Clarity | 1 | The Clipboard

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Adriana

It had been one hell of a day putting out fires. Not literal fires, but the type of fires that came with any event planning job. I was used to problems cropping up while on the job but for this event it was almost every day that something went horribly wrong. As soon as I thought one aspect of the event had fallen into place, another fell through. Today had started with the printer’s shop that did the posters demanding a one-hundred percent increase in their pay and it had taken me all afternoon to talk them down to fifty percent. The worst of it was, I knew my boss would still be pissed that I hadn’t talked him out of it completely, but it was as good as I could do without needing to find a whole new place three months before the festival was set to happen.

I crossed it off the list on my clipboard, then moved the tip of my finger to the next point on the list with a wince. Club Clarity. That had been even less fun than the printer’s shop. They had offered to pay a little to the festival’s coffers in exchange for some marketing, but the place didn’t have a great reputation so I had to turn them down. I cited the festival rules that said they had to do an exhibit or attraction that fit the festival’s theme. The manager had been understanding enough, but a bartender had angrily accused me of doing it on purpose, as though it was me who made the rules and not the town council. I crossed Clarity off and wished that Raffaele had taken that one as he originally promised. At the last moment, I had to fill in for him, which meant I hadn’t had lunch. I wouldn’t have time to eat anything until after my last stop of the day.

My destination wasn’t far from the club, and on the way I looked at my list for tomorrow, which was just as harrowing. I had three meetings and then ten minutes where I could eat lunch while I walked to the next one. I’d have to go buy something to eat before work or I would never function, but I didn’t get a chance to consider where to go, because I collided with something solid and alive. My nose hit the barrier hard and I cried out in pain as my clipboard clattered to the ground by my feet. I pushed away, covering my aching face.

“What the—” a male voice said.

Just then, I felt a tell-tale trickle of blood making its way out of my nose. I looked up and saw the guy I had walked into. He was good-looking, dressed in a tight-fitting shirt and it was his chest that had given me a nosebleed. I opened my mouth, ready to defend myself. He looked like the type of guy that hung out at the gym and stared at the women in yoga class, and if you pointed out that it was annoying, he’d get angry. I opened my mouth, about to tell him that no, it wasn’t only my fault that we walked into each other…

“Fuck,” he said. “Oh fuck that’s… you’re bleeding.”

“You don’t say.”

“Um… right… uh…” He looked from side-to-side, patting his pocket, seemingly genuinely concerned. “Tissue, tissue… I… don’t have a…”

“It’s fine.” I stopped him, pulled a tissue out of my purse, and pressed it against my nose. “There. Don’t worry about it.”

“God, I’m so sorry, I didn’t notice you.”

I blinked at this rare sight. A handsome man who apologised and didn’t add ‘But you should really look where you’re going’? That fact made him seem all the more handsome, with his dark, soft hair and those eyes. They were a deep brown and right now they looked concerned, but I had no trouble imagine how they would change if he grew flirty. Wait, no, I couldn’t imagine that. That was silly. He was a stranger.

“I didn’t see you either,” I told him. “It’s all right.”

The man breathed out. “I’m really so sorry. Is it bad?”

I took a look at the tissue which was getting soaked with blood.

“Um, a little, but it’s all right. Really, I’m kind of impressed. I can’t believe your chest gave me a nosebleed—you must work out.”

I could barely believe that those words left my mouth. He looked surprised and then there it was, his eyes went from concerned to dark and flirty, exactly as I had imagined.

“Yeah, I do. I was hoping it would make an impression on women, but not exactly like this.” He chuckled awkwardly and then held his hand out to me. “Nico, and again, I’m sorry.”

I shifted the tissue to my left hand before taking his. “I’m Adriana and it’s fine, don’t worry about it. It was my own fault. I didn’t look where I was going.”

“At least let me walk you to where you were going, so I’m sure you get there without bleeding out.”

I could have pointed out that it was just a nosebleed and I would be fine, but I found myself nodding. Maybe it was the blow to the head or maybe it was the distinct feeling that I had just bumped into a decent guy, a sweet one, even. Clearing my throat, I pointed down the street where I was headed.

“I’m heading to the gallery down there.”

“Let’s go,” Nico said with a gorgeous, white smile. “I’ll make sure to deliver you safely. Oh, and I can carry this for you.”

He bent down and picked up my clipboard and then he gestured down the way I had been going.

“You really don’t need to hold that,” I protested, pointing to the clipboard. “I’m strong and independent and all that.”

“I’m sure, but I’m trying to make up for being a big dumb idiot who doesn’t look where he’s going.”

“And to make up for the size and swell of your muscles?” I added jokingly.

Except it came out a little less like a joke and a little more like breathy admiration. He smiled slyly.

