I get to the Cafe and secretly scan the room for curlyish darker blond hair or black Sketchers walking flats in hopes I could put a face to the feet that seemed to be the central theme of my “nightmare” from this morning. Their haunting beauty being somehow the only form of escapism I wanted with how today's current trajectory looked.
Alas, I saw neither lingering in the cafe. There are people scattered here and there amongst the tables and chairs with no signs of the woman I was hoping to see.
I did however see two interns that Millie usually hangs with. The two of them were huddled into a four person booth chatting away about something. I could see their shoes, two pairs, one on the right and one on the left. Both of them in some form of flat, idley popping their heels from their likely smelly confines or dangling one of them off their presumably pedicured toes. I lose focus for a minute, entranced by their innocent fidgeting.
The pair of flats on the right side of the booth suddenly stopped, my eyes instinctively darting to the other girls flat still playing away. The leftmost flat of the pair that had stopped, then started lifting ever so slowly, pulling my eyes back to it. A pale suede green with a small bow of the same color adhered to the top. The front of it flexing up as if pointing to the ceiling with the right flat coming up behind it.
I shift over to the wall where the menu was and leaned against it while trying to keep my eyes on what was unfolding. Never taking a chance to look anywhere other than the floor and the wall I posted up to.
The toe of her right flat sliding against the heel of the left, proceeds to gently nudge against it till her shoe finally relinquishes her heel. Then with one final push it falls off of her soft, cream white, royal purple painted toes. Her long tan toes stretching and clawing at the air. Seemingly basking in the cool air freedom they just received after being released from the muggy confines of their shoe prison. After a moment to air the left foot poses its toes against the back of the other flat, which is lifted in preparation to be released as well. Her toes pause for a moment... and then with some light scratching at her achilles tendon they begin prying lose the heel stuck in the right flat.
Completely entranced at this point I continue watching these lovely toes fan and scrunch away when the pair of chai colored creamy peds finally decides to lift and rest on the left seat. I then shifted my eyes to the face of the owner of the feet that had just distracted me from gathering my lunch, to find a pair of vibrant green eyes within a beautiful tan visage, staring dead on into my own. Left brow lifted and eyes a bit squinted, certainly trying to piece together what was so important under the table, my heart starts to race as now I take in her whole appearance since I was so mesmerized by her feet.
I see she is in her early twenties like Millie, Middle Eastern tan skin with naturally straight glossy black hair pulled back in a pony. More of a sculpted, model-esque physique, with a vivid green blouse that brings out the color even more in those brightly green hued eyes. This led down to some pants that looked to be black jeans but were just a form of yoga pant disguised as such. Taking her all in I have to say, she was very easy on the eyes which by the way, were still locked onto me.
(Oh shit, she’s still looking at me!) My face no doubt turning a bit red as I try to play off my ogling like I was just lost in thought.
Which led to actual scared and embarrassing thoughts to start rolling into my noggin. (Did she see me staring, does she know it was her feet that had my attention? Naaaaaw...But, what will she do if she does know? Oh man, why can’t I just be normal like for reals dude I only have one strike left and I’m making horrible decisions!)
Her left foot then drops on top of her flat and the right then crosses over her knee just missing the underside of the table showing off its soft smooth and glistening sole. Her eyes finally leave mine as she leans down to look under the table. She hangs there for a second with her right arm supporting her upper body as she looks around, lightly scrunching her toes while doing so.
I can now see her friend on the right half of the booth coming back to the land of the living, her eyes finally leaving her phone probably interested at what in the heck her friend was doing.
I see she looked to be of Asian descent, not sure where from exactly, and in her early twenties as well. Just as thin as the friend she's sitting with and having long, jet black hair done up into a chopstick bun, highlighting her softer featured face and slightly yellowed complexion. (What is with these girls and the straight black hair. Its like a club or something almost.) Her top was a red long sleeved blouse with darker blue jean clad legs across from her pony tailed friends inquisitive head.
I see the Asian intern nudge towards her leaned over friend after a few seconds into her looking underneath. She says something I cant hear from here and the Middle Eastern girl then sits up. Looks to say a sentence or two then points at me.
(Shit! She did see me staring, oh god, hopefully she doesn't figure out it was her feet I was so focused on. I have had enough embarrassment and company BS fall on me today. Damn it!)
Her shoulders then shrug as the Asian intern asks a question, the Middle Eastern girls leg uncrosses as both of them start to look under the table.
It only takes a second for the Asian intern to figure out what I was so lost in trance with when she see’s her friends royally painted toes and feet resting openly airing out and exposed on her flats. She excitedly exclaims something I can finally hear over the cafe commotion
“OMG girl, I bet it's like my last boytoy, Its probably your feet he’s into!”
