Waiting Game

The weekend came to an end and Ivaylo traveled Sunday evening back to his condo in the city center. Lying on the bed, arms spread and staring at the ceiling. He felt this unrest, deep inside his stomach, nervously jerking his foot, and tapping it on the floor. 

In the morning, he woke up and looked like a zombie. His eyes were bloodshot and dark circles appeared under them. He really couldn't fall asleep and maybe dozed off just for an hour or two. Honestly, today he looked just terrible.

At the office, he was called in by the Chairman. He didn't meet him last week since the Chairman was on a business trip. Ivaylo somehow put himself together and now he stood there silently, with a straight back and his arms behind waiting...

His boss was observing him, scrutinizing every hair. He noticed, that Ivaylo wasn't himself. Maybe that unfair demotion and forced work at the Outskirts made him this way. He felt guilty for doing it to Ivaylo but at that time, he had no other choice. The Chairman didn't know, who was the real perpetrator.

"I called you here today, to officially apologize. I am fully committed to compensating you for it with a salary raise and extra off days. We even upgraded our camera and security system, to ensure these types of incidents won't happen in the future."

Ivaylo's mind could be at ease now. He was curious, about how they came to learn the truth. The Chairman explained to him, that before Ivaylo joined the office at the Outskirts, the supervisor requested extra cameras be installed everywhere.

The same day, the woman visited the Outskirts, Ivaylo's supervisor sent the Chairman the tape recording of the new incident. After pressing on the matter, both the man and woman admitted to the crimes and were let go, banning them from joining any job from their company.

Ivaylo's face showed a sad smile. "So, he didn't trust me either..." The Chairman leaned into his seat with his hands resting in a grip in front of him. "He did that, not to suspect you. He wanted to protect you."

Ivaylo's eyes widen in a shocked surprise. "He told me, that that human man was vocal about having a negative stance towards us Beastmen. On the other side, those women frequently sold themselves for monetary gain to any Beastmen. It was my fault for bringing them here... I needed to polish my recruiting style and guarantee safety not only for us but for them too."

Ivaylo was touched by the human supervisor's thoughtfulness and also a sincere apology from the Chairman. His boss rose from his seat and walked over to Ivaylo to shake his hand. "I am thankful, you are still on our team, as the CEO." Ivaylo had his rank back... In the end, that change of position and scenery wasn't that bad. He gained new acquaintances, a different view of the world around him, and himself.

Another working week flew by and that girl didn't call him. Was she angry with him? Probably...
He has to make it right with her and apologize, but without her contact or knowing her whereabouts, he is powerless. It made him really upset and the whole Friday, he sat in his office, typing into his PC with droopy ears.

His mind was wandering again and slowly followed the sunset for a few minutes. Today he should drive back to the Outskits for the weekend. He hoped, she would magically appear in the neighborhood just for any reason and he could meet up with her. That would be nice.

The snow was piling up at the edges of the road showing, how the weather became chilly. He daydreamed, how he will sit down at his favorite spot in that apartment but still, he desired to fill it with her cooking... He snapped himself out of it. What was that? Why do I wish for something like that?



The Outskirt home was cold. The whole week Ivaylo spent at the condo, so no wonder. He had to tinker with the thermostat, so he wouldn't freeze to death. If someone would be living here the whole time, then it would have a more welcoming feel to it.

The frustrating, lonely weekend just came to an end. It was Sunday evening and Ivaylo sat at the Kotatsu warming his legs. He didn't do much this time, just went to the gym yesterday. Ivaylo figured out, that living here wasn't as dreamy, as he imagined. Maybe he should take a walk before driving to the city center.

Somehow, he ended up at Kay's bar. Should he go inside? He can't drink, he needs to drive, or he could take a taxi... Well, just this once. Kay welcomed him and the whisky was pouring. "So what's up pal!" He took the glass and looked at Kay. "What did you just call me?!" The Doberman chuckled. "Well, we could say, after the last time, explaining everything... we became friends..."

Ivaylo began to ponder about it. Are they really friends? Is this, that easy? He never knew becoming friends was just an instant statement, he thought it was a rigorous process. Weird... and took a sip. "Did you hand over the phone number as I asked you?!" Ivaylo gave Kay a suspecting glance.

Kay surprised by the question nodded positively. "Good, I am still waiting for her to reach out or just any contact from her side." Ivaylo didn't notice Kay lied to him. He was good at it. "Didn't she say anything about it?" Kay shook his head. "I hadn't had time to be with her really, just handed over the paper." Another lie.

That means, she really is mad at Ivaylo. His ears were droopy again. He chucked the whole drink from the glass into his throat at once. "Keep up with the pouring of the spirit!" ... stretching his arm towards Kay with the empty glass gesturing he wants more.

Kay could tell, Ivaylo was upset about Paetyn. He felt, that Marsh was right in not allowing Ivaylo into her close proximity. If she would reciprocate Ivaylo's attempts, it would break his heart. He still loved her. Yes, he was that much selfish.

Ivaylo was slowly sipping on his freshly poured drink and looking around observing the busy bar and the customers. He turned back to Kay and noticed something peculiar. His claws... they were trimmed to a human length.