3. Rabeka

Every day that passed, Rabeka started to remind Andrew more of himself. She would avoiding talking to people, stay very quiet, and was anxious to leave for lunch and home at the end of the day. It was beginning to annoy him because he never got the chance to talk to her.
No wonder people are annoyed by me, he laughed.
She picked up her job very quickly. Other than a simple training, Andrew hardly ever had contact with her.  
She didn't use the phone as much as the other employees. She was either too shy or self-conscience of her own voice. She didn't communicate well.
If she did talk, most calls were straight forward and to the point. She as very good at it and had a lot of success, but she was unfortunate to get a few rude costumers to start out her work experience. It stressed her out a lot.
Today was the worst so far.
Rabeka had her hands on her face. Andrew could hear the angry costumer on the other line.
He sat watching her. His mind swimming in the endless pool of thought. What is so special about her? Why do I feel this way? It was the same questions every day. Lately he'd been losing sleep over it as well. It got to the point to where going to work was only worth it to see her.
The man on the phone sounded more and more furious as time went on. Andrew figured this could be his shot.
He walked over to her desk. Rabeka was busy scrambling words trying to apologize for something. Andrew listened closely, the man's voice was dark and husky, no doubt someone from the Bronx by the sounds of it.
“Sir, I'm very sorry, I didn't mean to make that joke. I was just.... I... yes I know.” Rabeka said over and over.  
Andrew knocked on her desk. She jumped up at him, surprised he was there.
“Sorry.” Andrew lipped quietly.
She gave him a look of desperation.
“He's so angry, what do I do?” She asked.
“What's his problem?” Andrew asked. A gentle smile on his face to calm her, it didn't really help.
“Ho—hold please, sir.” She looked down at the phone, panicked.
“Um... ugh... I can't find the,” she breathed faster. Andrew knew, and calmly reached his finger down on the hold button.
Rabeka sighed and put the phone down on the desk. She folded—she laid her head on her desk, almost in tears.
“Hey, hey, its OK.” Andrew walked over to her side of the desk. He could smell tears.
He wasn't sure if he would touch her. He decided it would be best not to.
“So, what happened? What did you say to him?” He asked, trying as best as possible to not sound too comforting.
She lifted her head, her eyes red from crying. “I'm sorry, please don't fire me.” She cried.
“No, no, you're fine.” He laughed. “He's just overacting I'm sure.”
She paused. “How do you know?” She looked up at him.
“Well, you're crying.”
“Good point.” She set her head back down on the desk.
People around the office were starting to get annoyed and concerned as well.
“What happened?” A high pitched call came from behind Andrew, along with a hand on his shoulder.
He turned to see Rachel, pretending to be concerned.
Andrew sighed. “Nothing, I can handle this.” He said, trying not to be rude.
Rachel ignored him and went to Rabeka, putting her hand on her shoulder now.
“Is it that time of the month?” She asked.
Andrew squeezed his eyes shut, putting his palm to his face.
Rabeka looked up at her, almost insulted.
“No.” She simply said, her face turning red with embarrassment as she turned away from her
“Just thought I'd help a girl out.” She sighed.
“Right.” I threw in. “Please Rachel, let me handle this, go back to your desk.”
She shrugged and danced back. Andrew rolled his eyes at her and focused again on Rabeka, whose face was still in amazement by Rachel's lack of tact.
Andrew wasn't sure what to say.
“I'm going to get fired, I just know it.” Rabeka finally said.
“No no, just tell me what happened.” He wasn't listening hard enough to know the details, only that the costumer was yelling at her.
“I... I told a joke.”
Andrew blinked.
“So?”
Rabeka sighed. “No you don't get it.”
“Was it a racist joke or something?” He laughed out loud when several funny racist jokes he knew came to mind.
“No, no, I...” She closed her eyes and looked down, ashamed.
“Hand me the phone.” Andrew finally asked.
She sniffed and slowly handed him the handset.
