It's Been One Week

Cami. My sweet Cami. It’s Jack. It’s been one week since I last felt the warmth of your body on mine. One week since I last felt the soft caress of your lips and ran my hands through your beautiful brown hair. It’s been one week but even one minute apart would feel like too long. I want you with every fiber of my being. My body and my soul…they yearn for you. I will see you tonight if it’s the last thing I do. The boss thinks I’m talking to an associate in New York, I have to go soon. Delete this voicemail upon receipt. In a matter of minutes, the number will be invalid. We’ll be together soon, my love.

Camilla stood in the bathroom of her office with her elbows resting on the sink counter and her head in her hands as she desperately tried to collect herself. The voicemail was one minute and thirty-six seconds long, a fact she knew from having just listened to it twice. As she lifted up her head, the sharp fluorescent lights on the ceiling blinded her momentarily and seared dark spots into her eyes. She had never been aware of the low humming sound that the lights emitted but she was acutely aware now.

She tapped her phone and it flashed a time of 3:54 pm. A seemingly impossible task lay ahead of her: she was going to have to pull it together and present during the quarterly review in six minutes. As she slipped her phone into the pocket of her cardigan, Jack’s words echoed in her head. I will see you tonight if it’s the last thing I do. A sharp jolt of heat shot through her body as she tried to steady her breathing.

Pull it together, Camilla. You can do this.

She stood up and straightened out her shirt before quietly cracking open the door and exiting the single-person bathroom. The hallway was empty except for Ava who was filling up a stainless steel water bottle at the fountain.

Ava tilted her head slightly as if she could tell something was off. “Hey Camilla, you good?”

“Yes, I’m good. Thank you, Ava.”

“Okay…” there was an air of skepticism in her voice. “I’m gonna trust you on this one. Wanna head to the conference room with me?”

“That sounds great,” Camilla replied, smiling.

Ava had been at the company for two years and Camilla had liked her from the moment they had met. She had a quiet warmth about her that made her easy to talk to and an uncanny ability to notice when something was off.

Camilla looked over and saw a gold necklace that Ava was wearing with a pendant in the shape of a soccer ball. In place of the black pentagons were what appeared to be diamonds.

“I love your necklace, is that new?”

Ava glanced down and then smiled as she looked over at Camilla. “Thanks, and yes it is! My boyfriend got it for me for our anniversary. I’d say he did pretty well.”

A soft hum of voices grew louder as they approached the conference room. Ava pulled open the large glass door and held it for Camilla as they shuffled in and took seats next to each other. A loud voice boomed from a conference phone placed in the middle of the long table.

“Alrighty, folks, this is your CEO Jeff speaking. The time is 4:01 pm on Tuesday and we’re going to get started with our all-hands review of the fourth quarter.”

Bzzzt.

Camilla’s heart rate jumped as she looked down and saw a notification for a new text message on her phone. Glancing sideways, she rested her phone on her leg and opened the message from Jack.

If God sends me to hell for the things I’m going to do to you tonight, then so be it.

Camilla shoved the phone back in her pocket before her body could begin to react.

“Well, everyone. I’m pleased to announce a successful fourth quarter and a successful year overall. Here at New Age Tech Partners, we greatly appreciate the hard work of each of our employees. As a token of our appreciation, we’ll be giving everyone a company sweatshirt to start your year off.”

The room echoed with lukewarm applause and agitated mumblings. Ava leaned closer to Camilla and cupped her mouth. “Maybe if we’re lucky they’ll throw in a pair of socks next year.”

Camilla chuckled and it temporarily distracted her until she felt her phone vibrate again. Another text message.

I’m calling at 5. Let it go to voicemail. Check it when you’re able and then delete it.

“...Thank you, Ken, for that detailed analysis of our ideal customer profiles. Really great stats. Next we’re going to go to Camilla Brown for an update on our marketing strategies for this upcoming year. Camilla, all you…um…Camilla, if you’re talking, we can’t hear you and you’re on mute.”

The voice of the CEO cut through Camilla’s racing thoughts and instantly snapped her back to the slides she had prepared for the presentation.

“Thank you, Jeff. And sorry about that. We have several big things planned for this upcoming year on the marketing front. I’ll start with our plans to attend the IT Expo this year…”

The rest of the meeting was a blur and Camilla’s heart rate climbed with every passing minute, her eyes locked on the analog clock on the wall. The moment the hands clicked into place at five, her cardigan pocket buzzed again. It was Jack, right on time just as always. Camilla remembered his instructions and let her phone continue to buzz, eventually going to voicemail.

The moment the meeting concluded, she shot up out of her chair and rushed to the hallway by the bathroom before taking out her phone and listening to Jack’s most recent voicemail.

Cami, pay close attention and delete this voicemail upon receipt. At 5:09 pm I will pick you up in the back alley of your building. There will be a blind spot until precisely 5:12 pm and we need to make every one of those three minutes count. The moment you see my car, get in the passenger seat and keep your head down. I’ll be in the middle of running some top-shelf material to the compound which is where we’ll be heading. If there’s any chance of seeing each other, you must follow my instructions exactly. I’ll see you soon my love.

Camilla’s heart raced as her phone flashed 5:05. She scrambled to her desk, threw her things into her briefcase, and ran towards the hallway. By the time she reached the elevator, she was hammering the down button as if doing so would make it move faster. As she entered the elevator and began the descent to the lobby, she anxiously checked her phone which now showed 5:08. She had one minute. The elevator opened and she made a beeline for the large revolving doors at the entrance to the building. Just as she turned the corner and walked into the back alley, a black Honda CRV with one of its side mirrors bent out of position came screeching to a halt in front of her.

The driver’s window rolled down and a man with a short beard and aviator sunglasses peered out. “Cami, get in. We don’t have much time.”

Camilla did as she was instructed and rushed over to the passenger door slamming it shut while placing her purse and her briefcase in her lap.

“Oh my gosh, Jack. I…I didn’t know if I would make it in time.”

“Cami, the syndicate is blind for one more minute, let’s make the most of it.”

Before she could even respond, his lips were on hers. She grabbed the front of his jacket and kissed him back just as hard and frantically. The moment they broke apart, the tires screeched and the car hurtled towards the end of the alley and into the evening sun.

***

As they drove down the busy city highway, Jack glanced over at her, his lips forming into a thin smile. “I’m sorry about the hassle, my love. I’m in the middle of one of the most critical runs I’ve had in years. We’re talking highly volatile material.”

Camilla peered over her shoulder, where three square styrofoam containers were stacked inside a thin plastic bag on the back seat.

“Oh my gosh, Jack…are those the materials?”

“Yea, pretty genius isn’t it? They’re disguised to look like takeout boxes so that no one bats an eye.” Jack paused for a second before looking back at her, this time for a few seconds longer.

“Cami, I swear on my life that I’m going to get out of this hellhole of an organization. And when I do, you and I will move far away where we’ll live out our days in peace with no one bothering us. Mark my words, I will make it happen.”

Camilla smiled as she gave him a longing look. “You know, if we’re going to make our escape, a tropical island doesn’t sound so bad.” She caught a subtle chuckle from Jack as his eyes turned back to the road.

Eventually, the car slowed and came to a stop in front of a quaint ranch house amidst a pristine suburban neighborhood. Outside the car, a group of kids kicked around a soccer ball in the front yard of a house while an older couple walked a golden lab down the sidewalk.

Jack looked over at her, his expression serious and laser focused. “We’re at the compound. Follow my instructions and we’ll go in. I’ll handle the material. Understood?”

Camilla’s face turned into a wide smile as her eyes met Jack’s. “Understood.”