Thread: I keep her under the floorboards | comments welcome

M A I R A A D A M S Maybe it was the medical cocktail and the alcohol that certainly shouldn't be mixed or maybe it was the realization that this night didn't wasn't the disaster she was expecting that made her feel so at ease. Orange, purple, and green lights lit the banquet hall as a spinning disco ball cast shimmering starburst around the room. Witches, zombies, werewolves and black cats decorated the walls and a large Happy Halloween from the WellBee Family, hung over the entrance to the hall. The work celebration was in full swing with bodies swaying on the makeshift dance floor in front of the DJ booth and many more were sitting around the tall black tables spread throughout the room, eating the food from the catered buffet. Colorful costumes littered the room, from cute, to tacky, to sexy, to clever and peculiar. WellBee employees were actually enjoying themselves and for the first time in a while, so was Maira. That's not to say that the temporary ginger wasn't feeling dread earlier in the evening. You see, Maira was six months post release and her psychiatrist felt it was time that she branched out a little, put herself out there and lean into the things that made her uncomfortable. Face your fears head on and all of that. Afterall, she was showing such great improvement according to Dr. Mattias. She managed to find a decent job nearly three months after her release. At 9 days shy of her 90-day employment mark, she was in a small, but affordable apartment and kept her ticks in check long enough to make it through the day with the inconvenient little drug medley that was prescribed to her. What the good doctor didn't know was that Maira never took the full dose, often found herself in the fetal position in the middle of her living room for hours on end during her good days and let her desire for order run rampant on her bad ones. She hated feeling like a shell of herself. Worse still, the medication didn't stop the intrusive, obsessive thoughts or feelings of inadequacy, they simply stopped her impulse to act on them along with her capacity to feel anything other than fine. Maira was still broken and she knew that, but still lied to the one person who had a fairly positive hand in keeping her from complete destruction and dug herself in a deeper hole trying to maintain the lie. Despite getting in her own way more often than not, she did want to get better and there really was no better place to experience discomfort than on the event planning committee with all the type A personalities there to meet her OCD head on? Her mix came in the form of orderliness, perfectionism and excessive devotion to duties to the point of forgetting all elseso to say she was in good company was an understatement. The concept of this soiree was certainly the brainchild of her HR director and her team help set it in motion over the past three weeks, but it was Maira who handled the timeline and logistics. Assigning her those tasks was an easy decision for the team who knew how meticulous she was in her role as the UX design trainer. It was an area she should've been doing more in, but she didn't trust herself or her condition enough to try for anything better. Instead, Maira took the small win that was this night and the enthusiastic approval from her colleagues that she didn't want to admit she so deeply craved. The craving went past her acquaintances, she'd been hoping to gain the approval of the one and only Luka Mitrovic ever since she joined the company. On the rare occasions she'd see him in the office, she always made a point to say hello and while he wasnice, Maira didn't think he'd be able to tell the difference between her or the security woman that sat at the entrance to the building. It was difficult to immediately understand the draw of Luka at first. Yes, she was addicted to WellBee and it was his labor of love, but as time went on she connected the dots. It was the way he spoke and moved through life. Luka was enigmatic. He challenged the world, and he did it with ease and a sense of calmness she'd never been able to convey. Men envied him and a number of women in the company desired him. He was everything she wasn't, everything she wanted. His single-minded focus was something Maira wanted directed at her, but was sure she'd never have. The petite woman had been fluttering around the event in her Mary Jane costume when Luka first entered the party. She paused to listen when he expressed gratitude at the large turnout for the event and the work everyone put in to put the company ahead for the quarter. Men and woman alike crowded around him, occupying his space and time. The urge to do the same, to put herself in his line of sight was strong, but self-consciousness kept creeping up on the 29 year old and prevented her from doing so as the night progressed. It was mostly the self conscious feeling she had being in this costume . While it was modest compared to some of the choices other women wore, the double takes from a number of men throughout the night let her know she was putting something on display that they weren't used to seeing. She didn't want Luka to think of her in a negative light. The night continued one without a hitch and so she sat down to watch the show. As the only person on the team without a family to go home to, Leslie requested that she make sure the banquet hall was empty and that there were no drunk stragglers that could cause any trouble for the company by 3AM. Maira didn't factor in being intoxicated herself, but she would make sure the task was done. was a little after 215am and they'd already cut the music and raised the lights. Most of the crowd was already gone, but there were a few who clearly needed a cab home and a prayer. She made her way around the banquet room and halls, helping people who needed it and ushering others to the exit. Once back in the banquet room, she was surprised to find a familiar vampire stumble into the men's restroom thinking he'd left with the first wave of people. A quick look around the room let her know that they were the last ones there. She swallowed the sudden lump in her throat and repeatedly smoothed out the invisible wrinkles of her clothes before walking toward the bathrooms. Luka likely could take care of himself, but Maira knew she would think about it all weekend if she didn't at least check to make sure he was fine. She leaned against the door and knocked two times. Lu-Mr.Mitrovic are you alright in there? She listened for a response but was greeted with silence. The space is closing so we need to head out. Ear pressed against the door, she still heard nothing. Maira gnawed at her bottom lip, quickly weighing her options, but already knowing what she would do. She smoothed out those non-existed wrinkles once more and made sure her hair was secure before pushing open the door to step inside. Luka acknowledged her presence in a slow turn, his eyes moving from her sneakers all the way up to her freckled face. She knew she wouldn't be able to stop the sudden burn underneath her cheeks from showing, but she flashed a small smile on her red lips as she walked to stand in front of him, taking his slightly slurred words. Not knowing her name made her chest tight with embarrassment as he confirmed her beliefs, but she didn't let it show. It's just Maira...and yes, I know about the Uber Mr.Mitrovic. I'm on the planning committee for the event. It's actually my job to make sure everyone gets home safely. She cleared her throat, her head tilting slightly. Including you. Well, especially you. The last thing she wanted to deal with on a Monday was HR asking her why she thought it was a good idea to leave him alone in this state. A cleaning crew will be here in the morning to take everything down and I made sure everyone was gone. You're the last straggler. Why don't we walk down together and we can share an Uber? The thought of spending time alone together left her heart racing as she looked at him, her giddy eyes glassy and bright.