Andrew got his game on. His voice became serious and authoritative, almost fake. He hated talking on the phone, but it didn't mean he didn't know how to do it well. After six years of practice, he knew how to effectively make a sale.
“Hello sir. This is Andrew, assistant manager over sales, how are you today?”
He paused to listen. His facial expressions were more than enough to get Rabeka's attention as she stood up watching his face.
“I see. Yes, I'm sorry about that. She's a new employee. I'm sure she was just trying to...”
Rabeka practically gulped, concerned at his sudden silence as Andrew listened.
“Well yes, I'm sure she meant well. What was the real problem though, sir?” He listened, suddenly his eyes shot open wide and met her gaze.
Rabeka's face showed defeat and she laid her head on her arms. Andrew gathered a small smirk and continued to listen.
“I see,” he said slowly. “Well, I know she didn't mean it like that. Again, I am very sorry. What products was it you were waiting for? Ah, yes. I will see to it personally these are shipped as soon as possible with a twenty percent discount for your trouble. Yes, sir. You're welcome. Thank you for choosing us. Good-day.”
Andrew laughed as he hung up the phone.
“What?” Rabeka said, lifting her head to match his gaze
Andrew pulled up an empty chair next to the desk. They stared at each other for a few seconds before Andrew laughed again.
“You made a “your momma's so fat'  joke after he told you his mother just died?” He continued to laugh.
It was funny. Rude, but funny.
“He told me his mother just died and I... I was just trying to lighten up the mood—he seemed very upset about it. I told a joke, but it just happened to be exact same way she died.”
Andrew's eyes flew open. “No way.” A smile grew on both of their faces.
“Yes that's what he said.” She sighed.
“What are the odds?” He laughed out loud again.
Rabeka was getting frustrated with his laughter. Andrew sensed it.
She finally let her head fall down again on the desk.
“I'm fired aren't I?”
“No.”
She looked up again. “Really? I made a costumer really mad.”
“And you'll do it again and again I guarantee it.”
“Really?”
“Yes.” He lightly played a little drum beat on the table as he stood up, still smiling.
“I don't know if I can handle that again.” She said, staring into space.
“Don't let it get to you, he was way out of line to react the way he did. It's over now, just don't worry about it.”
She stood up. Her tears had finally dried.
“I'm going to go clean up.”
“Cool.” He said. But he felt that wouldn't solve the problem.
She looked back at him. “Thanks for bailing me out.”
He looked back. “It was a funny joke though.”
Then he saw it. A real smile. That was a relief. He was worried that she couldn't.
She tried to swallow it away and then turned to go to the restrooms.
Andrew went back to his desk to sit down. Rabeka met him half way trying to get his attention, but he didn't notice her and kept going. He didn't care, just seeing Rabeka's smile made his day.
Such a fragile existence, Andrew thought. He had lost a small amount of respect for her. She seemed weak. He wasn't into the drama queens who whined and cried over little things. This annoyed him. But at the same time, this tortured woman reminded him so much of himself. At least, the type of person he was on the inside, but was never afraid to show.
Rabeka cursed all the way back to her desk. She sat down, putting her hands on her head.
She didn't make a single sale for the remainder of the day. Andrew knew that this confrontation she had weighed more on her than anyone he'd ever worked with. He walked over to her again.
Andrew wanted to touch her. He had to be careful though, he didn't want to impose on her personal space, something she seemed to value.
He gently put his hand on her shoulder. “You OK?” He asked.
“I'm just not feeling too good.” She replied. Not looking back up at him.
Andrew thought for a moment.
“Why don't you go ahead and head home early today.”
She looked up with a face of enthusiasm.
“Really, you'll let me?” She asked, her voice cheerful. This made Andrew smile.
“Yeah, you had a rough day, there are only three more hours left of work, it shouldn't be a problem. Besides, you haven't been much after all that happened.” Andrew paused and slumped, he may have said the wrong thing. Crap, save yourself  you idiot!
“I mean, most people aren't very productive after something like that happens, so maybe you need to wind down, go home and sleep it off.”
Rabeka didn't seem to take offense. She stood up.
