Capture Me

Sadness.

That was all I felt. I was empty. Hurt and cold washed over me when I only thought that I won’t see my mother ever again.

I had never thought that I would lose my mother so early in my life. My mother had been my role model, the person I had looked up to when I got older. And now she was gone.

My father and I were so heartbroken. She had been the light in our family, and now the light had gone out. A month after the funeral, my father still had it worse.

He was used to coming home and seeing her. That was the highlight of his day for the last 20 years. And now, all that awaits him is an empty, cold house. And now I was leaving him too.

The weather was growing cold here in New York. The soft thuds of raindrops on my umbrella brought me back out of my thoughts.

My mother's grave is made out of beautiful black marble. Just like she would have wanted it, it reflected her.

A nice, neatly made bouquet of flowers was in the vase on the right. I visited often, and every time I came, I brought flowers. She liked to look at pretty flowers.

Taking a deep breath to calm my nerves, I took in the smell of the earthy scent of the wet dirt. There was a hint of freshly cut grass.

I looked around the cemetery. A few people lingered around different graves, mourning like me. My phone buzzed, reminding me of the time. I needed to go before the heavy rain hits.

I looked at my mother's grave again and said my goodbyes.

“Bye, Mother. I will always love you. Even now, when I won’t be able to visit you so much.”

I looked around one more time, and then I made my way through the muddy path back to my almost empty apartment.

After a quick ride back to my place, I finally made it home. But now, home didn’t feel so familiar anymore. Tomorrow I’m leaving New York for London. A new place, city and job awaited me.

This was a great opportunity.

But leaving was a hard step, and the new company provided me with so many opportunities in my field that I couldn’t say no. Interior design was tough. But it was a passion of mine.

Currently, my apartment was bare. Everything was already sent over to my new apartment. Just some necessities were left.

My once-filled kitchen had only a box of cereal and a bottle of wine, and my lovely big couch was gone. My bedroom was the same as the kitchen. Just a mattress, the clothes I will wear tomorrow on the flight and a small suitcase.

Everything was set. The goodbyes were hard, especially with my father. He was sad that he could only see me on special occasions but was nevertheless happy for me and for this amazing opportunity.

After my quick shower, I settled on the mattress with my glass of wine. I scrolled through my email and checked if everything was in order. Thankfully it was.

Sleep wouldn’t come to me, so I picked a book on my phone and read.

***

The next morning was hell.

I fell asleep late because the book was soo good and the flight was soo long.

Eight hours squished in that seat was the highlight of the day. My whole body was hurting, and I still haven’t arrived at my new place.

London was definitely different from New York. The way people waited to cross the street when the light was on was so different to Americans when they just go, no matter if there is a car on the road or not. And the accent, it was drawing me in. I loved the British accent.

One of the perks of moving to London was that the company I’d be working at was giving me an apartment.

From the pictures they had sent me, the building seemed to be new and modern, with at least ten floors. Each floor housed just one apartment, and it was huge. I couldn’t wait to see it.

My previous apartment wasn’t small, but it wasn’t this grand either.

A loud car honk and a few curse words brought me out of my thoughts. The next second, the cab took a sharp turn. I braced my hands on the seat as the driver slowed down.

“I apologize. A car just took a turn and nearly hit us in the way”. I murmured a small It’s okay in return.

The cab finally reached the building and helped me with my luggage.

Eighteen pounds later and a have a nice day from the driver, I was finally going into the lobby of my new home.

The first look at this place kept me speechless. The lobby was big, with modern designs. The floors were made of black marble, and big rows of windows allowed natural light to come in.

The doorman soon came to greet me, drawing me out of my thoughts. He had a well-kept beard and was dressed in a dark navy uniform. But what mesmerized me were his deep ocean-blue eyes. It was all I could see.

“Good evening. Miss Carlone, I presume?”

“Yes, I’m Katherine Carlone. How are you?”

The doorman, who wore a name tag that read ‘Williams’,smiled. “I’m very well, thank you.

All your things have been brought up to your apartment, and your assistant, Arabella Brown, has set everything up. Let me take your bags, and I’ll show you to your new apartment.”

“Of course.” I followed the nice doorman to the elevator, which took us up.

