by Alexis Gold
I went to get the bath ready and put in my order for a veggie, New York style pizza, and then went to soak in the tub for the twenty minutes it would take the pizza place to make it and deliver. I had just sunken into the nicely hot water when a persistent knocking started up at the door.
I checked the timing. It was way too soon for the pizza to have been delivered already. I got out and wrapped my robe around me to walk to the front door. I checked through the peephole and saw it was Jeffrey waiting on the other side of the door.
“Please open the door, Christina, it’s me…” he said and knocked again. I sighed and then opened the door. He took one long look at me as he stepped into the apartment and locked the door behind him. “I had to see you to make sure you weren’t mad at me. You didn’t answer your phone when I called…”
Jeffrey was wearing dark jeans, a pristine white t-shirt and a dark grey cardigan. His hair was disheveled from him pushing his hands through it too many times, perhaps, and his green hazel eyes were tired and anxious. I could tell from his expression that he really wanted me to believe him about Roxanna and the kiss.
“I’m sorry I made you anxious…I just need some alone time right now. We’ve been spending too much time together lately. I mean I fell asleep and slept for like six—seven hours straight,” I explained and Jeffrey nodded his head in understanding.
“I get it…so can we make plans then for dinner tomorrow night?” he asked tentatively.
I nodded and gave him a small smile.
“Yeah, that sounds nice. You’ll pick me up here then?” I asked softly and Jeffrey nodded.
“Yes, at seven, and dress kind of nice, I want to take you someplace special.” Jeffrey grinned at me, his normal boyish charm and playfulness came back.
“Kind of nice? I don’t know what that means exactly,” I said, teasing him.
“Yeah, like semi-formal, semi-club…” Jeffrey wanted it to be a surprise for wherever he decided on taking me.
“Sounds intriguing…” I said slowly and Jeffrey nodded.
“It’ll be fun…so I’ll let you get back to your shower or bath, or whichever.” I nodded and he slid his arm around my waist to pull me against him for a kiss that was searing hot and left me breathless.
With that he quietly left and I had to take a deep breath to center myself once he was gone. I went back to my bath and soaked until the pizza came. Once I was in my pajamas I grabbed a bottle of wine out of the fridge and brought the pizza over to the living room area to watch some TV or a movie.
I ended up watching a marathon of The Nanny. I fell asleep feeling pretty much back to normal as far as being back in my own company, but I couldn’t deny that I missed Jeffrey and was looking forward to being in his arms that following evening.
My alarm woke me, headache free, and excited about starting at my new job, I got up with a huge smile on my face. I quickly readied for work and then left my apartment thirty minutes earlier than I needed to. Maybe I would go out and grab a quick breakfast for myself at the bagel place on Second Avenue. Six Fountain was over on Madison, so it wouldn’t be too far for me to risk being on time to work.
I drove to the bagel shop and stood in line to order a single bagel with smear and coffee. As I stood in line though, I recognized Jeffrey’s profile as he sat at one of the tables outside. People were blocking my view, but he was obviously with someone, talking to them. I wondered if it was Victor. The line moved forward and I stepped past the people waiting in the pickup line.
It was Jeffrey, but he was sitting across from Roxanna and speaking with her intently. She looked amazing of course in a white sun dress, perfectly put together and every part the kind of woman one would expect Jeffrey to actually be dating.
Confusion and insecurity sluiced through my veins, sickening me a little bit and I left the line. My appetite was gone and my good mood had walked out with it. I hurried back to my car and prayed they didn’t see me. I drove to Six Fountain and showed up twenty minutes early to work.
The Six Fountain Marketing office was modern and made up of a lot of wide open space. There were collaboration tables situated intermittently throughout the office and people sat there working on their own or with a partner or team.
There were a couple of long rows of desks, similar to that at Urban Plus, where everyone’s computers were side by side and there weren’t any distinct office spaces. It reminded me of a cool library with photography of the city blown up and pasted to certain feature walls. Each team manager had their own office, though, and there was a break room, also.
“My diamond in the rough! You’re here early.” Austin approached me as I was taking it all in and he gave me a kiss on the cheek, I still hadn’t gotten used to how familiar he was with people.
“Yeah, I was excited to start working,” I admitted a bit bashfully and Austin grinned.
He was wearing a forest green checkered button up shirt that was tucked into khaki pants with a white belt to accent. I think all male models just had an innate talent of looking like they just walked off of the cover of GQ. Austin chuckled at me and he led me over to the line of computers against one of the feature walls.
“This is basically everyone’s desk when we need a computer or have a task that has to be carried out on desktop. Everyone is assigned their own, of course, to avoid pandemonium, but we also give our employees company laptops that you can take home, it’s yours for as long as you work here.
The only thing is, if you break it you have to replace it.”
Austin gave me a tour of the office and assigned me a desktop as well as gave me a brand new MacBook. Good thing I brought a big purse that day. I’d have to get a laptop bag for it soon, though.