“Oh thank you, I really need this.”
She hugged him.
Wow, he thought. Full physical contact was not what he expected just yet. It wasn't just a hug though, it was a full-body embrace. Her hair buried his nostrils, and her delicious smell was overpowering. Andrew knew he needed to break away soon.
She finally let go, giving him a full-on smile.
He smiled back.
Wow, he thought again.
This experience taught Andrew many things. One, that he wasn't some weak Mary-Sue as he thought she was. Two, she wasn't as shy as she seemed either. She knew who she was. She still reminded him of himself, but she was braver than him.
And three, he wanted it all.

One morning before work, Andrew went to the café like usual. He was early this morning. He had a hard time sleeping last night and the night before... and the night before that.
This morning he was surprised to see Rabeka there. He had never seen her there before. He walked in and instantly knew her scent. His eyes involuntarily locked on.
Her hair was down today. It was long and shimmering red. Almost the color of his, and not just his human colors. It was beautiful.
She was relaxed, legs crossed. She had reading glasses on, reading the morning paper.
Andrew sniffed again once he got closer. A cool berry perfume consumed her upper body, along with an overwhelming smell of humanity.
Each person has at a unique smell or variety of smells. First, their human smell, their individual biological scent. Blueprints for a person in the form of a smell. It has a diluted smell of their blood from underneath and bodily oils. Then there's whatever other smells encompass a human; cigarettes, sweat, drugs, alcohol, other people, and sometimes unfortunately, seaman. No secrets go unnoticed. Every werewolf is born with the ability to smell scents and remember them. 'Smell memories” as his mother called them.  She always had a nice smell. She seemed more calm and alright with the world. Usually at work she looked as though she was depressed. Something was always bothering her. However, this morning, she seemed almost happy. Seemed that work wasn't her favorite place. He didn't blame her for that, but he wished she would show up looking as happy
He tried nodding a hello while passing her to go to the counter, but she wasn't paying attention.
He thought about sitting by her. It wouldn't be a bad thing. After all, what could it lead to? It seemed fairly harmless. He figured this was his big chance to really get to know her.
After getting his coffee, he slowly approached her table. She seemed so involved with her paper, like she was reading a love story.
“Hi.” He said, his voice cracking. Perfect, he thought.
She looked up. It took her a second before she said anything.
“Oh! Hi. Um... boss.”
“Please, call me Andrew.” He firmly corrected her. The last thing he wanted was a title to come between them.
“Oh, right.” She said, not smiling.
“Yes, Hi. How's it going?”
“Um, good. You?” Her face changed from confused to awkward, as if she didn't know him or something.
“Mind if I sit here?” Andrew took his bag off, setting it on the back of the chair, sealing the deal before she could oppose.
“Oh sure, go ahead.” Her voice lightened up. She seemed to be in a better  mood outside of the work place. He liked it.
Andrew sat directly across from her. There was a slight moment of awkward silence as both sipped their coffee.
Andrew continued to smell her. Her scent was more soothing than the coffee. She had a soft fresh perfume smell. It suited her. The best perfumes are the ones that match their natural scent. It's as if she knew.
“So, how are you liking work?” He finally asked. He wanted to know what she really thought.
“Oh, its OK I guess. I think I finally understand it.” She finally made eye contact. “And, I haven't made anyone angry since, well, that one day.”
“I've noticed.” Andrew smiled, trying to get her to smile. He failed miserably. She looked back at her paper.
“Good, it can be a bit annoying being on the phones with those people sometimes, but I listen in on your calls and you are doing a great job.” He bit his lip. Oh crap.
Rabeka bit her lip as she looked up from her paper again. Her eyes narrowed. “You... listen to my calls?”
Andrew kept his cool. “It's standard work protocol. You know how some calls are monitored for quality?”
She relaxed. “Oh right.” She half smirked and sipped her coffee.
Andrew struggled to find something to talk about at this point. He would much rather wait for her to say something. It would be much more interesting. She seemed to wait as well, but then went to studying the morning paper again.
