particular minute each day, and
didn't realize until this moment – when he actually did show up
again – that it stopped being a big deal. It became just like any
other minute to me.
He sauntered over to the same cubicle
wall that Lucas was leaning on and awkwardly looked at us both.
"Hi, Ellie," he said.
Lucas stopped talking and I could see
a hint of evil in his tiny smile. "Don," he said, shaking the guy's
hand, "It's been a while."
Don's eyes darted from him to me.
"Yeah, Lucas."
I never had the chance to see the two
of them together, and I couldn't help but make notes. Don was
taller. Lucas was, if I had to be honest, more good-looking, but he
had admirers all over the office so we knew that already. Don had a
bigger, more muscular bod, but Lucas looked lean and athletic.
Lucas was older by maybe three years, and it seemed to translate as
being more comfortable in his own skin.
I blinked and looked
pointedly at Lucas, who was not leaving. "Hi, Don," I said slowly. "What's
up?"
"Did you get my email?" Don didn't
expect to have an audience while saying this, and looked slightly
annoyed.
"Um, yeah." And I quickly looked at my
monitor to check. "Yeah, I did. Thanks. Sorry I wasn't able to
reply, was really busy today."
"Oh, okay." He paused, looked at
Lucas, who was politely there but not budging from his spot. "Do
you have plans tonight? I wanted to ask you about your
promotion."
"Tonight?"
Truthfully, my instinct was to say
yes. It didn't matter that I had made other plans just moments ago.
I didn't know that Don was going to come over at three-fifty, like
I was part of his day again, and ask me to dinner. I had been
waiting for something like this to happen in over a year, and it
was here. If Lucas hadn't been standing there I would have said yes
to Don and canceled on Lucas with the most fervent of
apologies.
But Lucas was there, and I was sure he
knew that I suddenly wanted to have dinner with Don
instead.
"We're having dinner," he said to Don,
oh so casually.
I was sheepish. "Yeah, we are. How
about next week?"
This was confusing my
ex-boyfriend, and I didn't know how to correct it without making me
or Lucas look like a jackass, so I didn't explain why we were having
dinner.
"Sure, next week is fine. I'm going to
the Regional ExCom in Bangkok so I'll probably be busy on the
weekdays. How about Friday? Let's eat someplace nice."
"Yes, Friday. Sounds good."
Don took it like a man and nodded,
knocking his knuckles on my cubicle wall before he left. I gave him
a flimsy wave goodbye.
"What was that about?" I hissed to
Lucas. "Don was about to talk to me."
"You're seeing him next
week," Lucas pointed out. "He's still going to talk to
you."
"Yeah, well, not if you scare him
off."
He smiled at me and I saw the hint of
evil again, and yeah, he knew exactly what he was doing. But then
he switched gears and said, surprised, "You got
promoted?"
"It was in the memo this
morning!"
"Those things are too long. But
congrats. See? My timing was perfect."
I rolled my eyes. "What did you come
to me to celebrate then if you didn't know?"
"Merit increase? I
read that part."
He was unaffected by all of this, amused even. "Friday night? Do I
need a reason?"
"You see what I gave up
for no reason ?" I
balled up a used Post-It and threw it at him. "I've been waiting
for that for over a year! What if he misses me and still loves
me?"
I was only half joking.
"Then he can wait a few more days.
I'll see you later."
***
Lucas had just parked, and as I was
disengaging my seat belt he touched my hand as if to put me on
pause.
"Okay, wait," Lucas said. "Some of the
people there, I haven't seen in a while."
"And?"
"Because they're Patty's friends.
Well, not all, but some."
"Is she going to be there?"
"'I'm not sure."
Ah. I could see where this
was going. "So I gave up my long-awaited dinner with Don so I could
be your prop ?"
"Settle down one second. Let's get
something straight here." Lucas unbuckled his
didn't realize until this moment – when he actually did show up
again – that it stopped being a big deal. It became just like any
other minute to me.
He sauntered over to the same cubicle
wall that Lucas was leaning on and awkwardly looked at us both.
"Hi, Ellie," he said.
Lucas stopped talking and I could see
a hint of evil in his tiny smile. "Don," he said, shaking the guy's
hand, "It's been a while."
Don's eyes darted from him to me.
"Yeah, Lucas."
I never had the chance to see the two
of them together, and I couldn't help but make notes. Don was
taller. Lucas was, if I had to be honest, more good-looking, but he
had admirers all over the office so we knew that already. Don had a
bigger, more muscular bod, but Lucas looked lean and athletic.
Lucas was older by maybe three years, and it seemed to translate as
being more comfortable in his own skin.
I blinked and looked
pointedly at Lucas, who was not leaving. "Hi, Don," I said slowly. "What's
up?"
"Did you get my email?" Don didn't
expect to have an audience while saying this, and looked slightly
annoyed.
"Um, yeah." And I quickly looked at my
monitor to check. "Yeah, I did. Thanks. Sorry I wasn't able to
reply, was really busy today."
"Oh, okay." He paused, looked at
Lucas, who was politely there but not budging from his spot. "Do
you have plans tonight? I wanted to ask you about your
promotion."
"Tonight?"
Truthfully, my instinct was to say
yes. It didn't matter that I had made other plans just moments ago.
I didn't know that Don was going to come over at three-fifty, like
I was part of his day again, and ask me to dinner. I had been
waiting for something like this to happen in over a year, and it
was here. If Lucas hadn't been standing there I would have said yes
to Don and canceled on Lucas with the most fervent of
apologies.
But Lucas was there, and I was sure he
knew that I suddenly wanted to have dinner with Don
instead.
"We're having dinner," he said to Don,
oh so casually.
I was sheepish. "Yeah, we are. How
about next week?"
This was confusing my
ex-boyfriend, and I didn't know how to correct it without making me
or Lucas look like a jackass, so I didn't explain why we were having
dinner.
"Sure, next week is fine. I'm going to
the Regional ExCom in Bangkok so I'll probably be busy on the
weekdays. How about Friday? Let's eat someplace nice."
"Yes, Friday. Sounds good."
Don took it like a man and nodded,
knocking his knuckles on my cubicle wall before he left. I gave him
a flimsy wave goodbye.
"What was that about?" I hissed to
Lucas. "Don was about to talk to me."
"You're seeing him next
week," Lucas pointed out. "He's still going to talk to
you."
"Yeah, well, not if you scare him
off."
He smiled at me and I saw the hint of
evil again, and yeah, he knew exactly what he was doing. But then
he switched gears and said, surprised, "You got
promoted?"
"It was in the memo this
morning!"
"Those things are too long. But
congrats. See? My timing was perfect."
I rolled my eyes. "What did you come
to me to celebrate then if you didn't know?"
"Merit increase? I
read that part."
He was unaffected by all of this, amused even. "Friday night? Do I
need a reason?"
"You see what I gave up
for no reason ?" I
balled up a used Post-It and threw it at him. "I've been waiting
for that for over a year! What if he misses me and still loves
me?"
I was only half joking.
"Then he can wait a few more days.
I'll see you later."
***
Lucas had just parked, and as I was
disengaging my seat belt he touched my hand as if to put me on
pause.
"Okay, wait," Lucas said. "Some of the
people there, I haven't seen in a while."
"And?"
"Because they're Patty's friends.
Well, not all, but some."
"Is she going to be there?"
"'I'm not sure."
Ah. I could see where this
was going. "So I gave up my long-awaited dinner with Don so I could
be your prop ?"
"Settle down one second. Let's get
something straight here." Lucas unbuckled his
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