One Night With Nicholas Reid

KIMBERLY

The shrill ring of my alarm jolted me awake, and I shot up in bed, my heart pounding. A quick glance at my phone made my stomach drop.

"Crap! I'm late!"

I tossed the covers off, rushing into the bathroom. No time for a proper shower-I splashed cold water on my face, brushed my teeth like my life depended on it, and yanked a brush through my tangled hair.

A glance in the mirror made me wince. Dark circles under my eyes, hair half-tamed...not exactly my best look. But there was no time to worry about that now.

Grabbing whatever clothes I could find, I threw them on-thank God it was casual Friday. Sneakers instead of heels today.

I shoved a granola bar into my bag and sprinted out the door, praying I'd somehow make it to the office without looking completely disheveled.

I hopped into my car and drove as fast as I could.

"Ugh! Move your damn car you c*nt!" I yelled out in frustration to the driver in front of me. He was too slow.

The streets were already busy, which only added to my already built-in frustration. Why did it feel like every car, every pedestrian was out to slow me down today?

By the time I finally burst into the office building, I was breathless, my shirt slightly wrinkled, and my hair a complete mess. Great. Just great.

As I pushed through the doors, I immediately noticed something was off. The usual hum of the office was replaced with... laughter? Excited chatter?

I frowned, walking in to find balloons, streamers, and a crowd gathered around Jessica's desk.

"What the-?" I muttered, trying to catch my breath. Did I miss some kind of memo?

Before I could process what was happening, Jessica spotted me from across the room. Her eyes lit up, and she rushed over, practically bouncing with excitement.

"Kimberly! You're finally here!" she exclaimed, grabbing my arm and pulling me toward the crowd.

"Wait-what's going on?" I asked, still a little dazed from my frantic morning.

Jessica grinned from ear to ear. "I got promoted! Can you believe it? I'm officially the new Senior Marketing Manager!"

The pieces clicked into place, and I felt a wave of guilt for not remembering sooner.

Jessica had been working her ass off for this promotion, staying late almost every night. I should've been more prepared to celebrate, not showing up like a tornado that just ripped through a thrift store.

"That's amazing, Jess!" I said, forcing a smile despite my internal chaos. "You deserve it!"

"I know, right?" She was practically glowing with excitement. "We're going out tonight to celebrate. Club Vortex. And you, my dear, are definitely coming."

I blinked, still trying to recover from my mad dash to the office. "Uh, I don't know if-"

"No excuses," Jessica cut me off, waving her hand dismissively. "You've been cooped up for too long. You need to let loose. Trust me, it's going to be fun."

I sighed, running a hand through my already messy hair. "Fine, fine. I'll be there."

"Good," she said with a wink. "And tonight, you're not allowed to be the responsible one. It's time for you to let go for once."

I laughed softly, shaking my head. "Yeah, we'll see about that."

Jessica gave me a playful nudge before returning to her sea of congratulations.

Just then, Katie, one of the random workers at the office called out to me.

"Miss Ross, your attention is needed in the file room." She said.

"Fine. I'll be there shortly".

Hours later...

4:30pm...

"Hey, don't forget about the celebration tonight, Kim. At the club." Jessica said as she escorted me to my car.

"Do I really have to? I mean, they literally threw a party for you to celebrate."

"Come on, don't be a party pooper. Loosen up. Let's have some fun."

"But-"

"No buts. Infact, I'm gonna follow you home."

"Why?"