BEEP BEEP
BEEP BEEP
BEEP BEE-
"good morning," I said to myself, switching off the alarm.
With sleepy eyes, I slowly checked the time only for me to be jolt awake, "OH SHIT IM LATE?!" I asked myself, wondering how I'm late before shaking my head.
This isn't time for that... I thought to myself as I got up from my bed and rushed to the bathroom, washing my face, I brushed my teeth in then in a hurry.
I quickly changed into my office clothes. The shirt was a bit messy, but I didn't have time to care as I grabbed my bag, phone, and keys, then rushed out of the room, locking the door behind me.
The street was already noisy. Cars were honking, people were walking fast, and shops were opening one by one. "Taxi! Taxi!" I shouted, raising my hand.
One went past me and another didn't stop. "Great…" I mumbled lightly, shaking my head and finally, after a couple of minutes, a taxi did stop in front of me.
"Where to?" the driver asked. "Street 67, drop me near the twin tower." I said and quickly got in.
The taxi started moving. The road was crowded like always with bikes cutting through traffic, buses stopping anywhere, and people crossing without a care.
I leaned back on the seat, finally resting and took out my phone. A message popped up.
Sister: You're coming home this weekend, right? Mom keeps asking.
I smiled a little, seeing that it was a message from like an hour ago and replied.
Me: Yeah, I'll come home this weekend. Tell Mom I said hi.
I put my phone down and looked out of the window as the taxi moved ahead, the city rushing by like it always did.
It's been like a year since I came here, the city of dreams, New York.
The reason? To get a good job and better life and let me just say that it's far more difficult than one may expect.
I came from a small city, a quiet place where everyone knew everyone. Life there was slow, simple.
Back then, New York felt like a dream—big buildings, bright lights, endless chances. I really believed if I worked hard enough, things would fall into place.
Reality had other plans though.
Now I'm stuck in a 9-to-5 job I can't quit. Not because I like it, but because I need it. The salary is just enough to pay rent, bills, food, and maybe a little more if I'm careful.
Nothing extra. No savings. No big dreams coming true.
Every day feels the same... wake up tired, rush to work, come back exhausted, sleep, and then repeat. Sometimes I wonder when this started feeling normal.
I sighed softly and kept staring outside, watching strangers pass by, all of us chasing something in this city, hoping it would be worth it one day.
Soon, I arrived at my destination, street 67, the industrial area.
All around me were tall buildings and people rushing here and there, trying to get to work faster.
Blending in the background, I too moved, entering one such building, before rushing past everyone and entering the elevator.
My office was on 26th floor, with around 20 floor more floors above us, all being used for commercial purposes such as offices with top few being used by restaurants, spa and such.
Luxury places for the rich… not people like me.
I stepped out of the elevator and rushed down the hallway, my shoes hitting the floor fast. The office was already busy with keyboards clicking, phones ringing and people glued to their screens as if their life depended on it.
"Late again?" a voice called out to me as I looked over and saw Mark smirking at me from near the coffee machine.
"Shut up," I said, half-joking, half-tired, as I hurried past him and reached for my desk, dropped my bag, and quickly turned on my computer.
I did the usual stuff... logged in, checked emails, opened a few files, pretended I knew exactly what I was doing. Just another normal workday.
As I was about to finally start working properly, something on my desk caught my eye... It was a diary.
I frowned a little, "Huh?" I said tilting my head, I was sure that wasn't there yesterday as I then turned to the guy sitting at the desk next to mine.
"Hey, did you put this here?" I asked him, as he looked over to me, looking at the dairy I was pointing at with a confused face. "
"What? No. That's weird, man. I checked your desk like five minutes ago... there was nothing there." he said as just looked at him, "Seriously?" I asked looking at him as he nods, "Yeah. Kinda creepy," he said, shaking his head.
I stared at the diary for a second, then I gently picked it up, noticing how old it looked.
The cover was dark brown, a bit rough, with worn-out edges like it had been used for years.
There was no name on it, no design, nothing fancy... just plain and heavy in my hands. It felt strange, warmer than it should be, and for a second, I had this odd feeling like it didn't belong in a place like this.
On the front, written clearly as if it was waiting for me, were two simple words... "
"THE DAIRY".
I started at it for a second before... "Whatever." I sighed, as I then moved it to the side of my computer and turned back to the screen.
'Work first... Everything else could wait...' I thought to myself.
.
.
.
"Finally done," I said, stretching my body lightly, as I started packing up my things so I could leave before suddenly, I spotted the dairy again.
It was still sitting quietly beside my computer, like it had been waiting the whole day.
I stared at it for a moment before picking it up. It felt the same as it did previously, a bit old, aand a little heavy... also somewhat strange strange.
I turned it in my hands, thinking if I should open it now or not but just then... I heard a familiar voice from afar.
"Hey, uh… would you like to grab coffee sometime?" I looked there, it was Mike and he was talking to her... Sarah.
Sarah, a co worker at my office, a sweet girl. We both joined at the same time and are quite close because of that and she is also my... crush.
She looked a little bit shy at first when Mike asked her out but then she smiled. "Yeah, sure.", she said as I clicked my tongue softly and looked away.
Of course... I don't know why I even expected anything different. Guys like Mike always win.
He has everything, he is tall, he is funny and rich not enough that even if has neither of the other good quality, it would have been fine.
He is not me... not some tired office guy barely holding his life together.
Without thinking much about what's going on over there, I looked at the diary in my hand.
"Whatever," I muttered to myself and then I threw it into the dustbin beside my desk before picking up my bag and walked out, not bothering to look back.
.
.
.
"Why's this thing here again?" I asked myself, looking at the dairy again on my desk the very next day.
"Um, it has to be here if you left it here, right?" The guy on the desk beside me asked.
What was his name again? Ah, John.
"I didn't," I said quietly he just shrugged. "Okay… sure." he said and I didn't bother explaining. What would I even say? That I threw it away and now it magically came back?
Yeah, I'd sound crazy.
I pulled the chair back and sat down, pushing the diary slightly away from me. I decided to ignore it and just start working.
That's when I heard soft footsteps near my desk.
"Adrian?"
I looked up.
It was Sarah.
She gave me a small smile, the kind that made my chest feel tight for no reason.
"Hey," I said, trying to sound normal.
"How have you been?" she asked. "You've been kind of… quiet lately."
"Have I?" I forced a light laugh. "Just been busy with life, I guess."
She tilted her head slightly. "You're not avoiding me, right?"
I blinked. "What? No. Why would I?"
"I don't know," she said softly. "It just feels like you are."
For a second, I didn't know what to say. I couldn't exactly tell her I saw her agreeing to coffee with Mike and felt stupid after that.
"I've just had a lot on my mind," I replied.
She looked at me for a moment, like she wanted to ask more, but then she nodded.
"Okay… just don't disappear on me, alright?"
Disappear.
If only she knew how badly I wanted to sometimes.
"I won't," I said quietly.
There was a small silence before I cleared my throat. "I should start working now. Got deadlines."
"Oh... right. Sorry," she said quickly.
"It's fine."
She gave one last look before walking away.
I slowly sat back in my chair.
And then… my eyes shifted again.
The diary was still there.
Waiting.