Ариана Баженова – Intertwined Fates (страница 5)
After walking for half an hour under the scorching sun in my new sandals, I finally noticed a tall business center building surrounded by an old concrete fence. I straightened my blouse and skirt, smoothed my long blond hair, tousled and wet from the long journey, and proudly stepped into the checkpoint.
Flags fluttered solemnly in the light breeze near the glass administration building. Everything seemed so new and… promising! At that moment, I wasn’t even embarrassed by the barbed wire on the slanted concrete fence, the shrill screaming flocks of crows, and the barking of a guard dog.
The first time I entered the small office where I was supposed to work, I saw my colleagues – young girls smiling affably, introducing themselves and vying with each other to tell me how they had been waiting for me and how many interesting things were waiting here. Their smiles echoed inside with a pleasant and warm feeling. «I’m definitely here,» I thought.
«Kira, this is your place, sit down. Here’s your laptop,» my boss, a smiling woman with long red hair, nodded to me.
Gradually, day after day, I got into the work, mastering all the basics and subtleties along the way. At first, I was given the task of conducting a marketing analysis of the market – studying competitors’ websites, media articles in the field of IT developments, then – to offer my ideas for a content plan. From the first day, I understood the importance of this work – it was not enough to write a program, it was necessary to strengthen the company’s brand, increase people’s trust in the products.
There was a special atmosphere in this IT company, almost in the city center, but behind an old concrete fence. Addictive, encouraging you to forget that there was a noisy metropolis just around the corner.
The work really did add up – there was a lot of it, and there was no chance to get bored. But it’s unlikely that my stay there was limited to business tasks. Here, as in any team, either from boredom or curiosity, the boundary between work and personal life became shaky. My colleagues found out early that I was single, and began their favorite pastime – matchmaking. «Our top management is always concerned about this issue and actively promotes the creation of couples,» the boss said jokingly, seeing how I, still very young, smiled confusedly and embarrassedly, blushing deeply. I considered interference in my personal life from the outside and advice like «take a closer look at this or that» hardly acceptable, but perhaps this was just a generational difference.
In addition, that dream about a burning field, a slanted concrete fence and a white temple of science would not leave my head. I felt such a strange closeness to the mysterious figures in that dream, and the place was strikingly similar to the IT corporation where I found myself now. But maybe these were just fantasies against the background of excitement about moving and a new job?
And so, involuntarily looking at the many men walking along the floors of a glass office building, and thinking for fun, «is it him or not him», a couple of weeks later I saw… him.
My heart jumped. A large shiver ran through my body as I watched, helplessly standing in the spacious hall of the administration, as a man on the street walked past a glass wall, immersed in his thoughts. That same tall, slender figure – like from a dream! It seemed that he was not at all hot on this stuffy summer day in a strict blue jacket and tight trousers. His shock of dark hair was carefully styled into an elegant hairstyle, revealing shaved temples, and a light stubble was barely visible on his face. The bright sun danced with golden reflections on the thin frame of his glasses, behind which his expressive brown eyes shone slightly warily, and… the ring on his ring finger sparkled.
Suddenly, I felt a warmth flare up in my solar plexus, like a fireball, and gradually rose up to my chest. I didn’t know this man at all, but my whole body was striving towards him, as if we had known each other for a long time and even been close. How was this possible?
Feeling my heavy, intense gaze, the man turned around for a couple of seconds and looked straight at me – but I knew that he hadn’t seen anything from the street in the reflection of the glass wall. After which he disappeared around the corner, taking a pack of cigarettes out of his inside jacket pocket as he went, and I remained standing there, breathing intermittently from excitement.
I knew who it was. But for some reason, only now, seeing him in person, did I feel his energy and understand: this is definitely the man from the dream. But where are the others, the other two women?
Yes, I’ve already seen him in photos, and more than once. Lev Aleksandrovich. How could I not know the face of the company and the main developer? It was worth opening the newspaper, turning on the news, looking at the honor roll – he was everywhere, telling about his success story or commenting on the development of new software.
I never thought that fate wanted to immediately drag me into the thick of things! And this after a very recent break in engagement, when it seemed that only a miracle could heal a crippled heart. Now I felt a strange confusion – thoughts were feverishly mixed up in my head, and the smooth floor was trying to disappear from under my feet. I did not understand how the appearance of one single person could excite me so much?
«A miracle? What a task for you, Kira Konstantinovna. And how can I work now, when I know that at any moment I can meet this man, and you will be thrown into a fever again?», I smiled awkwardly and shrugged my shoulders, returning to the office.
And before my eyes were already mixed pictures of fire, marble and three mysterious figures from the dream, the sparkling reflection of the sun in the water surface of the ocean, the shine of which imperceptibly turned into the glow of a gold ring on Lev’s finger.
That same evening I did not go home, but practically ran past the quiet brick courtyards. «I can’t believe it! Why am I drawn to him in particular? He’s married. This is some kind of mistake,» I thought.
As soon as I got home and took off my shoes, I immediately sat down on the carpet and began to search through my unpacked suitcase for the Tarot deck. I quickly learned to read the past, present and future in the ancient signs, and from then on I always turned to them for advice.
I needed answers.
«Does something await us in the future with Leo?» I whispered the question to the deck.
My hands shuffled the cards, and blue «shirts» flashed before my eyes. Finally, four cards fell out on the hard pile of the carpet. Burning with excitement, I immediately turned them over and recoiled. Who, if not me, would not know what they mean?
The Two of Cups, the Knight of Swords, the Queen of Wands and the Moon were looking at me.
The Two of Cups depicted a young man and woman against the backdrop of a bright cloudless sky, a spacious meadow and a small house in the distance.
The Knight of Swords symbolized a man, young in spirit, sincerely passionate about his work and ready to get into any argument, but not too attentive to the feelings of others. This is what people of science are usually like, those same «eccentric scientists» for whom the truth was more important than relationships with others. Looking at the card, I felt that Leo was exactly like this in character. And I already knew his character even before we exchanged at least a few words.
Looking at the Queen of Wands, I smiled warmly. Oddly enough, this card always meant me in layouts – a woman of the element of fire. Such a woman knew how and loved to set goals, make plans and not deviate from them under any pretext. Be that as it may, today in the layout this card points to me again, and, therefore, the appearance of Leo directly affects me.
The last was the mysterious Moon card – it has always been a symbol of night, mystery, hidden from prying eyes. This is the subconscious and magical abilities. And also, since ancient times, the moon has been a symbol of betrayal, a secret relationship, committed far from prying eyes, under the cover of night.
And this means that… The answer from the cards looked at me in its undisguised clarity: both Leo and I will be glad to meet, we will find mutual fulfillment and harmony next to each other… until something inevitable happens under the Moon.
Chapter 2. The First Sparks. The Knight of Swords and the Queen of Wands
Time passed, and I skillfully coped with the new job, enthusiastically shouldering a multitude of tasks. I still had to complete an internship and receive an invitation to stay to work at the corporation, but I was not at all worried and plunged headlong into the work of building a marketing strategy. Everything was going great.