Ариана Баженова – Intertwined Fates (страница 13)

«It’s okay, he will contact me later, he will definitely call me back, now we are in the same boat,» I reassured myself, brushing aside the disappointment that had begun to stir and the slight anxiety that everything would happen again. I did not want to think about the fact that he would most likely ignore me until the last, even though we now had a common cause. For me, waiting for a dialogue with Lev seemed like an eternity, and there was a feeling that fate was dozing. And now it decided to make up for lost time, picked up speed and entered a sharp turn, pushing us face to face. And now she, acting with the hands of Eva Schwein, watched us with interest and laughed at the interesting beginning of another tragicomedy, of which millions have happened throughout the history of mankind. On the other hand, I knew that everything was happening at the right time. Now Lev would begin communicating with me as a professional with whom he was put into a common project under the patronage of Schwein. But it is unknown in what light he would have viewed me earlier. So everything is going as it should – it was only worth letting go of the idea of getting closer to him and focusing on my own development.

When everyone left the room, we were left alone with a colleague – a sunny, bright and kind-hearted girl. She winked slyly at me, stretching her lips into a wide smile:

– Well, Kira, dreams come true, huh?

– Oh yeah… I can’t believe it! – I smiled and whispered, afraid that someone might overhear our conversation. – I even felt a little dizzy.

– Should I walk you to the office, help you get there? – she asked worriedly and took my arm.

– Let’s go, – I thawed out a little, and we went out into a spacious, bright corridor.

Walking past a large glass frame, I glanced at it – under it was a photograph of Lev, engrossed in his work in a laboratory with a complex device, much more powerful than an ordinary computer. «He looks like a modern magician, an alchemist. «He’s conjuring in his corner of science, and he doesn’t need anything else,» I thought tenderly, and we slowly descended the slippery marble stairs into the office. The colleagues sitting there, surprisingly, already knew about everything that was happening.

– So, Kira, are your dreams coming true? – Angela asked with a joyful gleam in her eyes, as if deliberately repeating her colleague’s words, and winked, hinting at our conversation in her car in September.

– Yes, – that’s all I could squeeze out of myself, and my face again became covered in a thick blush.

I felt that after this episode, the respect of the team for me increased. Now I was not just a newcomer, now I stood on par with the leading minds of the corporation.

– Soon everyone will know your name, Kira, because you work in tandem with the star of the company – Lev! – the boss once said at one of the planning meetings, smiling cheerfully, and I remembered our common secret, because I had risked sharing my secret crush with her on my birthday.

In the back of my mind, I realized that my sincerity could have played a cruel joke. I had openly shared the secret with my colleagues, and if the information had reached the top management in an unsightly form, I could have been fired with a scandal. But, fortunately, I immediately felt that these girls could be trusted, and now my dangerous passion had turned into just a reason for good-natured jokes.

I kept replaying in my head the moment when Eva Schwein united Lev and me, and tried to convince myself that what was happening was real. For several days, I was glowing with happiness, and getting up in the mornings became much easier, as if there was no thick darkness and howling cold wind outside the window.

«Of course, I do!» – Lev’s words echoed in my head, spoken with such readiness that they warmed my heart. I felt a huge surge of inspiration and strength, a desire to put my soul into this project and make it a symbol of our tandem – intellectual, and perhaps something more. With tripled strength, I began to study books and courses on the topic of psychology.

I was inspired by the pictures that arose before my inner eye. I clearly knew that this was a premonition, not a fantasy, although it was sometimes difficult to distinguish between them. I saw a long, bright laboratory with equipment, a row of narrow windows under the ceiling, and a separate office for the director in the left corner: and in it, Lev and I were sitting and slowly discussing materials on the project and psychology in general, but behind these conversations a feeling of mutual human warmth was growing. And here is another vision, which appeared before my inner eye in brief episodes in broad daylight – he throws a robe over my shoulders and leads me around the laboratory, shows me the equipment, explains how it works, gives me some details to examine – there is a mixture of pleasure, pride and tenderness on his face, he is happy to tell a girl who does not understand anything about it about his favorite business, and his colleagues look at each other in confusion and shrug their shoulders. It is strange, where do such clear pictures come from in reality? After all, I have never been to his laboratories. But just a little bit more – and I will see everything with my own eyes. I wish it would be sooner, sooner… However, one thing bothered me. All my colleagues, speakers of other modules, had long ago held meetings to discuss their projects. Lev stubbornly did not contact me. Day after day, I glanced at my work phone, expecting to see the three cherished digits of his extension number and hear that hoarse, slightly high-pitched voice – and every time someone called me, I pretended to roll my eyes and declared: «Not him again!», which caused good-natured laughter among my colleagues. But neither humor nor serious anticipation brought the cherished event closer. Other speakers were already discussing their materials, and anxiety stirred in me, the fear of falling behind the others, of not making it on time.

«I shouldn’t write to him first again. I need to have pride. He is responsible for the module, I am just his assistant,» flashed through my thoughts. But impatience, the desire to get down to business as soon as possible, and excessive responsibility in work matters began to take over.

Finally giving in, I opened the email window and put my fingers on the keyboard. «Lev, good morning! This is Kira, we are doing a project in psychology together. How would you like to get together and discuss a common work plan?»

The letter was sent.

«Well, I didn’t write first, well done,» I thought ironically. I introduced myself to everyone by my first and last name, but now I deliberately took a step forward to establish trust by offering to call me only by my first name.

To my surprise, the answer came immediately: «Kira, hi! Yes, come to our department on Wednesday so as not to occupy the conference room in the administration.» I read his «Kira, hi!» several times with delight, and something clicked inside, spreading warmth throughout my body.

***

The long-awaited Wednesday has arrived. I spent a long time choosing an outfit in the morning so that I would look tasteful and elegant at this important moment, our first meeting. Although we had seen each other from afar before, today our personal communication would begin, and I would not have a second chance to make a first impression. I settled on a coffee-colored turtleneck, bought back in school, a black pencil skirt and high-heeled boots. The final touches were playfully curled locks framing my face and giving the whole image a romantic flair. «Are you going somewhere after work?» Angela asked ingratiatingly, watching me fix my hair in front of the mirror. «No, not after work, I’m leaving in half an hour,» I winked at her.

My body reacted to the upcoming meeting in a very strange way: a slight tremor and sweat ran through me, and my stomach was slightly twisted with excitement. Throwing on a light-colored faux fur coat, I stepped out into the crisp, frosty November air and set off, passing old brick buildings of industrial workshops, entered an inconspicuous door at the end, and moved along a bright labyrinth of corridors.

Here was the coveted blue door. Overcoming my trembling, I reached out and pressed the doorbell. A friendly, black-haired girl opened the door for me.

– Hello, I’m here to see Lev, – I nodded briefly.

– Come in, sit down, he’ll be right there, – she led me into a cramped room filled with cabinets and chairs, and pointed to a worn black leather sofa.

«A great start, I’m late for the meeting, and he’s in no hurry himself,» I noted sarcastically. Finally, he came into the office and, without offering me any tea or coffee (which, from my point of view, would have been a sign of hospitality and respect, even in a work environment), collapsed on the sofa next to me. I looked closely into his large expressive brown eyes, which were now closer than ever, and I was again overcome by the feeling that I had known this man for a very long time. So this long-awaited face-to-face meeting had happened!