The weather was miserable - blustering wind buffeted sheets of icy rain through the streets of the City of London. Any unfortunate pedestrians quickly found themselves drenched despite futile attempts to keep the weather at bay with flimsy umbrellas.
Kelly was one of the few struggling with the regrettable weather as she trudged through the financial district. Her Ugg boots were doing their best to keep her feet warm but she could feel the rain slowly seeping in through the thick fabric.
Cursing under her breath, she fought to keep her umbrella upright while trying to tame the mini whirlwind of hair assaulting her face at the same time. It didn't take long before she gave up on trying to tuck her brunette locks behind her ears. Instead, she focused on huddling beneath her umbrella and angling it against the onslaught of sleet.
Her workplace was straight ahead; just a little further!
Bursting through the building's glass doors, she stood panting in the empty lobby for a moment as the heavy doors swung silently closed behind her. The warmth and quiet of the foyer slowly enveloped her as the rain dripped off her soaked overcoat onto the tiled marble floor.
She let out a sigh of relief, a tiny phew!, glad to finally be out of the rain. Running her fingers through her damp hair, Kelly absentmindedly mussed her long locks into some semblance of casual messiness. She just needed a minute to catch her breath, gather her thoughts.
Shaking off her umbrella, she headed towards her workplace. As she passed by various other shops, her eyes automatically drifted from one window display to another as her mind wandered.
Today was definitely one of those days when she wished she could've worked from home. But the holidays had just passed and she didn't want to start the new year by calling out on her first day back to work.
She found herself wondering whether it'd been worth it to trudge miserably through Mother Nature's tantrum when she could've spent it comfortably snug at home instead. The thought of her warm bed was incredibly tempting, especially now that her boots were slightly waterlogged. Chilly toes was not what she'd been promised when she'd bought her Uggs...
Her feet automatically steered her past the other stores until she entered Pandora's open doors. Smooth marble gave way to plush carpeting as she entered the jewelry store. A tall, handsome jeweler stood behind one of the many glass encased counters, organizing the display's sparkling rings in an orderly fashion.
He looked up at Kelly from beneath lightly styled bangs, dark green eyes glittering in amusement as he took in her tousled appearance. "Looks like the weather hasn't improved then, eh?"
She made a face at him before brushing past her manager, Kurt. "Afraid not, it's only managed to get worse."
Shrugging off her damp coat, she hung it up to dry in the back room. Speaking over her shoulder, she commented, "It felt like the wind was going to blow me away!"
Popping her umbrella open, she continued thoughtfully, "I wasn't sure my umbrella was going to make it." It'd proven to be sturdier than she expected. Impressed, she left it in the corner to dry before turning her attention to straightening her clothes.
She wore a simple white shirt and denim skirt. The shirt was cinched in and flared at the waist and sleeves, the angles flattered her slim figure. In addition to having a low cut, her top showed off her curves nicely while revealing just enough cleavage to be enticing yet professional. Her skirt hugged her hips, the bottom ending just above her knees. A long slit up the back stopped just below her pert ass.
Usually she would've changed out of her Uggs into proper heels, but she'd forgotten to bring a change of shoes in her mad rush out of the house that morning. Instead, she grabbed a hairbrush out of her bag and went to work taming her windswept mane.
Glancing out the employee's backroom into the shop, she saw that Kurt had nearly finished organizing the drawer he'd been working on. A bemused smile tugged at her lips as she quietly watched him carefully place each ring, every one perfectly centered.
The way he hunched over the displays, the look of intense concentration as he frowned at each piece of jewelry...Kelly found it both endearing and slightly comical. She wanted so badly to brush his bangs back away from his face, to reveal his somber green eyes concentrating on the task before him.
Instead, she casually asked, "Where's Adam? Out for lunch?"
"In the loo." Kurt didn't bother looking up from his task when he replied. On slow days like today, he kept himself busy with meticulously tidying and rearranging their wares. During her time working at Pandora with Kurt as her manager, Kelly had grown to admire how dedicated he was to his job and taking care of the store.
Nodding silently to herself, she ran the brush through her hair, gently yanking her tangles apart. Mulling over it, she would've been rather annoyed if Adam had gone out to get lunch after the fuss he'd made earlier...
Kelly was younger than both Kurt and Adam. She was still happily enjoying her early 20s. While she wasn't exactly sure how old Kurt and Adam were, she guessed that Adam was in his late 20s while Kurt was likely in his early to mid 30s. They'd quickly taken a liking to her and she'd found herself unwittingly "adopted" under their wing. As much as she appreciated that she wasn't simply another employee to them, she had to admit that the whole "little sister" friendzone could be rather frustrating.
Sometimes she just wanted to be heard and respected. Not coddled.
Adam had been rudely poking at her lack of foresight earlier, irritably pointing out how she had a tendency to never plan ahead - all a part of the Adulting 101 guidebook that she didn't seem to come equipped with. He finished by joking how she'd return looking like a drowned rat.
She was glad he hadn't been around to catch her bedraggled appearance when she'd returned. Remembering the conversation had her frowning as she scowled at herself in the mirror. She winced as she accidentally tugged on a particularly stubborn tangle.
Finally presentable again, she checked her reflection one last time. Makeup was on point, no smudges to be seen. Closing the door behind her, she joined Kurt on the sales floor, situating herself behind the displays across from him.
Instead of pulling her drawer out and reorganizing it like Kurt, she got herself settled and leaned against the glass counter while looking out the storefront idly. She wondered how many customers would stop by today. Considering the weather, they'd be lucky if even one person passed by. "So... anything interesting happen while I was gone?"
"Nope," he replied evenly. "Did you have a nice lunch?"
They chatted for a bit, passing the time companionably. Before long, Adam sauntered in through the entrance.
Despite dressing smartly in business attire, Adam somehow always managed to give off the impression of a charming degenerate. Meanwhile, Kurt was consistently the perfect picture of gentlemanly professionalism.
