Instantaneous Combustion
Chapter 2: Office Dramatics
Chaos.
There are three different scientific theories on chaos. The first definition and theory of chaos is that it is behavior so unpredictable as to appear random owing to great sensitivity to small changes in conditions. The second theory of chaos is that it is utter confusion. Chaos is completely random without any patterns whatsoever. The last theory is that chaos causes a chain of events to occur from something so small and insignificant to something lethal and surprising.
When, defining the state of her flat at the moment he had entered it, one must find that the closest definition to chaos would be the second theory. Chaos was completely random without any patterns whatsoever. The proof was evident in the clothing, the papers, the objects, and the toys that lay sprawled out on the ground, tables, sofas, and counters. It seemed as if the only thing that was left bare was the bed, although the trails to get to there did not make it a likely sanctuary.
Chaos.
It was an absolute mad house.
“What have you done…?” His eyes were opened wide, his mouth was gapped open, and his mind… well, we won’t explore the oddities in which it had escaped to. All he knew was that this…
Chaos. Absolute Chaos. He, a person whose worst disarray would probably be the papers waiting on his desk when he returned back to his office, had never seen anything like this before. He wasn’t even sure if someone did live here… Only Serena’s maneuvering about the room with classic skill made his stomach clench in absolute awe… and horror.
She was used to this pigsty. He had married a… slob. He shook his head in agony. “Even if the coin did land on heads, how in heck would I have been able to move in?”
Serena laughed at that comment as she walked over a large pile of junk.
He banged his head against the wall.
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It took them three weeks to clean and move out all of her stuff. Three long weeks, was all Darien could mumble out whenever she congratulated him on his wonderful work and told him that he could have had a wonderful career in removals.
He glared at her, contemplating the word work.
Work; as he recalled, was a place he had disappeared from for the past three plus weeks without any notice, just a phone call and a click away. He never actually spent this much time apart from his work before. Hell, wasn’t work his life?
“No it isn’t silly, I’m your life.” Serena corrected him with a seductive look. He stared at her, surprised, only to realize that he had made that last comment out loud like the blubbering fool he was. “Just because you don’t take your work seriously doesn’t mean I don’t.” He responded back to her in a telltale manner. She threw a coach pillow at the square of his back, her eyes glaring at him from her seat on his sofa, watching one of those old films that only those Hollywood types could understand.
She plopped some popcorn into her mouth while muttering the words “cynical business-dork” under her breath like the mature grown-up she was. Laughing, he sat down on sofa next to her, causing her to shift positions so that that she was now in his arms, the bowl of popcorn still sitting in her lap.
“As much as I love you want spend time with you, you must know that spending this much time apart from the company is financial suicide.” He stated a matter-of-factly. She stuffed some popcorn into his mouth to get him to shut up.
“Business junkie. But then again, you do have a point. My assistant has been bugging me 24/7 because I haven’t been doing much for the movie. She always goes ‘Serena, do you want production to hire the director of one of those teen movies? Will that make you happy?’ How I abhor her frightening remarks. But hey, at least she isn’t bad as that Christina. Whoa, remind me never to pick up your phone again. I had to tell her five times that I was only a friend to get her to stop screeching.”
He looked at her funnily then, “A friend? Why would you say something like that?”
“Because I have something big planned for that girl. Remember, we Hollywood types are always big on dramatics.” She responded, eyes mischievously staring at him.
“So what time do you want me to stop by tomorrow for lunch?”
He groaned, fearful of what was to come.
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She made sure he went to work without his ring the following day. Telling him that he’ll get the band back before the day was over – she just wanted to play with it for a little while. He glared at her the whole time, telling her that she was acting silly.
“I am not. I am acting like a sensible Hollywood director would do – seizing the moment. Hey, I can call this whole event research for a scene where the evil witch gets gypped off of that prince because he already has a princess.” She responded to him with a grin.
