Jij Verliest - Chapter Two: Clip #4 & #5
Note: These could technically be one clip clips, but I decided to separate them since they have two different time stamps.
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Dinsdag 12:39
In the time they dated, Robbe had only been to Thomas’s law firm a handful of times. When they were dating, the two of them tried to have lunch at least once a week. Sometimes, Robbe would make it to the lobby of the firm, where Thomas would meet him. Other times, Thomas would meet him before he got to the elevators and drag him away. One time, Robbe was pulled into a conversation by the elevators with Thomas’s coworker, who teased Thomas for having such a “young” boyfriend.
For all the times he visited, today was the first day that Robbe actually waited in the lobby.
The lobby looked like a snapshot from the cover of a magazine. From the vibrant flowers on the reception desk to the pristine paintings, everything was meticulously put in its place. There wasn’t a speck of dust, a stain on the white couches, or a condensation ring on the wooden tables. As Robbe’s wait prolonged, the image grew increasingly unsettling because it was too perfect. Or maybe it was because he felt underdressed in his jeans, t-shirt, and a gray light jacket, clutching the box in his hands.
Every once in a while, someone would pass through the lobby, either dressed in a three-piece suit or an elegant dress. When they saw Robbe sitting on the couch, his skateboard resting across his lap, they would pause, do a double-take, and he would barely manage a smile, feeling his embarrassment increase tenfold the longer he sat on this couch. With each passing minute, as the silence drew on, Robbe was more and more convinced that he should’ve just mailed Thomas the watch and called it a day. He had a test to study for. He didn’t have time for this.
The sound of his name pulled him from his thoughts.
Robbe glanced at the reception desk, where Julia, the receptionist, was sitting. The woman waved him over, holding the phone against her right ear. Robbe rose to his feet quickly, clutching the box in one hand and his skateboard in the other. Once he got closer, she covered the bottom of the phone and said, “Mr. Martens is in a critical meeting right now. He has asked me to see if him talking to you is an urgent matter.”
To Robbe, it sounded Thomas’s stressed combination of ‘I’m busy’ and ‘Fuck off.’ However, he didn’t dare say that to Julia, who was just the messenger.
“No,” Robbe replied, shaking his head. Before he continued, he tried to push away the voice in his head that was saying Robbe was not important enough. Rationally, he knew that Thomas had an important trial coming up and that he needed to be as prepared as he could. “It’s not an urgent matter. I just wanted to drop something off.”
Uncovering the phone’s microphone, Julia quickly relayed the message word-for-word to the person on the other end. Even with the light music playing from the speakers, Robbe could still make out the chatter on the phone. If it was Thomas’s voice, he sounded angry, but it was still just chatter and Robbe couldn’t pick it out for sure. “Yes, sir, I will,” Julia said politely. “I apologize for interrupting. Yes.” Then Julia hung up the phone and beamed at him.
“If I got you in trouble, I’m sorry,” Robbe whispered.
“Oh, it’s completely okay.” It wasn’t. Robbe could see Julia’s anger brimming on the surface, but he wasn’t sure if it was directed toward him or the person on the phone. She quickly set about, finding a pad of lined sticky notes and a marker. She placed both objects in front of him before turning back. “Mr. Martens is a busy man and he’s been under a lot of pressure as of late.” When Robbe held up the objects, Julia added, “He said there might be a chance you wanted to leave a note.”
“Ah, okay.”
“You don’t have to,” Julia said as Robbe placed the box on the desk.
“No, it’s okay,” Robbe replied. He grabbed the marker and wrote out his message on the sticky note. Once he finished, he returned the office supplies to Julia and grabbed the tape so his note would stay on there. Then, he handed the box over to Julia, who stared down at the words on the sticky note, bold and black: Yours. She nodded her head and Robbe grinned at her. “Thank you so much. I’m sorry for the trouble.”
“You’re welcome,” Julia replied, pushing herself to her feet. She held the box in one hand as she maneuvered herself out from behind the desk while being trapped by a pencil skirt. “I will put this on his desk right now. Have a wonderful day, Robbe.” Her heels clicked against the wooden floor as she headed off to Thomas’s office.
Once Julia had vanished from view, Robbe moved out of the lobby and into the hallway. As he waited for the elevator, clutching his skateboard in one hand, he let out a shaky breath. His lips tugged up at the corners as Robbe shifted his weight from one foot to the other. As he stepped into the elevator, pressing the button to the lobby, he let out a sigh of relief, leaning against the wood on the walls.
Finally, he thought as the elevator descended. He felt like he could breathe again.
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Dinsdag 12:46
