
“Is that the new media intern?”
“Why is she in the supply closet?”
“I heard she’s related to someone important…”
“Must have pissed off the wrong person.”
I pressed my lips together and kept working.
At five o’clock, I gathered my things and walked out with my head held high. I didn’t look at Gavin’s office. And I didn’t acknowledge the curious stares that followed me to the elevator.
I made it work.
Day Two.
I arrived early again, hoping to avoid the morning rush. But people were already there, clustered in groups, with coffee cups in hand.
They stopped talking when I walked past.
I kept my eyes forward. I walked into my closet and closed the door behind me.
The chair squeaked when I sat down. The sound echoed off the cramped walls.
I opened my laptop and stared at the screen.
Today’s assignment was social media content for the team’s upcoming game. I needed to coordinate with the photography department for images, but I couldn’t exactly invite anyone to my office for a meeting. There was barely room for me here.
I emailed them instead.
Around eleven, I needed to use the printer. It was down the hall, past the open floor where the rest of the media team worked. Where I should have been working if Gavin wasn’t such a preek.
I walked quickly, grabbed my documents, and turned to leave.
I heard the sound of laughter. It was low and muffled, but unmistakable.
I glanced over my shoulder. Two women at a nearby desk were looking in my direction, hands covering their mouths, shoulders shaking.
My jaw tightened.
I walked back to my closet.
By three o’clock, my left eye had started to twitch. A tiny, involuntary spasm that wouldn’t stop no matter how many times I pressed my fingers against it.
By five o’clock, the twitch had spread to my eyebrow.
I packed up my things and left without a word.
Day Three.
I woke up with the twitch still there. It showed my frustration level was at its peak.
The drive to work was silent. Gavin didn’t speak. I didn’t either.
I walked into my closet and sat down.
The walls felt closer today. I opened my laptop and got to work.
I tried to focus on the screen, but the words blurred together. The fluorescent light overhead buzzed, a high-pitched whine that drilled into my skull.
At ten, Marcus stopped by with a stack of files. He took one look at me and his smile faltered.
“You okay?”
“Fine.” The word came out clipped.
“You sure? You look a little…”
“I said I’m fine.”
He set the files on my desk…there was barely room for them…and backed away slowly. “Right. Okay. Let me know if you need anything.”
The door clicked shut behind him.
I stared at the files. Then at the walls. Then at the pathetic excuse for a window.
My eye twitched violently.
Something inside me snapped.
I grabbed my laptop, my notebook, my bag. I shoved everything under my arm and stormed across the hall.
I didn’t knock. I just pushed open Gavin’s door and walked in.
He was on the phone, leaning back in his chair, one hand pinching the bridge of his nose. His office was massive. Huge windows overlooking the arena. A leather couch in the corner. An entire conference table that sat six people.
He had all this space, and he’d shoved me in a closet.
“I’ll call you back,” he said into the phone, his eyes fixed on me. He hung up without waiting for a response. “What now?”
“I can’t work there anymore.”
“Excuse me?”
“That room.” I pointed behind me. “That closet you call an office. I can’t do it. I’ve tried for three days, and I physically cannot sit in there for another minute.”
His expression didn’t change. “That’s unfortunate."But I could see a smirk forming on the bastard's face.
“I’m not going back in there. You want me close to the executive floor? Fine. I’ll work here.”
His eyebrows rose. “Here.”
“Yes. Here. In your office.”
Something flickered in his eyes… something dark. ThatI couldn’t name.
The silence stretched between us.