“Alright, now I shall introduce you to the rest of our five-man team,” Austin took me over to one of the collaboration desks right outside his office nook and four guys were sitting around the table, talking about some action movie that recently came out.
“Hey guys, this is Christina, our newest team member. Christina, that’s Bryce, Caiden, Tristan, and Trent. Trent isn’t officially a part of our team, he’s more of a floater, jack of all trades sort of guy. One day, we’re sure he’ll own the company.”
All the guys laughed and I smiled politely at them.
“It’s nice to meet you all. I’m excited to be on the team,” I said honestly while I took in who would be my closest coworkers.
Bryce was a sandy haired, blue eyed, cutie who had a really nice smile. Caiden was a stocky guy; he was pretty built and it was easy to see maybe some Italian roots in his dark hair and eyes. He had a square jaw and intense brow.
Tristan looked tall, even while he was sitting down. He was lanky too, and reminded me of Clarke Kent with his thick black framed glasses and curly black hair. He was very handsome and had shockingly blue eyes.
Trent was, for lack of a better term, hot. He had caramel colored skin and his black hair was curly and styled into a short afro, and he had an angular jaw. His chin was slightly cleft and his nose a straight line. He had well-formed cheekbones and very pretty light brown eyes framed by thick eyelashes. He also appeared to work out, from the looks of his arms under his white button down shirt as they rested casually against the table.
“Welcome to the team, Christina, glad to have you on board. Finally, a woman to keep all these idiots in check,” Trent said with a charming smile. I laughed lightly at his joke while the other guys all threw him under the bus for being the slacker when things got slow in the office. I could tell I’d like working with them, they had a brotherly vibe about them that was instantly comforting.
“Awesome, so now that introductions have been made, let’s get down to business, shall we? I’m really excited about this next project.” Austin plugged a laptop into a screen. It was sitting by itself on the desk which I assumed to be Austin’s. I took a seat at the table. With everyone.
“So, alcoholics, this time around we’ve been assigned Tru Rum, it’s Pina Colada flavored so we a
lready know what that means…” the guys groaned and I simply figured it would probably be a bit on the sweeter side. Obviously, the folks who made the rum had the female demographic in mind. Making rum appealing to women could be easier than the guys thought, especially if it’s flavored.
“Christina I can’t help but notice that you’re the least worried out of everyone here,” Austin was smiling at me and I shrugged slightly and shared my thoughts. Austin’s smile widened and he sighed happily. “That’s why I’m so happy she’s here.” The guys all laughed at Austin and called him a sap.
Austin finished telling us about our product and we began brainstorming ways to market it and advertise it. I was in seventh heaven and completely in my element, finally doing what I knew I was good at. Time flew when we were brainstorming and it flew even quicker when working on something you were passionate about.
I completed a lot of the tasks Austin gave me quickly enough that he had me go and hop around from group to group with Trent.
“So are you new to the city?” Trent asked me politely as we sat at an empty table and worked on a few things for Austin. He gave us a big digital media task to work on together.
“No, I’ve lived here for about six or seven months now. I just finally found a job in my chosen field,” I explained and Trent seemed impressed.
“Wow, how’d you make it so long in the city without a solid career yet?” He seemed genuinely curious, as it wasn’t private knowledge that living in any of the boroughs or the city was pretty expensive compared to a lot of other places in the state.
“I had lucked out…sort of, with a really good in-between job, so to speak. I worked for a modeling agency that paid really well, but they worked me to death and I couldn’t wait to get out of working there,” I explained.
Trent seemed impressed.
“I have to give you props. A lot of people don’t usually start out in a city like this without at least a solid career in hand.”
Trent and I went back to our work for a while, and then soon lunch time came around. It would be a new experience for me to actually go out, take a break to eat, and then come back. Usually, I ate while working, if I had the time or could remember to eat lunch.
“Hey, I know this great sandwich shop around the corner from here, do you want to have lunch together?”
The way Trent phrased the question made me pause, but I forced myself not to read anything into it. Hell, if Jeffrey could have breakfast with his ex-girlfriend and not tell me about it, then I could have lunch with a co-worker.
“Sure, I could go for a good sandwich,” I said with a smile and Trent led the way out and down a couple of blocks to the sandwich shop, which got slammed as soon as we placed our lunch orders.
“Good thing we left when we did, or we would have never gotten our food in time,” Trent commented as we found a table outside to sit and eat. I had ordered a Vietnamese sub which Trent expressly suggested I try and he had an Asian inspired meatball sandwich. While we were eating, my phone rang. I checked to see who it was; Jeffrey, of course. I ignored the call and put my phone back in my bag.
“Toll free number?” Trent asked curiously and I chuckled.
“I wish…no it was just this guy…” I said vaguely and wondered what Jeffrey and I even were, I guess he was just a guy I was dating. It wasn’t like we came out and said we were not free to see other people…maybe that’s why he thought it was okay to have breakfast with his ex? But I had told him how I felt about her.