“…I never remembered hearing that part in the script that you read to me.” He growled back as he fixed up his tie. “If I knew your plans were to make a big scene I would have made a public announcement as soon as I got the chance.”
“And kill all that privacy? No way!” She gave him a kiss. “Now dear, I’ll see you at lunch. Don’t worry, I won’t do anything too bad.”
He gave her a hard glare before heading off to work feeling quite nervous over what his wife could do.
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She made sure she wore something completely flashy and utterly stylish. Her hair was pinned up messily in a bun as she wish washed her way through the front door of the company, sunglasses on her and her head raised high. It had been awhile since she actually got to play around with drama, thus, she was having a field day with it. She stopped at the receptionist desk, with a devious look. “May I ask what floor is Mr. Camden in?”
“He’s in the top floor. May I ask who you are so I schedule an appointment?” The woman asked curiously, as Serena folded up her sunglasses and placed it in her purse. The woman eyed her suspiciously, wondering if it had been one of his bosses many write-off girlfriends, although this one was slightly more stunning than usual…
“He already is expecting me. There is no need to announce me,” she stated, matter-of-factly, flipping her hair for effect. Of course she didn’t know what the effect was… but an effect, nonetheless.
“I’m sorry ma’am, I just can’t let you do that,” the woman responded with a strained comment, raising her eye suspiciously at the blonde’s behavior. “Please make an appointment and you can see him any time aft-“
“You don’t happen to be Christina are you?”
“No, heaven forbid! Christina is Mr. Camden’s personal sectary. I’m only the receptionist, my name is Jamie.” Serena let out a grin, her ears perking up with this comment. “Heaven forbid? Is Christina that scary? Wai! She’s exactly how I imagined her to be! Stereotypical arch-type!”
“Well, she does act as if her fate is ever so entwined with the boss… She says that it’s a matter of time before the two of them gets hitched.”
Serena banged her head on the desk, cackling out loudly as her sides tightened with her uncontainable laughter. “Dear me, this is too perfect! I can already imagine this all! It’s just like from the pictures!”
A crowd of eyes on the bottom floor was already on her, staring at her suspiciously. “Oh dear me, I just can’t wait to go up there…” Serena held out her hand to the woman then, her eyes twinkling with mirth as her lips slanted in a sly smile.
“My name is Serena, Serena Camden. I’m Mr. Camden’s wife.”
Jamie felt her lips twitch. “You’re right! This is just like from the movies!”
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“Did you see her eyes Darien? They went from shocked, to wide, to horror, to terror. It was beautiful! If she could cultivate those expressions so she can express each one freely, she could so become an actress. She really is pretty – she has the total evil witch type look!” Serena waved her arms around, grinning widely. “Ahhh… This is so much fun! I forgot how exciting acting was! Having the scene unfold in front of you… only this was even sweeter. A real life scene that is like an excerpt from a screenplay. Makes you think, ne?”
She turned around to the man who continually banged his head on his desk.
“Uhh… Darien? What are you doing?”
He looked up from her, after a “thud”. “I’m contemplating my existence and wondering how in heck I let you talk me into this. She’s going to put sugar in my coffee from now on.”
“Yum! But that’s the way you’re suppose to drink it!” Serena said, with a grin as he glared at her. “Oh posh Darien, you’re how old? Shouldn’t you make your own coffee? See, maybe that’s how it started, maybe she knew that because you couldn’t live without coffee, having her make it made her assume that you couldn’t live without her either. Scandalous! Good thing I can’t make the darn thing because now I know that you love me for being me not because of the coffee.”
“I’m not going to question your reasoning on that,” he said, smiling a bit at her nonsensical babblings. She handed him his wedding band then, which he couldn’t help but be incredulous that she hadn’t lost the thing considering how small it was and scatterbrained she was.
“You are right though… she was very amusing to watch.” He reluctantly admitted. She slapped his back forcing him upright from his slouching, head banging position.
“Now that’s the spirit!”
He couldn’t help but wonder how he ever was able to live without her before.
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