A Girl's Guide to Chicago

by Kelly Russell

  The woman on the microphone heads to the front and welcomes everyone to the show. She tells us a bit about the five Chicago designers who are presenting this evening, and the show will last about forty-five minutes to an hour. I smile at my friends. The announcer explains that after the show, the VIPs can exit at the left to receive their gift bag and tickets to the Underground after party. This is all exciting. None of us has ever done anything like this. During the show, we comment about what we love and don’t love, and I try to take as many photos as I can for my blog.

  There are lots of cheers for the five designers who come onto the runway at the show’s end. It’s then a mad rush for the exit. Luckily being on the left side, we easily get in line for our gift bags and after-party tickets. The gift bags are huge and filled with tons of goodies and products.

  “Kelly, oh my gosh. That was so much fun! I’m so glad we all got to do this. I thought all the designers were amazing. I’m so glad I got to come with you. It was so inspiring.”

  “Yep. It was so much fun. I’m glad you enjoyed the show, Amy. The designers are all really great.”

  “Okay, so are we all going to Underground? What are we going to do with these huge bags?” Kourtney lifts her oversized gift bag up and down.

  “Well, if you want, we can all leave them at my house. I live just down the street.”

  “Okay, yeah. That’s a good idea. Let’s leave them at Amy’s.”

  We drop off our gift bags, then grab a cab to Underground. There’s already a line outside, but we get in quickly with our VIP tickets.

  We find an area to hang out. We dance together and enjoy the drinks that are comped from the fashion show. This is my first real city club experience, apart from our hosted event here a few months ago.

  The music keeps getting louder and the club more crowded by the minute. Our area is no longer ours, so the only thing to do is to keep dancing. The crowd is wild with a similar kind of scene as the fashion show. We dance until we can’t dance anymore. At this point, the music is so loud I can feel it vibrate throughout my whole body.

  The club was such a rush, but after deciding we had enough of the dancing and the crowd, we head out just after midnight.

  “Whoa, it’s getting a little crazy in there. I can’t believe how packed that place gets.”

  “I know. I’ve never been to a club like that before.”

  “Wait, Kelly. You haven’t? Not even in college?”

  “No, I really haven’t.”

  “Wow. I used to sneak into clubs all the time in New York.”

  “Okay, you guys, we can stand out here talking about clubs all night, or we can go eat. I’m starving. All we really had tonight is the alcohol.”

  “It’s after midnight. Are there any restaurants still serving food?”

  “Actually Kell, there’s a restaurant not too far from here called Bijan’s. It’s open late so we can go there. They have good sandwiches, and the French onion soup is really good.”

  “Okay, let’s go. I’m pretty hungry as well. Kourtney, Jillian are you going to come with.”

  “Sure, why not? The night is still young.”

  “And, you guys, it’s been a night full of amazing firsts!”

  Twenty-Four

  For Halloween, the entire office decides it would be fun if we dressed up. I convinced James to dress up with me and, of course, I suggest we dress up as Victoria and David Beckham. He’s happy to go along with this because all he needs is a soccer outfit. I order a brown bob wig to match her famous haircut during her Spice Girl days. I wear the leather leggings that I bought for the fashion show, a long black fitted vest that buttons up in the front, and a pair of black heels. I look at my outfit in the mirror, and it looks pretty good.

  I switch to my flats and carry my heels and purse to work. I’m getting a few looks from others on the sidewalk. Did people not know it was Halloween? I stop to pick up some Halloween-themed donuts, get my coffee, and head into the office. I walk through the glass doors of the office, and I hear Halloween music. I walk over to the team. Rather than being greeted by the usual morning face-in-the-computer zone, the team is sitting around the TV in the main room with bowls of candy around them.

  “Hey James, what’s going on?”

  “Hey, Happy Halloween! Oh, you look great, like my soccer outfit? Ooh! You bought donuts, thanks!”

  “You’re welcome, so what are you guys doing?”

  “We are setting up the Nintendo 64, we are going to have team races.”

