“Huh?”
“Earlier, before in the office,” I reminded her. “You stay, I stay…except.”
“Oh, that’s right. I did say that.”
I glanced over and saw her blink. Which meant she hadn’t forgotten at all what she’d said. Anna was the worst liar imaginable. Something that pleased me about her.
“Except…I was wondering if this Friday I might be able cut out by, say, around, six?”
“Why?”
She took a deep breath and it all came out in a rush. “Someone from my apartment complex asked me out on a date. Like a date, date. Like the kind of thing you see in the movies, only I’ve never been on an actual date. I mean, it’s not like I didn’t have offers at the Motel 17, if you know what I mean. And there was my creepy manager at the diner, which definitely did not count, but I think this is legit. His name is Kenny, he’s kind of nerdy, but he seems sincere. I’ve been trying to just get by for so long, you know what I mean? But things are really changing in my life now and so maybe it’s time. Maybe I’m ready?”
She took another massive breath, having run out of all her air and scattered thoughts.
“Can I go?”
We hit the lobby floor and the doors to the elevator opened.
“No.”
I hit the button to close the doors and she quickly stepped out into the lobby, her expression seemingly confused. I don’t know why she was confused. She asked a question. I answered it.
There wasn’t anything more simple than that.
The Next Day
“I imagineyou’re annoyed with me,” I said, verbalizing what I felt was the elephant in the room.
We’d been working separately in our offices since our morning ritual, during which she’d been abnormally subdued, I thought. I didn’t push it then. However, having just delivered my lunch, along with my afternoon schedule, I thought I could still sense a certain amount of tension emanating from her.
We needed to clear the air.
She was standing in her usual spot on the other side of my desk and I turned my chair to focus solely on her.
“No,” she said, shaking her head. “Why?”
She wasn’t blinking. Normally she blinked when she lied or played dumb about something.
“You’ve been tense,” I pointed out.
“I have?” She shook her shoulders and rolled her head around her neck. “I don’t feel tense. Could be some leftover soreness from moving day. You know there is a yoga studio not too far from my apartment. I’ve been thinking about signing up. All this sitting can’t be good for the body. Have you ever taken yoga?”
“No,” I answered sharply.
“It might be good for you. All that tension you carry in your shoulders-”
“That’s not…” I stopped and took a breath. “I’m not talking about physical tension. It’s been tense. Between us.”
“It has?”
I gritted my teeth. “Stop answering my statements with a question. You’re being obtuse.”
“I’m not being obtuse,” she countered. “I legitimately don’t know how else to answer you. What’re you talking about?”
“About last night,” I said. “About not letting you leave before six this Friday.”
Her brow furrowed and she looked genuinely confused. “I’m not mad about that.”
