Working Together

She ran to the elevator before it closed and entered, heaving a sigh out of relief. She knew if she had slackened, she would have waited there until someone came, which she was sure there would be no one unless the ones coming down for something because she was late enough for the day. She would have to find herself a driver, which they would reach an agreement because this Uber didn’t help a lot sometimes. She calmed herself down and turned to look at the people in the elevator. ‘Damn it’ nearly fell from her lips, did she have to run onto him every day? And that too in the elevator?

She wondered what kind of thing this was. Just that today he wasn’t alone, he was together with Sulaiman, and she smiled politely at him. “Good morning,” she greeted them in unison, but she could swear he didn’t even look up at her. What was his name again? Yeah, Yazeed Adam Bunza.

“Good morning, Jalilah. How was your night? And how do you like it in our company?” Sulaiman answered and smiled back at her. They exchanged a few pleasantries before she brought out her phone and waited patiently while fighting the end corners of her eyes not to take a look at his closed-off face. What was wrong with him for the sake of Allah? He looked like someone who was into the most grievous phase of his life.

‘Rather, what was wrong with you?’ She redirected the question at herself and completely turned to face the opening. That was the question she should’ve asked herself since. What was wrong with her? Why wouldn’t she leave this man alone? He fought his demons what was hers to keep being curious about the life he didn’t want anyone into it. She had noticed some resemblance with him and Sulaiman but she wondered if they were somehow related. It got opened, and Jalilah was glad to have a breath of fresh air, more than the one they kept circulating between themselves. If some scientist would tell her she had breathed in the same air that he did in that elevator, she wouldn’t argue.

“Come to my office, I have some work for you, Jalilah!” Sulaiman called out to her when she had already taken the route that would take her to her office, which was the same way with that of Yazeed. She was happy for this distraction, and she got the chance to change paths with him, all this didn’t look promising.

“Okay,” she calmly said and followed Sulaiman to his office. They entered and she waited until he fished out the files from his cabinet and he handed her while saying out the instructions of how to do it. She was about to leave the office when she remembered she had something to ask him, and she turned to look at him with a sly smile on her lips.

“I wanted to ask you something,” he sat down on his chair and motioned for her to go on. “Is it okay if I stayed here longer than 5:30 pm? Or everyone has to leave at that time?”

He quickly shook his head, “No, they generally close the company by 7 pm, I think it’s fine.” She thanked him because she had been thinking about what she would do if she wouldn’t be allowed to take her ballet classes. Though she still had to ask Mrs. Rosey for the delay of at least ten minutes to give the workers the chance to fully evacuate from the office so she could freely do her dancing.

She walked back to her office, and she caught a glimpse of his face through the glasses, it looked like he was in a heated argument with someone, like what he was talking over the phone with someone was his least favorite to talk about. She wanted to know what that was, what was taking a toll on him that it showed all over his face, but she had no excuse to do that, and she silently walked to her office, thinking of how she had missed her ballet class yesterday even though she had practiced it at home, it was still not the same.

Before she sat down, she looked at the office and made sure if she cleared the sofa it would be enough for her, even though she would still be restricted. But reminding herself how she squeezed and practiced at home in her room, even though it had enough space, this was more spacious. Here, she didn’t have her mirror to get along, she didn’t have her half-completed canvases to keep moving between her wardrobe and her bed, lots of things weren’t here.

She smiled to herself and first sent an email to Mrs. Rosey that they should likely shift it to 5:40 pm because it got along with her work. Mrs. Rosey was understanding, Jalilah was sure she had no problem with that. She got to work, ignoring the tons of messages she was getting from Farha, she wondered what kept her awake today, was it because she wanted to know more ‘them’? As she had already tagged her and Yazeed. Maybe she was crazy too herself, but she had never seen someone as crazy as Farha was, that girl was just herself.

While at call, she got a few calls from Sulaiman directing her and asking her to send an email to this and that, she should check there were things to be done and so. When she called him to inform him that the work he had given her in the morning was done, she thought that was all for today. Maybe she would lazy around until it was time for prayer and she would do that.

“I think you’d have to take those files to the manager then, Jalilah.” She wished she could scream at him, tell him she wouldn’t do that. But before she did that, she realized this was work, what she was feeling about this Yazeed of a guy was nowhere related to their work. She didn’t even have the sole reason of being this angry at him.

“Okay, sure. I’ll do that.” She hoped he didn’t hear how her voice sounded gritted, showing her discomfort.

She stood up from her chair and fixed her veil carefully, thinking of the way she was going to address him. ‘Hi, the HR asked me to bring these files to you.’ No, that wouldn’t work. He wasn’t the right way to greet your boss. Or maybe it should be ‘Assalamu Alaikum,’ and she would duck her head down while she placed the files on his table. Maybe he would look at her with those orbs and question, ‘And what are these for?’ She would want to hit his face because it was clear they were for work but she would have to fight herself, ‘The HR asked me to bring them when I’m done.’ Yes, that would be it!

She carefully held the files and took her phone before she left. Approaching his office, she saw there were two men in suits there, and she stopped, watching him as he interacted with them. He wasn’t smiling even when they shook hands and the men walked out of the office, she wondered what was wrong with this man. At first she thought he didn’t want to interact with his female workers, but she had seen it was beyond being a female worker. Maybe he acted like this to everyone?

She quickly ducked herself down when the two men walked by before she walked into the office with a soft knock. He looked up from his desktop and quickly glanced at her before he ducked his head back. She wanted to sit down, but recalling what had happened between them yesterday was what stopped her from doing so. She secretly glared at him and carefully placed the files on his face.

Just like she had predicted, he first looked at the files before he scrunched up his face and looked at her, he lifted one eyebrow without voicing a word out. Ugh! She didn’t want to hit just his face, she wanted to slap him until his fair skin turned sour. Maybe she would dull his handsomeness with her hot slaps. She had no choice but to answer him because she knew they both knew he was waiting for her answer.

“The HR asked me to bring it when I’m done getting the figures in, so…” she let her words trailed off while motioning at the files, which showed that she was done now.

“Have you entered the spreadsheet?” Not that! Please, not that! She hated it, she didn’t like doing it, please not that! Instead of those words to come out of Jalilah’s lips, she silently shook her head.

“No, he hasn’t made mention of that.”

He nodded his head and she felt an air of relief as it wafted through her chest. Well, it lasted long before he spoke again, “Yes, I asked him not to bother doing that. But I think you have to do it now. I need to get it into the site, maybe get your laptop and come here so if you have some done you can email it to me and we’ll be done that way?” He was even looking at her while he was talking, busy doing his work that the little glimmer of Farha she had in her, which madly told her that he wanted to see her that was why he suggested they worked in his office died. If he wanted that, he would have been looking at her while he spoke, maybe smile a little if their eyes met.