  “It’s not even nine in the morning yet.”

  “I know. We’re just setting up now because races start at noon. Are you going to join us? Oh, we also have pizza coming for lunch.”

  “Okay, maybe.”

  I walk over to my desk and set my coffee down. I can’t believe the office is this seriously excited about Halloween. I’ve never seen the team so alive this early in the morning. Candy wrappers are all over the office, so they are already hyped-up on sugar. It’s going to be an interesting day.

  The team does manage to get some work done in the morning, but as soon as it’s noon they turn the music back up, and they are ready to go. The guys have set up a chart on the dry erase board to keep track of winners and who is racing whom. They are super serious about this.

  Even Vin is into Halloween and is dressed like Michael Jackson. He also joins in on the racing. I watch for a little while from my desk and then go to see what the girls are doing. Jillian is just hanging out at her desk, dressed as a cute cat, and I ask her to come with me to hang at the models’ side of the office. The three of them are dressed as cheerleaders.

  “Oh my gosh, you guys all look super cute!”

  “Thanks, Kell, love the Victoria Beckham.”

  “So, what are you guys doing over here?”

  “Just hanging out. We’re currently down the rabbit hole of makeup videos on YouTube and watching vlogs. You guys want to watch with us?”

  “Yep, it’s way better than getting involved with what the guys are doing.”

  “Cool. Grab two chairs and come sit. You guys want some champagne? You can make a mimosa?”

  “Oh, yes please!”

  Obviously, no one gets anything done the rest of the day. But, it’s Friday, and it’s nice to have a chill day. If Vin seems to be okay with it, then I am too. All of us girls, James, and a few others from the team leave work a little early for happy hour. Since we have been drinking most of the day, I’m home and in bed by nine. I didn’t even check my phone at the end night. There was a message from Vin asking what I was doing. Oops! I feel so bad that I didn’t see his text. I respond to him right away in the morning.

  OMG! I’m so sorry! I fell asleep early last night, and I didn’t even see your text. We were at happy hour for a while, and I needed to call it a night early.

  No worries.

  What are you doing today? Do you have any plans?

  No.

  Okay, do you want to meet up early afternoon?

  Sure.

  The weather had literally changed overnight. It’s November 1st, and it’s chilly. Knowing how Chicago weather goes, it’s probably no longer fall, and winter is pretty much here. After relaxing all morning cozied up in my blanket and catching up on my shows, I text Vin again to see if wants to meet up. He responds yes and that he’s just at home working.

  Instead of texting back and forth, I decided to just call him to figure out what to do. Since it’s chilly out, I don’t really want to walk around the city. I dial Vin’s number and let it ring. This is the first time I have called his phone, and he finally answers.

  “Hey.”

  “Hey. I’m trying to think of something to do that is inside. I guess, we can see a movie. Or go eat somewhere, or even just go to a museum.”

  “A museum?”

  “Yeah I haven’t been to a museum in a long time, but it’s just a thought.”

  “Okay, well what museum are you thinking? I haven’t been to one in years ei
ther.”

  “Hmm, well I haven’t been to the Art Institute in a long time. Could be fun, something different to do.”

  “Okay, give me thirty minutes and tell me where to meet you.”

  We plan to meet each other on Michigan Avenue at the Wrigley Building so we can both walk to the Art Institute together. I get on the Michigan Avenue bus that will drop me off at the Wrigley Building. Although I usually enjoy my walk down Michigan Avenue, it’s just too cold today, and I’m not used to the temperature change. I get off the bus and see him waiting for me in the open area by the Wrigley Building.

  “Hey, can you believe how quickly the temperature changed? I couldn’t walk down to meet you. I just had to get on the bus.”

  “It is chilly. Do you want to walk the rest of the way or take the bus?”

  “Oh, it’s not too far. I guess we can just walk.”

