"Wake up you lazy ass"
Paul awoke at his desk, lifting his head to stare at his computer screen. He looked around in confusion.
(This … is my work office?)
A hand smacked him in the back of his head, bringing him back to reality.
"Are you listening now?"
Paul looked back and saw a familiar, yet not welcome surprise. Standing there was a chubby man, he recognized.
"B-Boss?"
"Finally done taking naps at work?" The man asked in a venomous tone.
"Why am I here?" Paul ignored the question in his confusion.
(I'm back? Then what about my reincarnation? Was that a dream?)
"That's what I want to know" The man commented, his face contorted in anger "Where are the spreadsheets you were supposed to make?"
"…" Paul opened and closed his mouth multiple times, but words never left his mouth.
"What? Nothing witty to say?" The Boss spat out in between clenched teeth.
"…"
"Fine, stay silent then but you're not going home until you're done with this"
The boss stormed off and left him in the small, cramped and dimly lit office, where Paul had spent far to much time in.
Paul slumped over in his chair, empty eyes looking at the ceiling.
"Ah, I had almost forgotten this disgusting feeling"
Despite all the dangers and the short time spent there, he had felt a joy that had been unknown to him before. The feeling of freedom had been almost addictive, but now that he was here again, the oppressive atmosphere became painfully obvious.
Like a massive hand that pressed down on him, a constant reminder to lower his head.
"It felt so real, but was that really a dream?"
His voice came out more hesitant than expected, a refusal of reality apparent in every word.
Unfocused eyes scanned the room in a desperate attempt to find something that would tell him otherwise and yet he found no such thing.
It took some time to recollect himself but eventually he turned back to the documents on his desk with a defeated expression.
He picked up the first paper from a nearby stack and looked through it.
"Another delivery route for 'Too fast for Wheels'? Didn't we stop doing business with them since they never pay on time? And the driver, Mr. Jenkens, I thought he took an extended leave. Is he back already? … Whatever, not my problem"
Paul shrugged it off and went back to work. Only the sporadic rustling of paper and typing on a keyboard could be heard.
The hours passed slowly, as if the clock intentionally decided to drag out his suffering.
Eventually his stomach started growling in hunger and he left his desk for a belated lunch.
'I don't have time for a break. I'll guess this is gonna be another lunch at the desk'
Paul grunted, as he stood up and left, his shoulders slumped over.
His feet felt heavy but he forced himself to walk fast enough that others wouldn't try to make small talk with.
His gaze deliberately never lingered to long on the people he came across.
After everything that had happened, he simply didn't feel like talking.
All he wanted was for the day to be over.
Paul went to the nearby bakery and bought his favorite sandwich for lunch.
Happy to have something good to look forward to, no matter how small, he headed back.
However on the way there he heard a familiar, yet unpleasant female voice around the corner.
"Wait, not here. What if my father finds out?"
A giggle followed, despite the complaint.
When Paul heard that, he froze in place. His muscles tensed up and his jaw clenched.
This voice … it was HER voice.
Charlotte.
The daughter of the company president.
The one who turned him from an average newbie to the companie's laughing stock.
The one who transformed his mundane daily work life, into a living hell.
The one he couldn't do anything about, because of that idiotic father.
Pauls' hands balled up into fists, squeezing the sandwich to paste, as memories flooded his brain.
He didn't turn the corner, instead remained out of view. An encounter with her was the last thing he needed today.
"He is in a meeting right now" a male voice answered.
Charlotte leaned against the wall, as the man held her by the waist and kissed her neck.
"But it's still dangerous. I don't want him to find out yet"
She pushed against his chest without putting any effort into it.
"Fine not here. How about after work?" He pressed further.
"Only if you take me out to dinner first. My 'wallet' wasn't in his usual place and I didn't get to spoil myself today" Charlotte said in a pouting tone. Her cheeks puffed up in a cute manner.
"Of course, babe. Only the best for you"
The two kissed and then left holding hands, while Charlotte hummed happily.
Paul stood still in shock. Not because of the contents, but by the conversation itself. The casual cruelty in her words, was something he had gotten used to at some point.
"It's the same …" He murmured to no one in particular.
He didn't understand.
The same words … the same place … the same tone …
It was identical to a situation that happened months ago.
One of those memories he didn't want to remember, but somehow always came back up.
'I don't understand … it's the same, word for word'
He spent more than an entire minute looking into the distance, trying to understand what just happened, until he noticed the squished sandwich in his hand.
And then his expression shifted from confusion to understanding.
'Ah, I get it … no matter how much time passed, nothing changed'
The situation was simply repeating itself because he couldn't do anything about it … no, because he didn't change anything. But was it really acceptable to continue like this?
'No, it's not okay, but what can I do?'
He trembled with impotent rage, but eventually he sighed in desperation and returned to his desk.
By the end of the day, Paul had managed to finish all of the work that had been dropped on him.
Exhausted as he was, he stretched in satisfaction and marveled at his accomplishment.
'With this I won't have to come in tomorrow and can take the weekend off'
A smile had already formed on his lips before he even realized it..
He was happy.
Finally something was going his way.
And so, he decided to drop by his favorite fast food place.
The fast food place was small, one big room. The kind of shop that was hidden around a corner from the main street, one you would easily overlook if you didn't know to look for it.
The kitchen and the counter took up most of the space, which meant there was barely any space for customers inside.
The food was above average at best, but the owner was different.
He was an over the top and cheery kind of person.
One who would give him a free beer and make jokes with him, while the fries were cooking.
This was the reason Paul liked this place so much. The atmosphere was … different.
Not like everything else that he was used to.
This one was his choice. Not another thing that was forced upon him.
And so he allowed himself something nice, before going home.
Back to another problem he couldn't solve.