“Didn’t know you were still here,” she said. Her creamy skin looked flushed, and I wondered if she had been running.
She dipped her head and set the bottle on the counter, then turned back to me. I noticed that she swallowed loudly, and I wondered why she hadn’t taken a sip of her drink if she was thirsty.
“I haven’t seen you in a while,” she said, her voice low. I didn’t want to miss anything she would say, so I walked closer to her.
Her neck stretched up, her eyes locked on mine now that I was about six feet from her. Those round emerald eyes seemed to glow brighter the longer I looked at them. Had she said something to me?
“Y-your eyes.” Oh no, what was I doing?
She took a step closer to me, making me suck in a breath.
“My eyes?” she whispered.
“I meant I haven’t seen your, I mean you in a while, either.”
“Does that you mean you missed me, Niko?”
“Imissed you, boss lady.” Marshall’s deep voice broke the tension, and we backed away from each other like a gunshot. I’d forgotten he was coming to get coffee, too.
“Oh, hey, Marshall. Missed you, too,” Leyla said, grabbing her bottle and heading toward the door. “Don’t work too late, guys.” And then she was gone.
I glared at my fellow scientist, but his furrowed brows and shoulder shrug let me know he had no idea that he had inadvertently interrupted a moment as we both headed to make our coffees.
It was a moment, right?
Maybe I did need Leyla’s help more than I thought. I couldn’t even tell if that was flirting, tension, or exhaustion.
Pushing the coffee maker's button, I let my question go so I could keep my mind on finishing the report and going home.
The next morning,at the meeting with all the department heads, I sat in my usual spot, next to Leyla, who always sat at the head of the conference table. Everyone was talking animatedly, waiting for her arrival.
I’d worn my navy-blue blazer over a white button-down shirt, no tie, and a crisp pair of tailored chinos, matching the majority of men in the office. I’d thought I’d change it up a bit, as Mike had suggested.
Luke and Leyla walked to the door together just as the meeting was starting, mid-conversation about an issue in the marketing department. Because she was the sun and I was apparently nothing but a sunflower drawn to her warmth and light, my head lifted from my tablet the second I heard her voice.
“Luke, we dealt with this weeks ago. I’m sorry. That’s their problem now. I can’t hold their hands through every step,” I heard her say quietly, stopping once they were inside the room.
He nodded as he strode toward his seat on the opposite side of her. She smiled and greeted everyone as she passed me. “Morning, all. Glad to be back. We have a lot to go over today.”
When she caught my eye, hers scanned me up and down quickly, and she nearly missed her chair. I reached over to help as she teetered, everyone gasping at the sight.
Righting herself before she fell, she held her hand up in a wave like royalty and said, “Nailed it!” We all laughed at her joke as she sat in her chair, taking one last quick glance at me before starting.
I could only guess that all her recent traveling made her tired. So when she reached for a bottle of water, I grabbed it and slid it toward her so she didn’t have to get up. I did the same when she dropped her pen. Unfortunately, my attempt to be of some help to hercaused her to lose her place and start over.
“Yes, okay. As I was saying, we have the green light from the formulation team on the sunscreen that will address part of ourissues,” she said. She continued for almost forty-five minutes, never once looking at me again, even when I was asked for an update from our techs about the sunscreen project. I was afraid I’d done something wrong in assisting her, so I didn’t do it again during the meeting.
“That’s it for today,” Luke said, clapping his hands once. “Thanks, everyone, and a huge thank you to those who have been staying later. We appreciate it, but Leyla and I don’t want that to happen again for at least a week.”
A rumble of appreciation broke out from the team, and I nodded.
“That includes you, Niko,” Leyla said.
My head snapped up at the sound of my name, my eyes meeting hers with a smile.
She walked out of the conference room quickly, and Jaz met her at the door, reviewing a list of tasks. Worried thoughts about whether I had done something to upset her crowded my mind as I headed back to my office, grateful that my list for the day was long as well. I needed the distraction.
Several hours later, lunch was brought in as a thank-you from Leyla and Luke, but I brought my pasta and salad to my desk to read while I ate.