Oh dear god no, not this. I can't hear the rest of her explanation as she goes back to normal volume. The brown haired girl now is leaned over the table listening intently to the Asian interns thoughts on my ogling. She turns to me after a moment, with a bit of an intrigued look and then, slightly disgusted as she seemed to recognize who I was.
Just then, the worst thing that could arrive at the table, did… and its name is Millie… this day is just getting better and better isn’t it, son of a bitch this sucks.
With what I was caught doing still unknown to Millie, I took the chance to quickly grab a premade soup/sandwich tray and try to boogie. Thats when I see the small line that had formed at the register since the clerk had stepped away to help with a spill. Not wanting to be within shouting distance of the girls, especially once Millie was made aware of what her friends “thought” I was doing, I jumped the line. Leaving a fiver on the register I book it out of the cafe and head back to my desk. Trying to pretend that none of what just happened had actually transpired.
I sit in the dungeon and eat my lunch in solitude thanks to Marco having left for his as well. It took me half a sandwich before I couldn't help but start contemplating how I was going to handle the conversation that I knew was going to occur once Millie got back from her lunch.
Ok so, 25 minutes left for my lunch, add 10 or so since she left after me by a bit so, ok, 35 minutes to come up with a very good perv deflecting argument dealing with her friends unprecedented foot staring accusations…
(I can totally do this!)
15 minutes later….
(Holy Fuck, I can't do this!)
Shit, how do I not turn beet red when she brings it up, or, or,
How would I even get her to take my word over her little clicks?
Oh maaaan… maybe I should just head home “sick” ...wait no, I was already late and they know I was fine when I got here, don't want to risk another strike, maybe I…
As I am mulling all of this over, deep in thought, I didn't notice two people enter the Dungeon via the main entrance behind me, heading to the only person in the room, me.
A tap on my shoulder snaps me out of my worry trance causing me to startle and flinch. Pushing away from the tap and looking towards two uniformed women. Their attire appears security like, but with a little lab tech mixed in. Odd dress, especially when seen in such a casual wear workplace.
“H-Hey there,” I stammer a bit as I begin standing to greet these two women.
The one closest to me, a short haired blond, quickly puts a hand on my shoulder forcing me back into my seat.
“No need to stand sir, are you Nick?” she says in a cordial yet stern tone. One hand on my shoulder, the other on her belt. Pretty strong grip for a lady of here stature.
A bit taken aback by being pushed into to my chair I reply with the look of a confused and cornered rat, “Y-yes, yeah, that's me ah,” I glance at her Name tag, “Bethany,um, what seems to be the probl,”
“Nick Soft?” the brunette woman behind the blonde says, interrupting me.
“Y-yeah, Nick Soft is me, what's going on?” I say confused glancing back and forth between the two woman.
The one touching me shoots the other a semi confused glance and is given a shrug in return, they look back at me and both start reciting some never before heard company rhetoric at me.
Spiraling out from listening thanks to all the anxiety I notice a patch both of them have attached to their odd uniform as this spiel goes on.
Big bold letters reading,
P.E.D.
with an emblem resembling what looks to be a foot in the backdrop over a humanesque shape…
(Well thats weird, why is it a foot or am I just seeing it wrong?).
A single right foot rocketing towards the ground in a stomping motion with the word “Enforcement” underneath all crumbly looking.
Oh shit… their P.E.D. !
The two stop with the corporate lingo stuff and now Bethany, still keeping me pushed into my chair, pulls out what looks to be a very sleek futuristic taser from her belt.
“Now, just stay calm Mr. Soft, this will only take a second and it hardly hurts at all,” she says nonchalantly as the taser looking object presses to my left shoulder.
I begin to panic and push her and the taser away, “Wait, hold on a sec, what do you mean hurt!?”
The brunette woman rushes forward to my right, her name tag reading Melissa begins holding me down as well saying, “Sir, I am going to need you to stay calm, ok?” her hands pressing into me, restricting my movements just enough for her partner to press the device into me again only this time, she pulls the trigger.
*FLASH*
A bright, searing light radiates in the vision center of my brain. Pain surges through my body for an instant and then the feeling of rushing wind from all directions ripples across every inch of my skin mingled with an odd sense of falling. Culminating in an abrupt slam onto a solid surface that knocks me silly.
Blind, disoriented, and quickly losing consciousness I hear one of the two P.E.D. officers say, “I knew the first 3 strike policy breaker would be a fighter, but he kinda acted like he didn't even know we would be coming for him, right? Or was that just me?”
Another voice, this one more distant, “Eh, doesn't matter anyway, little guy has three stri…”
I fade out...