“Whoa, I just opened up a can of beans, I see it all over your face,” Trent said before he took a sip of his lemonade.
I laughed sardonically; he had no idea.
“It’s just…I’m dating this guy and I’m not sure where things are going with us, though he’s led me to believe that we could maybe work. I don’t know, it’s all just confusing right now, really,” I said truthfully.
I unloaded more than I had intended onto a complete stranger and the embarrassment slowly crept in. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to say all of…that,” I said and Trent waved off my apology.
“It’s alright, it just sounds like whoever you’re dating is either screwing up royally, or doesn’t know what he has.”
My head snapped up so my gaze could meet Trent’s. He was smiling at me and looking at me with open appreciation…did he like me?
“Uh…” I didn’t know what to say. Trent smiled and I bit my lip, I was definitely nervous. I felt almost as if I was cheating on Jeffrey, though I wasn’t even doing anything. Plus, Jeffrey was the one having clandestine breakfast dates with his ex-girlfriend.
“Would you maybe consider going out on an actual date with me? Whenever you’re free?” Trent reached into my bag to pull out my phone and he put his number into it. My eyes were probably wide with a bit of surprise. I hadn’t really expected Trent to be so bold.
“Um…sure,” I said, because why not? I wasn’t in a committed relationship with Jeffrey…obviously. Plus, it was almost more realistic to date Trent. There was no way I would have been able to keep up with someone like Jeffrey. He was a model for Pete’s sake. Trent smiled like he was the happiest guy on the block.
“Great, I’m actually free tonight, are you doing anything?” he asked me curiously, his expression was open and expectant.
“I am busy tonight, actually…” I said, though I wasn’t too sure anymore. I did plan on confronting Jeffrey about his breakfast date and that might end up in our breaking things off. I wasn’t going to have him playing around with my emotions.
“Oh, okay well, if your night opens up, don’t be too shy to call. Otherwise, of course, we can always make a date for another night,” Trent smiled, he was confident, but not too confident. I liked that.
“I definitely will,” I said and then we finished our lunch and went back to the office. We people watched on our way back. Trent had a way of noticing funny things about people.
Work went by just as quickly in the afternoon as it did in the morning. I left the office with a huge smile on my face and I couldn’t stop thinking about how much I loved my job.
I went back to my apartment and decided to return Jeffrey’s call. He answered on the first ring.
“Christina, I’m glad you called me…I missed you, missed your voice. How was your first day?” Jeffrey sounded relieved that I called and I wanted to yell at him about this morning, since he thought I didn’t know.
“My first day was great, actually. Though you threatened to ruin it this morning when I went for breakfast at the Second Avenue bagel shop,” I said bluntly.
There was a pause on the other end of the line and then Jeffrey sighed.
“I should have told you I saw her again. She was at the bagel shop while I was getting my own breakfast and she practically begged me to at least have a conversation with her. I thought I’d hear her out to see why she all of a sudden wanted back into my life,” Jeffrey explained.
“I thought you knew already what she wanted,” I said. I hated that I sounded so accusing, but I couldn’t help it. Jeffrey was like some sort of kryptonite for me, he got under my skin and I hated that I felt so vulnerable when it came to him.
“Me, too, but it’s…more complicated than I thought with her. She’s been through a lot recently and just reached out to someone who has been her friend for a very long time. I mean, I know…I know she could still have ulterior motives, but I had to at least hear her out. Christina, please try and understand. I want you, I don’t want anyone else and that is what matters, I won’t so much as touch her when I have you.”
“Do you have me, Jeffery? I mean we’re just dating. That’s the bottom line still, you’re not technically committed to me and…if you want to be there for her that’s fine, I can’t control you. I just…I don’t want to get too invested into us when there is Roxanna so obviously trying to keep you for herself,” I said truthfully.
Jeffrey was quiet for a moment before he spoke again.
“I don’t want Roxanna, Chr
istina, I want you,” he said quietly. The sincerity in his tone touched me and I grew both sad and angry that it did.
“I just don’t trust her, Jeffrey. How would you feel if our roles were reversed?” I asked him. A vivid picture of Trent barreled to the forefront of my mind and I quickly squashed down that guilt. All I had done, really, was let him have my number.
“I’d kill any guy who so much as looked at you too long, let alone kissed you.” Jeffrey was so blunt and quick with his reply that I was shocked into silence. Jeffrey sighed harshly. “I’m crazy about you, Christina, I don’t want anyone to mess up what we have…how about we make a pact, right now?
“We’re no longer ‘dating,’ we’re together and we put each other first,” Jeffrey’s tone was final as he made the vow and I bit my lip. That’s all I really wanted; he was what I wanted, I couldn’t deny that. No, he wasn’t the safe bet, but my heart wanted him and that was what mattered.
