“I’d like to repeat it too,” I blurted.
Now it was his turn to be stunned. His smile returned after a moment, and I beamed back at him.
“I’ll call you to set it up,” he said. He was trying to compose himself, but there was a quiet thrill in his gaze that matched my own. For a second, as his eyes roamed my face, it seemed he wanted to kiss me.
Iwantedhim to kiss me.
But he didn’t.
I nodded, and he walked away in the opposite direction. When he was about twenty feet away, Colin turned around and gave me a wave. I laughed, waved back, and only when he disappeared from view did I rush to the nearest bathroom stall and silently scream.
When I got home,I barely made it past the entryway before my phone buzzed.
Grant:How was the meeting?
I sat down without taking off my jacket or shoes, exhausted from the entire weekend, flying, and the excitement of being asked out by my boss.
Me:Are we on speaking terms now? They canceled it. They signed with another firm.
Grant:So you didn’t get your fancy dinner after all.
Me:I did. We still had to eat.
Grant:The two of you alone?
Me:Yes.
He asked nothing else after that, and I had little incentive to give him any more information. I wouldn’t tell Grant about Colin asking me out. Not only was I Colin’s subordinate (which created a whole host of issues), but it wasn’t like anything had happened yet.
I did, however, relate every bit of news to Angie.
“This is exciting!” she gushed while I had my phone on speaker while making myself a pasta dinner.
“I don’t want to get ahead of myself, though,” I said.
“Listen. Tell yourself that you deserve this. The way you’re talking, it’s like this guy is a demigod you’d never be worthy of. And that can’t be true! Because my best friend Kate is smart, funny, beautiful, and kind.”
“Aw.”
“It’s true! What’s this guy’s name again? Let me see if I can find a picture of him online.”
“Colin Slade.”
She paused, and I jumped when she unexpectedly shouted, “What the hell!”
“What?” I asked.
“Kate, I looked up his picture. He isgorgeous.”
“I am aware!” I shouted. “What does he want with me? And he’s rich. And the owner’s son. It makes no sense.”
“No way! Stop. It makes perfect sense. You’re a catch. He might be interested in slumming it with the middle class.”
We both laughed.
“At this point, I don’t even consider myself middle class. Did I tell you my rent is being raised again? At this rate, I won’t be able to put anything in savings.”
“Tell me about it,” she said and told me about her spending habits. We discussed trying to visit each other soon, but we were unable to make any concrete plans.