More awkward silence, but Andrew didn't mind as much. He was studying her; her ever movement, her breathing patterns, and her heart rate was surprisingly slow. Usually people feel uncomfortable around him, like the know they are in the 'company of wolves'.
He smelled to find other scents, and couldn't, which meant she was most likely single. He could smell right down to the details; the type of shampoo, body soup, deodorant, what she had for breakfast, what she had for dinner the night before, what brand toothpaste. It was almost impossible to hide it from a werewolf. Even though it was a blatant violation of personal space, this was as close to a human as he could ever get.
“How long have you worked there?” She finally asked, distracting him from his thoughts. It took a second for Andrew to snap out of it, including his intense stare.
“Oh, about 6 years.”
“Wow.” Her eyes lit up as she looked up at him. “That's a long time. You must really like it?”
“I better.” he chuckled at himself. She still didn't smile. This was hard.“Yeah, I do. It's a simple enough job.”
“For you maybe.” She shrugged, her attitude was back again. It was beginning to bother him. “I'll be honest; the pay is nice, but I hate it.” She said.
He really didn't blame her. Her coworkers were incompetent and boring.
Her eyes rolled again. Andrew raised a friendly eyebrow. “I don't plan on working there for that long.” she continued, pausing to take the last sip of her coffee.
“It makes a good temporary job though. I mean, I chose it because it was perfect for my needs. I'm sure there are plenty of jobs out there better than this one though.”
“Yeah, but good luck finding them or getting hired even.”
He tried to make eye contact with her, lowering his head to her level, but it was like she was fighting it.
“You planning on retiring there then?” She asked, finally looking at him.
Andrew paused. He had never thought of that before. He knew he'd be working there for a long time, but that long?
“Um.. I guess. Unless I find better job before then. Can't imagine there being one though.”
She semi-rolled her eyes and looked back at her paper, “I'm just working there to save money for grad school. Hopefully by next year I'll have enough to move out of here.”
His heart slumped a bit. Great, she's leaving soon. And he wasn't sure if he should take her eye rolling offensive or not. He continued, ignoring it.
“Ah, college grad?”
“Yes.” She said, still not looking at him.
“Major?” He pressed.
“Majors.” She corrected, finally making eye contact. “Psychology and Biology.”
“Wow, discovery of the mind and body. Interesting.”
“I'm more interested in the mind actually.” She corrected, flashing her very white and straight teeth. “But, the body pays more.” She finished. Andrew smiled back. He loved seeing her smile.
“Awesome. So, where are you hoping to go for Grad School?”
“Well, I really want to leave the country as soon as possible.” She swallowed, there was a look of relief to that thought. “There is a school in London that is good. They have good nursing schools there.” Andrew smiled again. “I also have a part time job at the hospital as a nurses assistant.”
“Wow, busy girl.” he teased.
“Yeah, well, I'm on call, but they never call me.”
“But that sounds like it'd be good for you.”
She nodded.
Andrew took sip of his coffee, trying to figure out what else to say. He wasn't sure why he cared so much about her life, but it seemed important to him right now.
She brushed her fingers through her hair. The look on her face was equal to his. He could tell he was making it more awkward for her. It isn't every day your boss sits down and has a conversation with you about every day things.
Andrew looked at his watch. “Well, I guess we should both get to work huh?” he laughed.
She nodded, and stretched. “Yah, I guess so.” She stood up quickly and grabbed her things.
Andrew wasn't sure if he was supposed to wait for her to come with him or if he should just leave without her. She seemed eager to escape, but she walked beside him to the door. After she threw her paper and coffee away, he thought should I open the door for her?, but the  choice was pleasantly decided for him as she waited. He had no idea he could be a gentlemen as he swung it open for her.
“After you.”
Andrew could smell the sudden rush of blood to her checks as she blushed and thanked him on the way out. The passing scent caught him and through him off for a second as he composed himself in the doorway. She looked back, a little confused.