“Oh, I’m not going to apologise for that,” he said.

You shouldn’t, I wanted to say.

I cleared my throat and was glad I could hide my glowing cheeks behind the tissue as we started walking. I was slower than usual, which I attributed to my bleeding nose, though it was more to do with the company. I met many new people on any given day, but it was rare they were so likeable.

“So, what’s with the clipboard?” he asked.

I looked at him. “I use it to organise.”

“Organise what?”

“Everything, really. Work, mostly, but I’ve got appointments for a whole week written up.”

He looked at the clipboard, then me. “You must be pretty busy, balancing all that work and organising, not to mention the boyfriend or… husband?”

I pressed the tissue a little further up my face, as my blush deepened. “I don’t have anyone, so that helps.”

“Oh,” he said, looking pleased. “Never would have guessed.”

We turned a corner and I was both relieved and a little disappointed that I could see the sign of Galleria Chiarezza.

At the door, I stopped and checked on my nose. The bleeding had stopped so I threw the tissue out and turned to him.

“That wasn’t too bad,” I said. “I made it without bleeding out.”

Nico stopped and shot me a relaxed smile with his hands in his pockets. “I never doubted you for a minute.”

He tossed his hair and this time there was no hiding behind a tissue. My cheeks flushed hot and I’m sure he could see.

“So, you admit you didn’t actually have to walk me here?”

“You got me there. No, actually I was hoping… oh, fuck.”

He paused suddenly, looking down at my top and I followed his eyes to a drip of blood that had somehow made its way onto the white fabric.

“Oh.”

“Any chance that top isn’t as expensive as it looks?” he asked.

“Um… It’ll come off easily,” I assured him.

“Nope, that does it.”

He rummaged in his pockets, much like earlier, but this time he found a scrap of paper and a pen. He wrote a number on it and stuck it to my clipboard before giving it back.

“You can tell me when you get the dry-cleaning bill and I’ll pay it. It’s the least I can do.”

I looked at the note, hesitating. “You really don’t have to. This is a tiny drop and it won’t cost anything extra.”

“Yeah, but I’m also trying to give you my number in the hopes that you’ll forget about how dumb I am and agree to see me again. Under less bloody circumstances.”

The appreciative look in his eyes made me feel like a work of art, not like a slab of meat as was the case with the ogling guys at the gym. I felt warm, giddy, and so close to throwing caution to the wind and telling him yes.

But I felt a familiar stop in my chest. I had just started feeling human again. I was in the middle of the most important job of my career so far, swamped with both my own and other peoples’ tasks. I barely had time to eat lunch between meetings, for heaven’s sake. As nice as it would be to go out with this man, to feel beautiful and desired, even just for a night… right now wasn’t the time.

“Sorry, I just can’t, not right now.”

He looked at me, disappointed but understanding. He didn’t get angry or try to pressure me, he just nodded, which made me feel a twinge of regret. Why did he have to be so attractive and so… decent? It would have been easier if he were an ass.

“I understand. Keep it anyway and send me that bill, I mean it.”

“Right, I will,” I lied. “Thanks for protecting me from bleeding out.”

“Anytime.”

He tossed his head and his gorgeous hair, but he didn’t leave right away.

“If you feel up for it at some point,” he said, “the offer will still be open.”

“I’ll remember that. Bye.”

He left and I went inside the gallery. The owner, my best friend Emanuela, was behind the counter, bent over a cardboard box, but she turned from it and looked me up and down. She was in a loose, patterned jacket and her brown hair was done up in a messy bun with loose ringlets of curls hanging around her face.

“Are you so late because you’re dating now?” she asked, her eyes sliding from me to the man who was still barely visible through the windows.

“No, I’m not and you know better than most I won’t be dating anytime soon. We bumped into each other and he gave me a nosebleed.”

Ema raised her eyebrows and now she noticed the blood on my top. “Are you okay? Do I need to go out there and give him hell?”

“No, no, he was actually nice about it, offered to pay for dry-cleaning and everything, even though it was my fault, too.”

“Head stuck in that clipboard again?” she asked.

I sat down on a bench in the gallery and enjoyed being off my feet for the first time in hours.

“I have a busy schedule tomorrow.”

“Not to mention tonight.”

I frowned at her. Tonight? I had counted on going home and lying on the sofa for a change, since it would be the first time I had the opportunity in a while.

“Yeah, you know, your sister’s visit?”

“Is that today?”

Damn, it was. It was in my to-do list, right under this current meeting—Pick up Francesca at the station. How had I managed to forget?

“Oh. I guess that’ll work. I’ll get a chance to eat while I’m with her.”

Ema shot me a look. “You haven’t eaten, have you?”

“It was a busy day.”

She shook her head. “Good thing I predicted that.”

