"I'm just around the corner! I know - I'm late. I'll be there in literally three minutes."
I ramble into the phone at my coworker, driving without haste toward the office. I really was just around the corner, and there was no reason to rush in today. We had no meetings scheduled, and my iced coffee with hazelnut syrup was well worth the delay.
"No rush, dear. There's just a gentleman here that says he needs to speak with you, so I told him I'd let you know."
"Oh." That's strange. I wasn't expecting anyone. "Who is it?"
"You know, I don't know! He just said he would wait for you."
Well, that's helpful. I hastily got off the line with her, peeved at her apparent lack of secretarial skills. Shit, I hope I didn't forget something important.
- -
My angry rapping on the door is greeted by my ever perky coworker. "Hey sweetheart! Don't you look nice."
"Oh, thank you! I'm excited to wear sundresses again," I reply distractedly, scanning the empty lobby for the waiting client. I sense movement to my right, and as I turn my attention, my eyes flicker in confusion. My mouth falls slightly agape, and my vagina clenches instinctually. What the actual fuck.
Flushing slightly, a tense hand runs through his mess of hair and his eyes wander from my face of horror down to my new suede pumps. Shoving his hands into his pockets, he glances up at me, eyebrows furrowed and pensive. "I just... I dunno," he manages to splutter, before defeatedly shrugging. I know he's searching my face for a clue of how to proceed, but I'm honestly too taken-aback to respond. What in the ever-loving, actual fuck.
With a whisper of an excuse, my coworker makes her escape (apparently aware of the storm brewing), and we are left alone with each other. The two and a half years we've spent apart have been kind to him, though the effects are present. His eyes seem less fiery than the ones I remember. But his hands are the same. Strong and firm, able to glide across your skin like feathers... able to hold you down, or hold you up... I've had those hands imprinted on my skin, evidence of many heated-
"So, you don't have anything to say?"
My gaze returns to his face. His eyes dart between the floor and my puzzled stare. I know he needs some reaction, but I haven't processed the situation yet. My mouth opens, armed with all of the words I've cried in a drunken stupor, unable to reach ears that weren't present. Suddenly, out pops, "Let's go for a walk."
- -
Unconsciously strutting down the sidewalk in the parking lot, my head spins with the absurdness of my current situation, and my hips sway with the height of my heels. I can't form thoughts through the red panic rushing through my mind. What is he doing here, for the love of God? I wasn't ready for this today. I need time.
Gently, I feel a hand grab hold of my swinging arm, and I slow my pace. God, this man. As I stand staring at him in the Spring sunlight, his clenched eyebrows plead for any response. He was never very good at reading me. Squinting through the light, I reach up to run my fingers across his creased forehead. Skimming down his temple and venturing into his curls, I let my arm rest on his tense shoulder.