I was shifting in my chair uncomfortably, itching for the zoom call to finish when my phone buzzed. Today has been a slow day at work. No client deadlines were coming up within the week. Since most people are still adjusting to the office culture after COVID-19, the office was mostly deserted.
I liked to mix it up a bit. Constant periods of working from home didn't work well for me at all.
Leaning over, I saw a text from Amy, telling me that she might get late to come home. Bummer! I thought.
Amy was into design & digital advertising and worked at a young firm near our house. She used to work from home full time till I started going back to office. Now she says working from home isn't as fun without me to annoy when she was bored. I think being in creative arts meant you had great days and off days. Kind of like a writer where you have days with ideas flowing from every direction and some days you are just dead in the water.
By 6.30, I was cruising on the highway heading home. Apart from hitting the supermarket for groceries I got home quickly. The traffic was yet to pick up to pre-pandemic levels. I was relaxing with a cup of coffee on the sofa when Amy popped in at about 8pm.
"Hi handsome" She called when she saw me.
"Hey babe! There is some coffee left in the pot" I replied, tilting my head. I was too lazy to get up. She was dressed quite casually. This was the first time I was seeing her after I saw her with Daniel last night.
"Thank youuu! What do you want to do for dinner?" Amy called from the kitchen.
"I am feeling lazy, shall we order some Chinese? "I asked, secretly craving some chilli chicken and fried rice.
"How many times have you had Chinese this week Mr. Soon to be Fatty" Amy asked, fully knowing my love for Chinese and oily food. Amy was more health conscious, although she had her greedy days.
"Just today PLEASSSEEE! It's a Friday also. That means you should chill with good food" I pleaded with my best puppy eyes.
"Your ass is gonna be quite sorry on the day you make me fat" Amy said, finally conceding.
"Fatter you mean" I couldn't help teasing as Amy punched me while giggling as she left for a shower.
Despite my joke, she was quite slender and fit. We both exercised together with a mix of weights and cardio few times a week. Mountain Biking, Hiking and camping were a few shared passions that made us click instantly.
Pretty soon a refreshed version of Amy appeared from the Master Bedroom. She was just wearing a pair of loose shorts and an old t-shirt with a very relaxed smile. The key to my cage nestled safely in its rightful place.
"Eyes up here perv" Amy said jokingly as she jumped onto the sofa and snuggled into me. We were chatting about work and planning a camping trip for the weekend till late evening when the food arrived. It wasn't until we were done with the food did Amy bring up last night.