Forty-One

VALERIA

The satisfaction I felt at yelling at Dimitri was extremely short lived, even though the look on his face when I had defied him was priceless. By the close of work that day, I thought I had made a mistake. The next morning at work, I was sure that I had made a mistake.

Everyone seemed to be staring at me, from the doorman to the other staff that went ahead of me into the building. It was like I was a bug under a microscope. At the reception, Ellen was talking in hushed tones with a girl from the HR department. I wasn't sure, but I thought I had seen her on my floor when I was arguing with Dimitri yesterday. As I walked through the door, their eyes darted to mine. They exchanged a look and the girl hurried away.

"Hi Ellen," I greeted, like I always did.

Her corresponding 'hello' was a little strained. I almost continued upstairs anyway, but my experience of office gossip was that it only got worse if it wasn't addressed. I changed direction and draped myself over her desk.

"Wh