  It’s cold, and the wind whips around us, but we walk the rest of the way to the Art Institute at Michigan Avenue and Adam Street. We go up the white steps of the Museum, pay for our tickets, and head into the lobby. It takes a few minutes to check out the map and decide what we want to see. We accomplished everything on our list. I especially love the Thorne Room, which has adorable miniature rooms and the painting Love of Winter by George Bellows. After spending almost two hours in the museum, we start to get hungry.

  “Do you want to go eat at this great Thai restaurant that’s kind of close to my apartment? It’s the best Thai in the city. We can cab it there since it’s chilly out.”

  “Okay, yeah that’s sound great.”

  We leave the museum and take a cab to this little-hidden gem that I’ve never seen before. Star of Siam is just below Wabash on Illinois Street. The host seats us at a booth that we literally have to climb into, then he hands us two menus.

  “I wouldn’t usually tell you what to eat, but can I order for us. I promise you will like it.”

  “Okay, sure.”

  Vin’s orders Massaman curry and the grounded basil chicken. The meals come quickly, and Vin is right, both dishes are delicious. It’s the perfect thing to eat on a chilly fall day.

  “Do you have any plans for this evening. Want to see a move or something?”

  “No, I don’t have plans. Let’s look up some movies to see what’s playing.”

  We have just enough time to make it to a movie that we have both been wanting to see. We grab two seats in the back row with a few minutes to spare before the movie starts.

  “This has been a fun day,” I whisper to Vin as the movie begin. He looks over at me and gives me a nod and taps the top of my hand.

  On my way home, Vin and I stop by 676 for a glass of wine. We get a little table right by the window so we can look over Michigan Avenue. The buildings are lit up, and this view is always so pretty. I feel content and happy. We drink our wine and chat about the movie.

  When I’m back in my apartment that evening, I think about the day. It has been a perfect Saturday, so perfect that I’m feeling so torn about how I should feel. I can’t stop thinking about all the advice my friends have given me over the last few months. Whenever I start thinking about how much I enjoy my time with Vin, Kourtney’s words replay in my head. Dating your boss is a bad idea, it could ruin your job. Even though Vin and I have spent time together alone, and it’s always really nice, it’s not like Vin really acts as though he likes me in that way.

  He doesn’t get too close to me when we are together, and our time together doesn’t really feel like a date. If anything, he’s one of my closest friends. For right now, I’m okay with that. However, after spending today with him, I know that I’m going to just stop being so concerned about what other people think.

  Twenty-Five

  It’s the week of Thanksgiving, and we have off tomorrow, Thursday, and Friday. I’m going to my parents’ house tomorrow and coming back sometime on Friday or Saturday morning. I don’t want to leave little Gracie for longer than that. Also, this is a great weekend to shop, and I have never shopped the Thanksgiving sales on Michigan Avenue. So, that’s something I’m looking forward to doing.

  This evening, a few of us are going to a low-key bar for a few drinks before we head out of the city for the holiday weekend. Before I go out this evening, I desperately need to get some food and litter for Gracie before I leave her for a few days. It’s such a pain to get cat litter. It’s so heavy and not sold anywhere close to my apartment. Vin has offered to take me to the store after work so I can get what I need. Together, we walk over to his place to pick up his car.

  “I’ve never been to a big Target in the city and, this might sound silly, but I’m kind of excited about this.”

  “You girls get excited about the weirdest things.”

  “Maybe, but it’s Target. Everything is great at Target.” He laughs at me as we walk inside.

  “Okay, Vin, it’s time to do some damage.” I grab a cart, and we stroll around the aisles looking at everything. Before we know it, we have a lot of random things in our cart, and we head toward the checkout.

  “See, this always happens. You can’t ever leave Target and not spend at least fifty dollars on stuff you never knew you needed.”

  “Well, shopping with you is dangerous. I don’t even know what’s in this cart.”

  I give him a grin. I hand over my credit card to the cashier, and a few minutes later, we are back in the car, and on I-90 heading back to downtown.

  “So, you better come with us tonight to get some drinks?”

  “Maybe, but I feel like there is something I need to tell you.” I look over at him. He looks nervous, and I’m wondering what could be so serious.

  “Okay, sure. Of course. Is there something wrong?”

