When I said goodnight and walked toward the elevator, I half expected something to stop me.
Maybe he’d come up behind me exactly as the door was opening and tell me he wanted me.
Maybe he’d follow me in wordlessly, and as soon as the doors were closing, he’d pull me to him and kiss me.
The elevator doors slid shut, and I went up to my hotel room alone. It wasn’t hard to let go of my silly fantasies. I’d been doing it all my life. Nothing all that romantic had ever happened to me, nor was it likely efver to happen. Even something as dramatic as Margaret Flame disappearing hadn’t really happened since she was back now (not that I wasn’t relieved).
I kicked off my heels and started to undress. I took my time, wondering about the whole evening’s experience. Our conversation had certainly had its weird moments, but I oddly wished the evening would’ve lasted longer.
Colin was… interesting. Unlike anyone I’d ever met before. Sure, he was handsome, but there was something else about him…something magnetic. Maybe it was the way he looked at me so intensely, as if he genuinely wanted to understand me.
The next morning, I met him in the lobby with my suitcase in tow. We greeted each other, him in his usual self-assured manner.
Snap out of it, Katelynn.My hand lifted in a small wave and a measured smile.
He, in turn, gave me a real smile, and, I swear, it was like the heavens opened. I was so shocked that I must have blushed.
He was actuallysmiling?And atme? My chest felt all warm and gooey, and I realized right then that I had an honest-to-goodness crush on my boss.
Wonderful.
The flight back was uneventful and without conversation since we sat in different rows again. I listened to music and read a bit of an e-book on my phone. When we landed and I stepped off the plane, Colin was waiting for me.
“Had a pleasant flight?” he asked.
“Yeah, it was smooth. And you?”
“Great. I have a meeting in half an hour here at the airport hotel. This is where I leave you.”
“Oh, okay. Well, good luck!” I said.
“Thank you for accompanying me to dinner last night,” he said. “I enjoyed getting to know you.” He smiled.Another smile?
I couldn’t help but smile back, this time unbothered by the red I was sure was splotching my cheeks.
“Same here,” I said, taking a calming breath. “See you at work.”
“Yes,” he said. His face returned to its neutral state.
“Okay, bye.”
“Goodbye.”
I turned and walked about five feet before a hand touched my arm. Alarmed, I stopped and saw that it was Colin.
“Did I forget something?” I asked. “What’s wrong?” There was something in his expression, something I hadn’t seen in him before.Was it uncertainty?Impossible.
“I… I’d like to repeat it.” His hesitation unsettled me at first, leaving me confused.
“Sorry?”
“Dinner. I’d like to repeat it. Would you go out to dinner with me again?” His voice was steady now, but the definite uncertainty in his eyes stirred something deep inside me.
My lips slightly opened and my throat was dry. I was fully aware that I should say something, but the words wouldn’t move from my brain to my mouth.
He furrowed his eyebrows slightly. “If the idea makes you uncomfortable in any way, please pretend I never said it. You don’t even have to answer. You can walk away, and it’ll never come up again. I had considered …”
My disbelief started to melt away as I was given a front-row seat to the unnerving of this self-proclaimed confident man.
