Day 27/366

The lack of sleep was catching up with her.  Genevieve poured her third or fourth cup of coffee, loading it with sugar and five little cups of creamer.  Returning to her desk, she swirled the brew with the plastic straw she'd grabbed from the counter, allowing the blending swirl to mesmerize her for a moment.

"I'd ask if you're into tea leaves, but I can smell the difference," an amused voice whispered near her shoulder.  She startled and nearly knocked her very full cup over.  "Sorry, didn't mean to sneak up on you like that."

Gen turned in her swivel desk chair and looked up into the ocean blue eyes of her coworker and office friend Jeremy.  "No worries.  Just kind of tired today."  She attempted a smile, but read the concern in his gaze.

"Late night?" he asked, propping himself on the corner of her clutter desk.  He casually glanced down at her case files, then back at her.

She shook her head, blonde curls swinging loosely.  "Just couldn't sleep."  She punctuated her statement with a jaw cracking yawn.

Jeremy chuckled.  "Guilty conscience keeping you up?" he teased.

Gen froze in place, her features a stone mask.  "Why would you say something like that?"  Wrong reaction, based on the shock in his gaze.  "Sorry.  Like I said, tired."

"Hey, wait a minute," he hooked the arm of her chair with his index finger and swiveled her back to face him.  "Somehow I accidentally touched a nerve.  Want to talk about it?"

She tucked a curl behind her ear and maneuvered an expression of innocence before she returned his look.  "Nothing to talk about.  Now, if you don't mind, I'd like to get back to work."  She directed her gaze to his hand on her chair, then looked back up at him.

Jeremy frowned.  They hadn't worked together long, but he had always been able to read Gen before now.  Something was definitely troubling her, and he didn't like the stress he read in her body language.  She'd seemed like a very relaxed and easy going woman; this was not like her at all.

She sensed more questions coming, and stalled them with, "Seriously, just one of those kind of nights.  Now, I really need to get back to writing these briefs."  A half smile and a nudge with her foot to move the chair back around to face the desk was all it took.

"You know if you ever need anything---"

"You're just two cubicles away," she teased, trying to inflect a bit of humor.  Instead, her words came out with a bite to them.  "Jer, I know.  Okay?"

He sighed, then gave her his two finger salute and turned to go back to his desk.  Genevieve sighed as well, wishing she could take advantage of a friend's listening ears.  But no one would believe her story.  No one would see her as the victim any longer.  Especially after tonight.

All words are property of Deena Peterson and not to be used without permission.