A gasp escaped my mouth as he opened the doors of my new apartment. The doorman smiled, setting my bags down on the floor before giving me my key and security codes.

“I will leave you to yourself now. Have a lovely evening.” And then he was gone, leaving me gaping.

I was still rooted to the spot, gazing at the beautiful apartment. I snapped myself out of the daze and went to have a look around the place.

I stepped from the front door into an open space—a combined living and dining room.

I peeked into an elegant kitchen—which I would love to cook in—before making my way to the master bedroom. It had a large en suite bathroom and the biggest closet you could ever imagine. This place really was my dream come true.

There was a second bedroom with an en suite as well.

The apartment overlooked the River Thames, and the view from the living room was spectacular.

All the boxes I’d sent had been unpacked, and all my stuff had been neatly arranged, giving the place a modern but homey vibe.

Opening the fridge, I saw that it had been stocked with all kinds of goodies to eat. The cupboards were well stocked too. I certainly had to thank my new assistant when I met her. Everything was already taken care of, and arriving in London on a Friday meant that I had the whole weekend to settle in.

***

I had spent the entire weekend at home, redecorating and reorganizing—and let’s not forget, preparing for the first day at my new job.

It was Monday, and I had just finished getting ready for work. I was wearing a tight black skirt that came just to my knees and a Bordeaux blouse with the top two buttons undone.

Red lipstick, black Louis Vuitton heels, and a matching bag complemented the outfit. My long light brown hair was let down in voluminous curls.

I pulled on a black coat to top it off because in the morning the weather could get quite chilly. I was expected at work at eight in the morning. Leaving at half past seven, I figured I’d have enough time to find the building because it was quite close.

***

I was five minutes late.

I was never late. How could I have let this happen?

Fuck it. I ran like a madwoman till I came to a halt at the reception of the building. I didn’t even have the time to check if the building was the right one. I hoped it was.

“Hello, my name is Katherine Carlone. I am supposed to start work today.”

The receptionist was a young woman, probably in her mid-thirties. She had dark red shoulder-length hair and wore a long black dress with black heels. Simple but stunning. Her name tag said “Emilia Smith.”

“Oh yes, Miss Carlone. You are a few minutes late but don’t worry, the director is very nice.” She smiled, adding that I should take the elevator on the left to the seventh floor.

I thanked her and hurried to the elevator.

The doors were just about to close, but a man inside put his hand out, stopping them from closing and allowing me to get in.

“Thank you,” I said, smiling at him.

“No problem. Are you new here?” he asked.

“Yes, I start today.”

“Well, you will be great at it.”

“How do you know? Maybe I suck at my job,” I joked.

He smirked before replying, “Well, all the people who work here are more than capable of doing their job, so I think you will not be an exception.” He laughed.

“Oh.” I laughed with him.

“So, what is your name, if I may ask?” He turned to me, waiting for a response.

“Katherine Carlone. And you are?”

“Alexander James, but people call me Alex.” He had this glint in his eyes after telling me his nickname. I couldn’t yet place it if it was good or not.

“Well, nice to meet you, Alex James,” I said.

As the elevator came to a stop on the sixth floor, Alex turned to me. “Well, I do hope to see you around, beautiful,” he said, winking at me before stepping out.

I couldn’t stop myself from smiling back as I felt a blush rise to my cheeks. Get a grip on yourself.

The elevator finally arrived on the seventh floor, and I stepped out. A young woman was waiting for me.

“Hello, I am Arabella Brown, your assistant.” She smiled and held her hand out for me to shake.

I gave her my hand, laughing. “Hello, nice to meet you.”

She shook my hand and turned around. “I’ll take you to your office.”

I followed her, and she led me into a big, spacious office with a view over the entire city. I loved it.

“You are the newest addition to our company, so of course you get an assistant,” she said. “The boss will be ready for you in an hour, so you still have time to get settled in. And what do you say, shall we have lunch together?”

My gaze still trained on the view out the window, I replied, “Sure, I would love to go to lunch with you. I think we’ll be great friends. And where do I have to go to meet the boss?”

“Mr Adams’s office is on the top floor—it’s the only one on that floor. I should get back to work. If you need anything, just call me. My number is on the note I left for you.

“Take your time in settling in. Excuse me,” she replied before leaving me in my new office.