I met him two weeks ago, during a Tea & Talk event. His blue eyes were what struck me first, they looked like melting glaciers, but the warmth lying in the blue depths was intensely intimate and startling. It was hard to tear my eyes from his. As we lurched into our group discussion, he proved himself more than just a pretty face, revealing himself as clever, considered and an easy conversationalist; he treated all ideas as valid and respected the diversity of the individuals who made up our team. I felt a connection with him right away and, when he caught my hand at the end of the night and asked me for my number, I knew the feeling was mutual. We started texting that night and hadn't stopped. Day and night, it was an endless volley of texts back and forth, rapidly leaving the comfortable confines of friendship and becoming something more. Serendipitously, it turned out that we both worked at the same place: he worked on the first floor of the City Hospital as a researcher; I worked on the fifth floor as a therapist.
Which is where I was at the moment, stuck in the grasp of a very long work day; I was glad my week was almost over. My phone, on the desk beside my computer, buzzed with a text: "Hey Beautiful. Are you at work?"
I smiled despite myself. We were both married to our jobs, spending more time within this building than outside of its walls. I typed out my reply: "You know it. I'm always here 🙄😋. What are you up to?"
It was late, 11:15pm. Ideally I would have left by now, but the pandemic had left a lot of people reeling and I felt it was my duty to squeeze as many people into my day as possible. I had finished seeing patients hours ago, but the paperwork afterwards was a bitch and took a very long time to complete. I saved my notes on the chart and stretched at my desk while I waited for him to reply. It didn't take long: "I'm here too but I'm bored and tired. I need to wait an hour for my project to gel before I can finish up for the day."
"I have three charts left to finish up, but I'm losing focus too. I got here at 830 this morning," I replied, rubbing my eyes as I realised just how long my day had become.
"... I don't suppose you would want to come and visit me down here? A walk would do you good 😋" The text surprised me; despite working in the same place, we had never met up outside of the cafeteria.
"Sure, why not. I need to stretch. Where?" Standing from my desk, I grabbed my keys and locked my office. The walk to the elevator was short, but my body protested such movement after hours of sitting.
My phone buzzed as I stepped onto the elevator and hit 1. "First floor, go to neurology. My office is 1.N.505 (second door to your left)."
The elevator ride was quick and I didn't have much of a walk on this floor either; neurology was right below my unit. As I meandered down the corridor looking for his office, I looked around at the pictures of neurons and slices of the brain decorating the corridor.
"Hey you. You found it!" he was perched on the corner of his desk. Brown hair was thinning at the top, but the look suited his features and only served to accentuate his lean and long body. His office was decorated with stress balls that looked like the brain and shelves of textbooks. I smiled nervously, hovering around the doorway. Our connection was so new, it was hard to tell where we were - what we were. "It wasn't so difficult to find."
"Come in, please," he opened his arms for a hug. I stepped over the threshold and went to him. Stepping between his legs, I wrapped my arms around his shoulders and rested my head there. I could feel his warmth through my scrubs; I always found myself cold when I worked nights and today was no exception. He felt wonderful. As I stepped closer to him, his legs closed gently around mine and his strong arms held my torso tightly. He smelled of sweat and sterile corridors. Perhaps it wasn't the hallmark sexy scent, but it did something to me. The musk, unique only to him, paired with the scent of research made me think of dreamers and doers, of leaders and discovery.
His head moved and, when I turned to look at him, he placed his lips to mine in a featherlight touch. His kiss was soft and gentle, relaxed and reverent; it felt like he had all the time in the world for this tender moment. His right hand stroked up and down my spine as his left hand settled on my waist. My nerves woke up with his touch, my lips pressing back hungrily against his. I licked at the soft pink skin, seeking entry to his mouth.
After a moment, his lips retreated from mine and he rubbed the tip of his nose against mine. "I'm glad you came for a visit," his voice was soft on the still air; the only other sound in his office was the quiet hum from his machines across the corridor.
I rested my forehead against his. "It's good to see you again. I missed your face." My right hand moved up his neck into the hair at his nape. As I ran the strands through my fingers, I could smell the eucalyptus from his shampoo. "You smell good." I smiled shyly, blushing. I nuzzled my cheek against his and felt his breath on my ear.
"So do you," his tongue licked my earlobe. "I know it's only been two weeks but,..." his teeth caught my earlobe, gently but firmly. "I feel this pull to you. I think about you all the time." His voice was a quiet murmer in the air, sensual and seductive, pulling me to him. His left hand splayed against the small of my back as his right hand caught my ponytail and tipped my head to the side.