My knock was polite, a corporate kind of polite. When, too-busy-to-be-bored, you opened your new door to me, you were too surprised to be glad at first.
"What - hey, what's this?"
"I've been batch-cooking! And I thought, if I'm bringing a bunch of lasagna for me this week, why don't I bring some for you!"
"But - you came here from your work??"
"We work in the same company, silly."
"This place is as big as a town!"
"I've walked farther on my walking meetings. I take my lunches walking on the clothing optional beach another half-K West."
You took the tupperware half-sheepishly, with a kind of smarm. "And the cookies and the card?"
"To celebrate your new office!"
I smooched your cheek, chastely enough because I knew you were at work. It was a corner office, and the building was in a lull between hustles, no footsteps, but I know you.
I looked around, at your scribbly whiteboard, your Protect Trans Kids poster, your mess of equipment and your Fire Warden vest. And I looked at you. We were both different takes on the same corporate woman archetype: you had a woman's suit, black and orthodox except for a cheeky flaring at the blazer's tail, a shiny purple blouse, a black little skirt, practical loafers disguised as something less practical. I had on well-cut pants, unwrinkled from being changed into, and a green thing that refused to concede it was either a jacket or a top. It was whatever it chose to be, with almost 80s shoulders but form-fitting. The same deceptively practical shoes.
You ate a cookie, asked how my morning was, finished an email, checked me out a little, sent a Teams message with a grin.
"I'm sorry I haven't even called. It's been so, so busy. I haven't even had time to go out in the evening. I get home and I do more work over a glass of Red. It's been meetings all the time. How's Sunday?"
"Distant! But yes. Should we go out to the beach, or come over to your place, have one of our Naked Pizza Dates?"
You dashed your eyes conspiratorially around. "Babe someone could hear....." There just wasn't a soul yet. I gleamed at you. "How about both and also now?"
You giggle-groaned a fuller kiss into my mouth, forgetting yourself. "I wish."
I gleamed back, and pointed a cheeky finger behind me at the door. "Office!"
"Very funny."
"Yep," I remarked, coming into your personal bubble, "Very funny." I gave you a single fleeting very unchaste kiss while our breasts made a little contact.
You looked beyond sheepish, so I waited carefully for any signs. I didn't want to even approach a place of nonconsensual discomfort. You smiled friendily and kissed me back, not politely.
"It really has been a long time, hasn't it," you said, touching my tummy. "I miss you too."
"Mhm. Would you like to stop missing me sooner or later?"
You breathed for a moment, eyes closed, and you touched me higher on my tummy, without looking up, and said, "Sooner?"
"Excellent." I grazed both sides of your neck. When you let yourself enjoy that I nibbled an ear and you breathed into mine.
"Wait, is this about that thing you once mentioned? About one of us being, y'know?"
"Just something I noticed. But I promise, I swear to god, eagle scout's honour, it is absolutely paramount the moment you tell me to cool my jets, I fucking will, swear."
You were still sheepish but I failed to hear an instruction. Tricky.
"Aaaany time now."
Nothing.
I gave you a single, much longer kiss. And then stared at you. Your face was red, you were breathing heavily and slowly, you were swaying a little, you weren't looking annoyed. I tried backing away and you came to me with a slightly more vigorous kiss.
I went to your new corner and twisted your new blind's control rod until the blinds closed us off from your new window to your new staircase to your new floor.
I came back and tasted your mouth. You whispered gasps into my mouth. I could feel them as changes of pressure, not quite hear them.
So I took the risk.
I unfastened my little cravat.
You watched me do it. Your lips opened as you breathed.
"Tell me not to take off my clothes right now."
My cravat fell to the floor. I took hold of my top's zipper slider.
"Tell me not to take off my clothes."
Nothing. But you made eye contact.
I unhurriedly unzipped my top, unhurriedly slipped it off of me, unhurriedly put it on your new hat rack, while you stared at me, conspicuously interested and speechless. I watched your face. You looked... touched? That this was happening? But I watched you for your No.