Enemies
Okay, Daisy. This is your time. Keep running, breath in and out. In and out.
The voice in my head kept encouraging me to keep running. This is when I felt my strongest, when my feet hit the pavement, the cool crisp early morning breeze whipped through the tendrils of my curls that didn’t want to stay confined in my scrunchie.
Breath in and out.
This was the brief moment that I could stop being Daisy, successful advertising exec and just be Daisy, regular woman who just wants to relax for a second. Ever since the new hire, I’ve been on edge. No longer was I the best at what I do, now Evan was the one everyone went to. He was nice, I guess. He was tall, cute, funny and smart. The girls swooned for him and everyone preferred to go to him for advice and feedback.
I could be funny.
I was already smart.
I hated that I’ve always had to be serious and work harder than most to advance. Stupid Evan, all he had to do was show up to his first day with coffee for the whole agency and he’s a God.
Breath in and out.
Calm down, Daisy. You’re working yourself up. Just close your eyes and run.
I did what my inner voice told me and closed my eyes. That was until I slammed into something. My back hit the ground hard, not even the golden leaves that covered the ground could cushion the fall. I looked up to see a stupid Evan mouthing something to me. “Oh my god, I think I lost my hearing,” I said.
He reached to my ear and pulled something. “No, you just had your pods in. Probably your music stopped.”
“I don’t listen to music when I run,” I moaned as I sat up.
“You don’t listen to music?”
“No, I have to be aware of my surroundings.” I looked up. He wore gray sweats and a t-shirt and looked amazing. The sweat on his temples made him look sexy…God, I hated him. If I was to look in a mirror now, I would have rosy cheeks, frizzy hair and sweat dripping down on all sides of me. “Why are you here?”
“So, why put the pods in?” Evan ignored my question with a smirk. My eyes narrowed in his direction.
“So that people won’t stop me to talk,” I explained. He extended his hand to help me up. I ignored his hand and got to my feet. “Now I ask again, why are you here?”
“I live a few blocks back, I like to run before work.”
We stood there in heavy silence. “Well, see you at the office. Next time, watch where you’re running and try not to crash into someone.” I began to jog away.
“You ran into me.”
I stopped in my tracks. “I did no such thing.”
“Oh, yes, you did. You had your eyes closed, I stopped, said hey. I tried to move out the way but you literally ran into me.” His chin came up as if he were the king in the world and my blood boiled.
“Move out of the way faster,” I growled.
“Ooooo, now I see the crazy girl everyone doesn’t like.” he tilted his head, his eyes roaming from my head to my toes and back up again. “Hmmm, I couldn’t see it before but now I do.”
I smacked him on the chest and he didn’t move an inch. I hated the arousal I felt at just that tiny bit of contact. “First of all, I am a wo-man.” I made sure to go slow so he could understand.
“You sure are.”
“And second of all, if people fear me because I’m great at my job then that’s on them.”
He folded his arms, smiling at me. “Well, I’m sorry that you woke up on the wrong side of the bed.”
“No! it’s just I don’t like when stupid men break my quiet time to fall on me and start acting like assholes—”
“I know you fantasize about me naked.” He wiggled his eyebrows in the most irritating fashion.
My heart beat faster at the mere thought. “Excuse me?” My question came out breathier than I would have liked. Evan took a step closer.
“Why else would you hate me so bad?”
“Are we in kindergarten?” He walked slowly towards me. I tried to control my breathing as butterflies flew around in my stomach. “What are you doing?”
He stopped in front of me bent down and picked up something that was covered in leaves. He handed it to me. “Your other pod.”
My hand flew up to my ear. I snatched the small device from his massive hands. Why are you noticing the size of his hands, Daisy?! my mind yelled.
“You’re crazy,” he scoffed. His perfect patience was finally wearing thin. Evan ran a hand through his sweat soaked hair. “I’m just trying to have a peaceful run. I didn’t ask for a crazy wo-man to verbally abuse me.”
“Fine.” I spun on my heel, tripping over a twig and falling to my knees.
I looked up to see him looking down at me smirking. “Stop smiling like that,” I snapped.
“God hates ugly, sweetheart.” Evan offered me a hand and I swatted it away.
“Well, that means he must looove you.”
“What did I ever do to you?”
I sighed. “You have a penis.”
His eyebrows came down heavy as he crossed his arms. '“I’m sorry, what?”
“Nothing…you won’t understand.” I tried to make my escape again only to have him step in front of me. “Please, get out fo my way. you know we have a meeting as soon as we step into the office today.”
“I’m not trying to be better than you.” I snorted. but he continued. “I’m not trying to make you lose your job—”
“Lose my job? who said anything about me losing my job?”
He sighed. “No one, can we just start over? I really don’t know why you’re angry with me.”
“Why do you want me to like you?” I asked. “I’m at work to work not to make friends.”
“Ahhh but wouldn’t it be nice to not eat lunch alone.”
I sighed. “I’m very tired, but if you must know I get a lot of shit done during that solo lunch break.”
“Well, good luck with that, let’s see how far you get with that way of thinking.”
“Fine! I don’t hate you. It’s not you.”
He laughed half heartedly. “You really giving me the it’s not you, it’s me speech.”
I was too tired to be this angry so early in the morning. I decided to try letting my guard down a tiny bit. “I’ve been at this job a long time and I’ve been the best at it. It just seems like any promotion that I could’ve gotten is slipping out of my hands.”
Evans lips formed a grim line. “Daisy…” his voice was lifeless, all joking and hostility evaporated. “I honestly don’t know what to say. I’m just doing my job.” he shrugged.
“Listen, Evan, just do your job and I’ll continue doing my job and I’ll promise not to bite your head off.”
“Whoa, that sounds like you’re trying to be friends,” he laughed.
“I wouldn’t go that far.” We stood there in the quiet woods, wondering how this whole impasse came about. When he didn’t answer, I cleared my throat. “Well, sorry for the hostility, I’ve just been on edge and taking it out on you.”
“Well, they say sex is a great way to take off the edge,” Evan blurted out. “I didn’t mean with me…I didn’t mean anything…” he ran a hand down his flushed face. I knew his embarrassment was genuine and I felt my resolve soften just a bit.
“It’s fine…not the having sex with you…not that you’re not…sorry, Evan.”
“Daisy, it’s fine. I’m the one that made it weird.” The awkward silence that fell around us again was my minds chance to take in why and how Evan became my arch enemy to a friendly co-worker to a sexual fantasy in under ten minutes.
Neither of us moved. Evan looked down sheepishly. “Daisy, since we found this weird truce…I have a confession…”
Oh, no. He’s going to confess his love for me. I don’t think I’m ready for that. I just wanted sex, not a boyfriend. Let him down gently. you don’t want things to be awkward at work.
“Go ahead,” I nudged as he hesitated.
“I’m getting promoted.”
Kill him. “But you’ve been here a few months! You take vacations! You take an hour lunch! you take sick days!”
“I didn’t ask for it!” he yelled at my reaction. ”Maybe I’m just that much better.” Every cell in my body yelled to cause him bodily harm and bury the body in these woods. Instead I scowled at him. “Daisy, I didn’t mean that.” Evan stepped forward and I yelled like a banshee, kicking him in the groin like I always imagined but never did.
I bent over his crumbled body. “Evan, I meant that.”