Welcome to another meeting of the minds that is The Lounge.  This week is a codeword theme.  You can write about absolutely anything as long as it has the codeword (MONSTER) in it.  After a few people asked to know what happened to Lillian and Thom from Tuesday’s post I decided to write part 2.  I had originally decided that I was going to leave it until next Tuesday but I suck at keeping things to myself!

Lillian woke with a monster headache.  She had, had more to drink last night than she was used to and was feeling the effects of it today.  Rolling over to look at the clock, she squeezed her eyes shut, hoping that the numbers she read were wrong.  She opened her eyes again and the numbers were still glaring at her.  If she didn’t get out of bed right now she was going to be late.  After her mistake yesterday, the last thing she wanted to do was give her boss another excuse to be angry with her.

Carefully, she peeled the blankets back and sat up in bed.  Stars swum in front of her eyes and she had no idea how she was going to get through the rest of the day.  She stood up slowly and walked the short distance to the bathroom.  Lillian hoped that a nice cold shower would wake her up and shake off the hangover.  It had been a long time since she’d had a hangover and a cold shower always worked.  A greasy breakfast was also her other line of defense against a killer hangover but she didn’t have time for that.

She stepped under the steady stream, feeling the cold water breathing life back into her dehydrated body.  The water make streams down her body and pooled at her feet.  She put her face under the shower head, hoping that the shock of the cold water could help to lift the cloud of exhaustion that was hovering over her.  It had been at least ten years since the last time she’d had a hangover and she felt every day of it.  Her body wasn’t as young, and she knew that it wasn’t going to bounce back as quickly.

Lillian stepped out of the shower, wrapped herself in a towel and walked back into her room.  This was one of the times she was glad that she worked in a law office full of conservative men.  The dress code was strict and she had a small range of clothes to choose from.  It made things easy when she was running late like today.  She picked a knee length grey pencil skirt and matched it with a dusty pink button up shirt.  It had a loose bow around the neck to add a touch of femininity.  It made her feel pretty and with the way she felt this morning, she needed all the help she could get.

She checked her face in the mirror, she looked flushed and the dark circles under her eyes were more prominent this morning.  She put a thin layer of foundation on, enough to cover her blemishes and a pale pink lip gloss.  Lillian didn’t think she was an overly pretty woman but with a bit of make up she felt more confident.  She walked into the kitchen and checked the fridge to see if there was anything that she could eat on the run.  The fridge was almost bare, there was half a bottle of wine and some mouldy cheese.  She made a note to herself that she needed to get groceries on her way home from work that night.  Admitting defeat she closed the fridge door, slipped her handbag over her shoulder and left to face another day at work.

Stepping out into the street from her apartment building, Lillian was glad that she lived in the city.  Her work was only a couple of blocks away and she’d made good time on getting ready, so had time to stroll along taking in the sites.  A lot of people said that living in a city you took for granted it’s beauty but Lillian didn’t, she liked to look at the buildings as she walked past, noticing small changes, wondering about the people who lived behind the windows.

Day dreaming helped to pass the time, especially on days like today when she really didn’t want to be walking to work.  The sky was clear and the weather was warm.  She could feel sweat prickling underneath her collar.  Lillian felt like she would much rather be sitting in a cafe on the beach front, soaking up the day.  Instead she would be stuck inside an office, looking forlornly out the window as the beautiful day passed her by.  By the time she finished work it would too late to enjoy the sunshine.

Without realising it, Lillian had already reached her office building.  She opened the door with a sigh and prepared herself for another day of answering phone calls.  Lillian greeted the doorman with a smile.  Harry had been there as long as she had, and like her watched the company go from a small start up to a force to be reckoned with.  When Lillian started there was two partners, now the law firm had expanded to 10 lawyers with large portfolios that involved some of the biggest companies in town.

Lillian walked through the large oak doors that separated the lobby from the lawyers offices.  Dealing with big business meant that security was a high priority so anyone had to be buzzed in by Harry.  No one was allowed in without an appointment.  She made her way to her desk and noticed there was a flower delivery on her desk.  Her boss often got bunches of flowers from grateful clients and so she always kept a vase in the bottom draw of her desk.  She went to the small kitchen and filled the vase with water.  Lillian put the flowers into the vase and knocked on her bosses door.  He told her to come in and she placed the flowers on the corner of his desk.  Lillian walked out and sat behind her desk, her in tray was already full and she knew that there wasn’t going to be time for day dreaming today.

She had just started on her first job of the day when she heard someone at her desk clearing their throat.  Lillian looked up and noticed her boss standing in front of her with the flowers in his hands.  She felt her face fall.  Had she done something wrong, she didn’t think she was reading for another grilling this early in the morning.  Her boss placed the flowers on her desk and told her that the flowers weren’t for him.  She looked at him perplexed as he handed her the card and she realised that it was her name printed on the front of the envelope.

Lillian’s heart felt like it was going to burst out of her chest with anticipation.  Who had sent her flowers?  She’d rung her mother in tears yesterday, maybe they were from her.  Lillian peeled open the little envelope and inside was a little card with a cute puppy on the front.  She opened card and read the message to herself.  Her heart skipped a beat as she realised that the flowers were from the man she had met at the bar last night, Thom.  Lillian read the message over and over to herself, her smile getting bigger each time.  ‘I had a great time last night, please let me take you to dinner.  Meet me at the bar at 7pm’.

She moved through the rest of the day as if she was in a daze, she hadn’t expected him to call, figuring she was nothing more than a means to pass the time.  What would she wear?  Where could he possibly be taking her?  She was giddy with excitement and the day seemed to drag out in front of her.  Lillian managed to finish the jobs her boss had set for her in record time and he let her go early for the day, happy with the progress she had made.

Finally she stepped out in the sunshine, everything seemed brighter, taking on a different shine.  She nearly skipped the two blocks between the office and her apartment building.  Lillian had already decided on what she was going to wear.  She had bought a red dress that went just past her knees, it hugged in all the right places and she felt like a million dollars in it.  There hadn’t been a chance to wear it yet, but this felt like the perfect opportunity.

After a warm shower, Lillian pulled the dress over her head and admired herself in the mirror.  She felt amazing and hoped that Thom would appreciate the effort she had gone to.  She had decided that a small amount of make up was necessary, she didn’t want to take any attention away from the dress but didn’t feel comfortable going fresh faced.  After putting a small amount of make up on and sweeping her hair up into a messy up do she was pleased with the result.  She grabbed her clutch that she saved for special occasions and made her way to the bar to meet Thom.

She stepped into the bar and looked around, hoping that he was already there waiting for her.  Lillian checked her watch and realised that was 15 minutes late.  She was never late and began to feel uneasy.  What if had gotten sick of waiting and decided to leave with someone else?  Lillian frantically gazed around the bar, hoping to see Thom.  Her heart skipped a beat when she realised that he was sitting at the table they had occupied the night before.  He was looking at her with a smile on his face, clearly glad to see her.

Thom stood to greet her, “I thought you were going to stand me up, I’ve nearly asked a lady I didn’t know to dinner before.”  He took her hand in his and kissed it, “I’m so glad to see you, you look beautiful,” he murmured.  Lillian felt her body relax, she was happy and was determined to enjoy her night.  They fell easily into conversation and the dinner reservations were soon forgotten.  He stared at her like she was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen.  Lillian was happy and she didn’t ever want to come down from the cloud she had found herself floating on.