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-- CHAPTER 3: After the Date --
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*-- FEBRUARY 2007 --*
"He's a stockroom clerk."
"I know."
"He's three years younger than you!"
"Only two, at least until April." I sat there and looked at Stella, waiting her out. "Got anything else?"
Stella grinned and shook her head. Her time playing Devil's Advocate was over. "Nope. Not a thing. After all, I WAS trying to set you two up together. And how the heck did this happen? I thought you two were 'just friends'." Stella even put her hands up to make the air quotes.
I rolled my eyes. "What did you THINK I was going to tell you until I figured out if we'd be good together?"
"Oh, so you *lied* to me back in January when you claimed you had no interest in each other? If I'd known how you really felt, I would have done a LOT more to help you two hook up!"
I chuckled. "Thank you, but I think I did just fine on my own."
"I'll say..." Stella then shook her head wryly. "I can't believe you put out on the first date."
"Hey, YOU were the one telling me I needed to get laid." I blushed. I wasn't going to announce that Teddy and I had actually first slept together last December. So I just shrugged and replied, "No regrets. And I'm not worried. He's here for the long haul."
"He was that good?" Stella asked with a twinkle in her eye.
I nodded with a bigger gleam in mine. "He came four times. Five, if you count this morning."
"You little slut!"
I giggled and nodded.
"Five times???" she asked incredulously. "Most I've ever gotten out of Chuck was three, *including* the morning after. But did he get *you* off?"
I leveled my gaze at my pretty blonde friend. "Would I have been this excited to tell you this morning if he didn't take care of me? The boy's a born muff-diver; and he's *good*."
"*Sooo* jealous... He could've been *mine*."
"Wait, what?" I popped my eyebrows.
"Oh, it's nothing serious." Stella waved her hand dismissively. "When Chuck and I were having issues last November, for around fifteen minutes I thought about seducing Teddy. I really don't meet that many guys my own age around here. And he IS cute."
I smiled smugly. "He wouldn't have gone for you. He was still crushing on me."
"Maybe." Stella gave me a challenging grin. "But then you've never actually *seen* me go to work."
I laughed and the two of us chuckled over that for a few seconds. Stella then leaned forward and slapped my knee, a look of mock outrage on her face. "So how come *I* didn't know you two were going on a date last night? It was a Wednesday! What's up with that?"
I giggled again and explained what had happened, starting back in the lab when I managed to spill chemicals into my face. After telling Amber the story this morning, I had the whole thing pretty much worked out.
I'd have the story down pat by the time I had to tell Audrey and Paula.
We were just getting to the point in the narrative where Teddy was walking me up to my door after dinner. He'd kissed me and was just about to walk away, stammering about how he didn't want to presume that I'd put out for him on the first date. But before I could get to that part, a knock sounded at my office door.
Momentarily surprised, I blinked and then looked past Stella, who was sitting in one of my wing chairs. And then I called out, "Come in."
The door swung open, and a big smile spread across my face as I saw who was coming in. "Teddy!" I exclaimed.
"Hiii, E-Beth," he greeted me warmly, that goofy grin appearing at the mere sight of me. But a second later, he jerked in surprise. "Oh, uh, hi, Stella."
"Teddy..." Stella drawled, an impish smirk on her face.
"What's up?" I asked.
"Oh, well, uh, I... I can come back later," the poor boy stammered.
"No, no, it's okay," Stella darted her eyes to me, rising up from her seat. "I can go."
"No, I'm interrupting," Teddy apologized. "You shouldn't have to."
"What's up?" I asked a little more emphatically. Teddy *never* had come to my office before. I was a little curious as to why, or if it was just a general desire to see me after our night together.
Teddy darted his eyes to Stella again, looking nervous. And then looking right at me to get my full attention, he said in a measured tone, "Well, ah, I had told you... before... that there was something I would have to come tell you... today..." He was being coy about the details, and I realized that he didn't want to announce that he'd been with me that morning.
I chuckled and then waved dismissively at Stella. "Don't worry about her. I was just giving her all the details about our date."
Teddy's eyebrows shot up. "ALL the details?"
I grinned. "Well, not ALL of them. But enough. She knows you spent the night."
"Oh, uh, okay..."
"So what was it you wanted to tell me?"