Birthday Lament

"Here comes the birthday girl," thought Craig as he watched Rachel glide along the corridor towards him. He admired her gleaming tanned legs and the swell of her breasts bobbing softly within the sea green velvet of her dress. She always looked lovely, but today she looked like a princess. She sparkled with confidence.

She smiled and he felt his pulse quicken.

"Will you be popping by for a slice of birthday cake later?" she asked. She had mentioned her birthday yesterday, gently flirting with him, as he installed an upgrade onto her computer.

Later, he watched her pass out slices of cake, playing the elegant hostess and holding court with the P.A.s. “Two-faced bitches”, thought Craig. He had heard them slagging off Rachel, as he unraveled a tangle of cables under a desk. They fawned over her now: admiring her dress and new hairstyle.

“Is it for the wedding?” asked Tina.

“Yes,” she replied, patting her caramel curls, “I thought I’d risk something different.”

Craig noticed the glint of a diamond on her left hand. He tried to persuade himself that he was mistaken, but then one of the other office girls glanced from him to Rachel and cooed:

“When is the big day then Rachel?”

Craig’s brain reeled: he didn’t wait for the answer. His heart clenched and bile rose in his throat.

“In two days time,” he heard, as he rushed out of the office.
…………………………………………………………………………

Rachel sat at her desk as she waited for her computer to shut down. She had just phoned the Help Desk, inventing a problem for Craig to fix, but he had gone home early. She struggled with the disappointment.

Once home, she kicked off her new gold shoes, noticing with a wince the burst blister on her heel. She assessed her slim silhouette in the full length mirror. She had worked hard to tone up for the wedding.

She settled herself on the end of the bed and tore open the post. There were birthday cards from family but nothing from her fiancé, David, working away in Paris. The long white envelope was too flexible to be a card. She tipped its contents out onto the bed. Two tickets for the Beck concert tonight. She had no one to go with: David was too busy to come home early for her birthday and none of the girls in the office were interested. She had thought she might ask Craig, but it was too late now.

Her mind turned to the first time they met. Her heart had fluttered in her rib cage like a bird trying to free itself. He had disappeared so suddenly this afternoon, she hadn’t had chance to speak to him. It was too late now.

Only two days until her wedding day.

She had left it much too late.