As they stood on the corner, waiting for the traffic to stop, Andrew now felt more awkward than ever. I feel like her escort, he thought. It was weird for both of them.
Rabeka looked at Andrew with a curious face. Andrew met her gaze, giving her an inviting expression to let her speak.
“So, I just have to ask.”
“Yes?”
“And I hope you aren't offended, but, what is that marking on your eye?”
Ah, that question, he thought. He had heard it a million times. Andrew hated this part of living in humanity. It's not a normal thing for a human to have a tattoo over their eye. Tattoos in general are still considered wild and abnormal in society, so to see one so exposed, sure did draw unwanted attention. He didn't want to answer the question, but he didn't want to seem rude of course. For occasions such as this, he had a list full of lies, but for some reason, he had a hard time thinking of a single one. He didn't want to lie to her. But he didn't want to give her anything near the truth. He often joked about telling someone the truth, just once to see their reaction. It brought a smile to his face for a moment, but then back to finding an answer.
“Um...” he stammered. He thought of the first lie that came to his mind. “I... was a rebellious kid in high school. Peer pressure, tattoos were cool, I was an idiot, ya know how that goes.” He mumbled it fast, hoping to high heavens that he will remember it for later, just in case.
Andrew was surprised when she laughed. Giving a small chuckle himself.
“Yeah, that's cool!” She said. “I have a tattoo on my lower back my mom still doesn't know about. My high school rebellious days as well.” She looked at him with a mischievous look. It made Andrew howl inside.
Wow, somebody who actually relates to me. He took a big sigh of relief. No judgments at all from her. Andrew had seen many different reactions, but this was  a first.
“One day if I save up, I'll get it removed.” If it is even possible.
“Why? I like it. It's very unique. Does it have a meaning?”
He thought for a second, knowing that somewhere in his childhood he was taught what their pack symbol meant, but he couldn't remember.
“Don't think so.” He finally responded.
He was very glad that Rabeka didn't have any second thoughts on this. Even though he wouldn't blame her if he would, he admired her acceptance, and already he could tell that this was going somewhere good.
“Um... want to see mine?” She finally asked.
Andrew's eyes flew wide. He wasn't excepting that reaction at all! He wanted to see, but at the same time, was that a bit too personal?
“Um, sure!” He found himself saying, hoping he didn't sound like a weirdo.
The light finally changed and they were allowed to cross the street. Once they entered the building, she waited to show him in the elevator.
She pulled up her shirt to expose a small tribal design on her lower back. It was very similar to his, but he knew it wasn't anything to do with a werewolf tribe.
“I like it.” He said.
Rabeka bounced back to standing position, proud of her disobedient artwork. “Thank you. I picked it out myself.”
He smirked back.
With what little time they had until they reached the office, they continued to talk about their lives. Mostly hers, and Andrew dug for information.
He found she was originally from Wyoming. After graduating from high school, she went to college in Chicago. She skipped over her time there very quickly. She had a firm face when she mentioned it. Something told him her experience there wasn't so pleasant. He didn't press the issue.
Andrew was amazing at how well you can get know someone on a fifteen minute walk. She was light and spunky, and spoke her mind. She had a grace about her that was just refreshing to be around. He realized this was the best morning he had ever had.
Once they got off the elevator, Andrew realized she hadn't learned a single thing about him. I must have sounded so nosy, he thought.
Suddenly feeling embarrassed from asking all the boring questions, he attempted last minute to tell several things about himself, where he was born and his home life, unfortunately nothing but lies. He told her his parents died 5 years ago. He wished.
They reached the office and Andrew was forced to cut his lies short. He was grateful, because lying to her didn't seem right, but he truly enjoyed her company.
“Well, it was nice talking to you. Thanks.” Rabeka said, a half smirk on her lips.
Andrew nodded. “Yeah, maybe tomorrow we can do it again?” He asked, almost gulping out loud, hoping she didn't feel awkward. He was re-assured when she nodded, smiled and then walked to her cubical.
Andrew turned to go to his desk, sat down, and for the first time ever, he was smiling at work.