"When?"
"Less than a month. I'm on the air in 30 days." she replied.
Greg sat at his desk, staring at her in near-disbelief, twirling a pen through his fingers. The words Shannon had just spoken were still echoing in his head. His face felt flush, and his body felt empty. For the first time since they'd known each other, he had nothing to say. No sarcastic, playfully teasing comments, no subtle compliments, hinting at his hidden affection for her, no discussion of the days' events. Nothing. Just the now heart-piercing thought of not seeing her again. Ever.
He stood up and walked away from his desk, stifling back emotion, and out of Shannon's sight without another word.
Shannon Warner had joined the staff of WJF-TV two years ago, moving from a small market in Montana. She had graduated near the top of her class at Indiana University, and after bouncing around through some smaller market stations for a few years, she ended up at WJF, one of the most desired broadcasting gigs on the East Coast. She was 26 years old, and was somewhat petite. She was charming, disarmingly intelligent, and stunningly beautiful. Greg had told her once that she possessed the kind of beauty that causes men to have traffic accidents. Her light brown skin was nearly flawless, and Greg had examined every visible inch of it he could. Her hair was brown with highlights, flowing past her shoulders. The only thing that could brighten a room more than her brown eyes was her smile.
She was not just the most beautiful black woman he'd ever seen; she was the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen. Period. Her body was sculpted from her dedication to exercise. Shannon worked the morning shift, so she had to get up every day at 2:30a. She was usually leaving the station by 1p, after having lunch with Greg and some of the rest of the staff, and she made her way either to the gym, or to the closest running path. Running had tightened her buttocks up to be quite shapely, and her legs were toned and strong. She also had great endurance from it. Her personal life had suffered, however, since taking this job. Her weekday hours didn't leave much room for a love life, and her weekends were originally reserved for herself, although she eventually wanted to find time to spend with Greg, also. She enjoyed his company, and he was never anything less than a gentleman to her.
Greg Davis had worked at WJF for about 6 years, and was head of their I.T. department. When he had arrived, their department was about 5 years behind the technology curve. Through his efforts, not only were they ahead of it, they were considered a measuring stick for information technology within the broadcast industry. He was a good looking man, in his late 20s, standing 6 feet tall, with light brown hair and green eyes. He was also a runner, and he and Shannon often spent time training together. They had trained for and competed in several 10K races together. They had spent weekends together running errands, and watching football. Shannon loved to wear Greg's football jerseys. She would help herself to changing into them when at his house, and she'd even kept a few of them. Once, Shannon chose to get particularly comfortable, and had removed all of her clothing, and changed into a jersey. She changed back into her clothes before she left, and once she'd left, Greg draped the jersey over his face while he masturbated, to enhance the experience with her scent. He didn't wash the jersey for days, until the scent had vanished. Simply put, Greg and Shannon had become fast friends upon her arrival from Montana.
Greg had developed what was, at first, a small crush on Shannon. As the months went by, Greg found himself more and more infatuated with her. He would watch Shannon's broadcasts before going to work himself. Often he would be so aroused just at the sight of her, he would masturbate before he got into the shower. Once, he was so excited by talking to her at the station, he made the 30-minute trip home just to jack off, then he would return to work. He fantasized daily about being with her, and now he's learned that she will be moving away in less than a month.
Greg and Shannon couldn't have been more different. She loved fine dining, and exotic cuisine, he liked to order pizza or Chinese take-out. She enjoyed reading biographies on historical figures, he rarely picked up a book unless it was technical in nature. She enjoyed jazz and the theater, he never missed a rerun of "Married With Children". Their friendship was a mystery even to them, and they often joked about it.
Shannon waited for a few minutes, collected her thoughts, and then walked around the station looking for Greg. She eventually tracked him down outside. When she sat next to him, it was clear he was still upset.
"I'm sorry." She began, placing her hand on his leg. "I wanted to tell you first, after I turned in my resignation. This is a great opportunity for me, and I get to go home. Right now, being near my home is more important than the career booster WJF can offer me. Please tell me you understand."
Greg collected himself, and replied. "I do, Shannon. I really do. I guess I'd just taken for granted that you would always be here. I've loved spending time with you. "
"...and me with you. You were my first friend here, and you're still my closest."
Greg sighed, and appreciated the effort that Shannon was putting forth, but that didn't negate the fact that she was leaving in a few weeks. She wrapped her arms around him to hug him. "Let's make these next few weeks special, OK? I promise that my final night here will be with you. I want it to be a night neither of us will forget."
The weeks passed by quickly, and Greg and Shannon spent every bit of time together that they could. He had considered telling her how he felt about her, but chose to keep his thoughts hidden away. His two-year friendship with Shannon had been better than any committed relationship he'd been in and he didn't want to damage anything by revealing his inner thoughts that she might not share. There had been an obvious change in their friendship since she told him she was leaving. It was an uneasiness that had never been there before. Time was running out for Greg, and he hadn't decided what to do regarding his feelings for Shannon.
Shannon approached Greg's desk early the morning of her final broadcast for WJF's morning news show.
"Hi there."
"Hey.", he responded, without looking up from his desk.
"I just signed off for the final time this morning. Felt kind of weird."
"Yeah."
