prompt
The Charity Benefit (2) - The Charity Benefit has drawn a social crowd and they seem keen to make conversation as well as friends. The room is full of compliments and kind words and every now and then it looks like you're catching someone's eye and one person in particular seems to be paying more attention to you than the others. The stranger lingers by a display table showcasing some of the donated auction items. They look familiar but you can’t quite place why. If you try to approach them, the stranger suddenly seems to disappear before your eyes. It might be easy to assume they got lost in the crowd, but any examination of the room makes it hard to tell where they’ve gone. More than that, it seems like sometimes you catch a glimpse of them in one part of the room only to see them disappear in the blink of an eye and immediately appear across the room in a different spot entirely. It’s impossible to get close to them, and the sensation of eyes on you never really fades.
"-you'll need to submit designs for Winter 2021 by Friday afternoon, and color corrections should be returned by the following week. If you have photos you want to include, you'll need to upload them separately, so don't wait until the last minute like you always do. We're having fabric samples shipped to the office, so make sure you pick them up and have a look before- Mr. Bloom? Mr. Bloom! Are you listening to me? Please pay attention!"
She had no way of knowing what he was doing. Such was the drawback of having a secretary who still worked in California. Clara was a cute but somewhat frantic girl who called him at all hours of the day and night, desperately trying to make sure he was on track with all of the projects he was currently working on.
January had no idea why she was such a nervous wreck. It wasn't like he'd ever been late. Just almost late.
Since it was nearing the end of her shift in California, she'd given him one last call for the day, intent on ensuring that he hadn't forgotten anything and that he'd completed all the work he should have for the week. But being that he was on the other side of the country, it was much later where January was. His mind already wandered.
"Oh, darling, how can I?" He cooed as his vibrant pink eyes roved over the other gala-goers. "It's so loud in here I can barely hear you over the phone like this. It would be so much more convenient if you were here in person, wouldn't it? Besides, you should know I am busy at the moment," and there was something hinging on passively annoyed in his voice at that. "with this display at the gala. You scheduled it, dear."
Her response was a high-pitched warble that January had no hope of understanding, so he continued on."
"Anyway, I really should be getting back to it, don't you think? It's so rude to be on the phone when there are so many guests around, and I think my time might be better served actually participating in the event of the evening..." He thought he caught the gaze of someone staring at him from across the room, but someone walked between them, and January lost sight of it. He cleared his throat. "Yes, I should be going, okay, Clara, dear, tata. Have a good night."
She didn't have the chance to beg him not to hang up on her before January did just that. He clicked his phone to silent and stuffed it into his bag before glancing back at his own display. His company was based in California. They didn't typically have the type of reach that allowed them to participate in events outside of state, but since January was here, it had seemed like a good opportunity to integrate better into the community. He could auction off original designer pieces for the good of the city, and perhaps more people would become familiar with their name. Big events like these weren't especially his favorite, though...
He really should stay nearby his own table, but... Surely it wouldn't hurt to look around for a moment at what everyone else had on display? And maybe he could catch the eyes of whoever had been staring at him.