She walked to the counter and produced a plate of gorgeous-looking cupcakes from under it. My mouth watered at the sight and my stomach audibly growled.

“Are those…?”

“Strawberry and white chocolate? Yes, now give me my letter so you can officially take the day off and finally eat something.”

I got the letter and exchanged it for one of the cupcakes. I peeled the paper cup off and bit into it. It was perfectly soft and fluffy and with just the right balance of sweet, white chocolate and strawberry. Ema wasn’t just my best friend because of her baking, but it was a perk.

“So good,” I said between bites.

She hit me with the envelope. “Because you haven’t eaten today!”

“I know and I know it’s not good, but this event is a nightmare and everyone keeps dumping their tasks on me.”

“Because you take the tasks when you should tell them to do it themselves.”

“You know I can’t. I was lucky to get this job and I need it.”

My friend shook her head. “I know. At least don’t work anymore today, yeah?”

“I don’t plan on—”

We both stopped at the sound of my ringtone and when I picked the phone out of my purse, my boss’ number was on the screen. Ema looked at me, eyes pleading with me not to answer.

“I have to,” I told her.

“At least tell her you can do whatever it is she wants tomorrow, please?”

“Of course, I have plans tonight.”

Ema nodded, but she looked uncertain and I wasn’t exactly convinced myself. I had a bad feeling.

“It’s Adriana,” I said as cheerfully as I could manage.

“Adriana, I need you to take the council meeting tonight. Our wine supplier had to drop out so Raffaele is going to meet up with a new one.”

“Tonight?” I asked.

Ema’s shoulders fell and she mouthed no.

“Yes, tonight. We need someone to have a status with the council tonight and you’re the only one available.”

“No, I mean…” I took a deep breath. “If you like, I can find us a wine supplier tomorrow to free up Raffaele tonight. I know a few—”

“He’s already left. You have to take the meeting.”

“I-I really need to… see, my sister is visiting and…”

“You can bring her to the council meeting. It’s fine.”

I squeezed my eyes shut and imagined telling my sister, whom I hadn’t seen in over half a year, that we were going to spend our first night together at a town council meeting.

“Adriana, I took a chance when I hired you with no experience and only that recommendation. I need you to step up your game.”

I sank something. “Yes, of course. I’ll go.”

“Thanks. It’s at five and please take notes for Raffaele.”

She hung up, leaving me standing in the gallery with a heavy heart. Even worse, Ema looked at me, disappointment oozing out of her features.

“Sweetie…”

I dropped onto the bench next to her. “They took a chance when hiring me and I need to live up to it.”

Ema muttered under her breath. “You need a damned vacation…”

“And I’ll take one, remember? Once this event is done, I’ll take at least a week off and we’ll go on that trip we’ve been talking about. For now… I have to leave now if I want to get to that meeting in time, so I have to call Franca and give her directions to my place.”

Ema stopped me. “I’ll pick her up.”

“Really? I mean, you don’t know her, so I don’t know if you’ll recognise…”

“You can send me a photo and I’m sure I’ll find her. Do your job and I’ll entertain her for the night.”

I threw my arms around her neck and squeezed her close, feeling my heart swelling with gratitude.

“You’re the best.”

Ema chuckled. “So are you and don’t you forget it now. Here, take this.” She stood and grabbed an extra cupcake which she shoved into my hand. “And eat a proper meal after that meeting, okay?”

“I’ll try.”

“No, you will eat. Go on then.”

I wrapped both cupcakes in a tissue and left for the council meeting. Outside of the gallery, I thought back to earlier today, to the chance meeting, the nosebleed, and the handsome guy who had clearly shown an interest. I imagined how different my life could be one day. Maybe, a year from now, or two, I’d be able to meet sweet men like that and happily accept a date. Maybe some day.

For now, I turned my attention to my clipboard.

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Author’s notes: Hi guuuys! Welcome back to some stuff that I wrote. I’ve been excited to start posting generation 3 and I hope you all enjoyed reading this. I wanted this to be out sometime in January, but unfortunately a rather intense work project slowed my picture taking significantly, so today was the day. Thankfully, from today I have a whole week off, so I’m going to be cooking good food (I’m obsessed with Korean cooking lately), cleaning, gaming, visiting family, writing… oh, and of course I can’t forget my sweet kitty who will no doubt demand my attention and if I don’t give it to her, she’ll hop on the desk and paw at the monitor, trying to catch the cursor.

Anywayyyy, that’s it from me for now. I hope you’re all doing well and that you’re ready for more story from this old blog of mine. I won’t set myself a schedule because it’ll probably slip no matter what, but I hope to get something out at least once a month – we’ll see, though.

Thanks for making it this far and I’ll see you in the next post.

Louise