  “No. Nothing is wrong. I just feel like I need to tell you something that’s been on my mind for a while.

  “Okay. Like what?” My heart starts beating faster, and now I’m getting nervous.

  “I have a little bit of a crush on you.”

  Complete silence. I don’t say anything. I don’t even look at him. Instead, I turn and look out the window. It feels like a really long time before I finally answer and it’s starting to get awkward.

  “You do?”

  “Well, what I meant to say was, I did have one. I just wanted you to know that I did have feelings for you, but I don’t anymore.”

  “Wait, so you don’t anymore?”

  “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said anything. I really don’t want things now to be awkward between us, but I just thought you should know. Remember when I left your house after the movie? It’s because I liked you, and I often get nervous to be around you. Whenever I walk with you or take you home, I get sad to leave you, so I just walk away. I’ve tried to not let you know my feelings because I’m your boss and I don’t want to make you feel uncomfortable.”

  “So, you want me to know that you did have feelings for me. But that you don’t anymore.”

  “I just thought you should know.”

  I don’t know what else to say and, obviously, neither does he. We drive the rest of the way in total silence. He pulls the car up to my apartment building.

  “Okay, well, thank you for driving me so I could get this stuff. I really appreciate it.” I grab my bags, and cat litter, and get out of his car. “So, will I see you tonight?”

  “Maybe.”

  I breathe in and give him a little sigh. “Well, I hope you come but if you don’t have a good Thanksgiving. Hopefully, I’ll see you this weekend when I get back from the ‘burbs.”

  “Yeah, just text me or something.”

  “Okay, I will.”

  I feel terrible. I knew I had thrown him off, regardless if he still likes me or not. It was rude of me to not say anything. I shouldn’t have sat there, and I knew I had hurt his feelings. I literally just froze, and I’m so mad at myself. Honestly, I didn’t know how to respond to what he was saying, but I handled it terribly. Do I have feelings for him too? I suddenly feel so confused but
, if I did, I have blown that chance now.

  James told us to meet at the bar at eight. Although now, I don’t feel like being social, I’m going just by chance that Vin will show up. I want to talk to him and fix things. I want to tell him in person that I’m sorry. I really don’t want things to be weird the next time I see him. When I get to the bar, James and only a few of his friends are there. No Vin. By nine-thirty, I knew he wasn’t coming.

  “Hey Kelly, what’s going on with you tonight. You’ve been really quiet. Is something wrong?”

  “Well, I don’t even know where to begin. I don’t really want to talk about this with anyone, but I feel like I can trust you. Maybe you can give me some advice?”

  “Okay, sure. What’s going on?”

  “Well, for the last few months I know that we have hung out with Vin outside of work. But, I’ve also spent quite a lot of time with just him. We always have a lot of fun together, and I really enjoy spending time with him. We have a lot in common. So then, after work today, he drove me to run some errands, and he told me he has feelings for me. I didn’t say anything, so then he said, “Well I used to have feelings for you.”

  “Yikes! Kelly! Why didn’t you say anything?”

  “I don’t know. I just froze. I honestly didn’t know what to say or how to respond. I didn’t want to say anything that would hurt his feelings. I don’t know if I feel the same way, or if I’m afraid to feel the same way. So, I just said nothing.”

  “Well, I’m not surprised he told you. I kind of knew he has or had feelings for you?”

  “Wait. What? James! You did?”

  “Yeah. I mean he hasn’t told me directly, but I just had a feeling. I could tell. I know you guys are hanging out because he would tell me and ask me if he should do this or that with you. Also, I can tell because of the way he acts around you.”

  “Really?”

  “Yeah and you didn’t even notice, did you? So, do you not like him that way?”

  “It’s not that I don’t like him. I just don’t really know. I don’t think I’ve let myself like him in that way. My friends don’t really think I should hang out with him, and so I tell myself over and over that he’s my boss and it’s better that we are just friends. I don’t want a relationship to get in the way of work. I love my job, and if we didn’t work, I would have to quit.”