10-MINUTE PROMPT: Dissatisfied employees have walked out on the job. After the strike has gone on for a couple of weeks, management brings in a negotiator to try to work out a deal. Unfortunately, the negotiator soon discovers that a vindictive ex-fiancé is among the employees. Write a rom-com scene about their reunion on the picket line.
I can hear them before I see them. Their voices rising above the uneven cacophony of city traffic. A steady chant of “Unfair wages! That’s outrageous!” pierces the air. I adjust the buttons on my suit jacket, pull my shoulders back, and breathe in. My first negotiating job and I’m ready to nail this. My confidence wraps around me like a cape. Nothing’s getting in my way today. I turn the corner and begin to ping-pong through the throng of striking workers when I hear something that stops me in my tracks. “Oh, this is rich,” a familiar voice says. No. Please don’t let it be. I turn and there he is. Smiling—sarcastically, of course—with those damn perfect teeth. Marcus. My ex-fiancé. “Hello, Marcus,” I say, trying to keep my voice even, though the butterflies in my stomach are threatening to fly out of my mouth. Stay calm, Cal. Maybe he’s changed. Marcus looks me up and down, then spits out an irritated laugh and says, “If you’re the negotiator they’ve brought in, we’re screwed. Playing fair certainly isn’t your strong suit.” He turns back to the picket line and takes up the chant. A sea of people rolls me toward my destination. Despite my shaking hands, I manage to pull open the glass door and duck into the building’s foyer. I steal a glance back at the picket line. At Marcus. His dark hair has grown a bit longer and is starting to curl at the ends. The muscles in his perfectly toned neck are stretched taught as he shouts along with his coworkers. His neck. The one I used to love to kiss. Dammit, Cal, focus. You’ve got to focus.