006

What happened between Nick and I wasn’t intended. It wasn’t even supposed to happen in the first plac and It could’ve been clearly avoided.

But here we are.

We kissed, we cuddled. Things got heated, and I almost lost myself completely to him. I was about to cross that line, but somehow, at the last moment, I pulled back.

Thank God I did.

How could I have let myself loose like that? It’s not like me to give in so easily to someone no matter how charming or irresistible they are. I’m not that kind of woman, not someone who jumps into bed with a guy I just met, no matter how perfect he seems.

The awkwardness between us afterward was unbearable. I made up my mind not to let him drop me off at home. He didn’t need to know where I lived. That would make things even more awkward.

When I finally got home that night, I couldn’t sleep. My thoughts kept circling back to what had happened between us and how close I came to doing something I wasn’t ready for. Every time I tried to jiggle it off, his face popped back into my head. The way he looked at me. The way his touch felt on me.

The next morning, I dragged myself out of bed, even though all I wanted to do was stay under the covers and avoid everything. But work waited, and there was so much to do.

Skipping wasn’t an option.

When I walked into the office, I kept my head down, hoping to avoid any chance of running into Nick. My plan for the day was simple: work, work, work, stay busy, and keep my mind off last night.

I walked straight to my desk, carrying my bag tightly, hoping no one would notice how frazzled I was. Today was going to be about work, nothing else. I wasn’t going to let my personal life tumble into this space, especially not with Brenda around. She had a way of reading me too well, and I wasn’t ready for questions.

“Morning!” Brenda’s cheerful voice greeted me before I even sat down. She was already at her desk, sorting through a pile of documents. Her bright energy was the exact opposite of how I felt.

“Morning,” I said quietly, placing my bag under my desk and pulling out my laptop.

Brenda leaned over, her eyes narrowing slightly. “You okay? You look… tired.”

“Yeah, I’m fine,” I said, forcing a small smile. “Just a long night, that’s all.”

She nodded, clearly not convinced but polite enough not to push it further. Instead, she slid a folder across the desk toward me. “We’ve got a lot to do today. This one’s for you. Client proposals. We are to review them before the afternoon break.”

I opened the folder, skimming through the documents. “Got it,” I muttered, grabbing a pen to jot down notes.

For the next hour, we worked side by side, the quiet hum of the AC was the only sound filling the space.

Brenda was reviewing some financial reports, occasionally sighing in frustration. I glanced at her, raising an eyebrow.

“Numbers not adding up?” I asked.

“Something like that,” she replied, pushing her glasses up her nose. “Whoever did these calculations must’ve been half-asleep. Look at this.” She slid the report toward me, pointing at a line of figures with her pen.

I tipped closer to take a look at what she was showing me. “Yeah, that doesn’t look right. Maybe you should cross-check it with last month’s data?”

“Good idea,” she said, reaching for another folder. As she flipped through the pages, she added, “You know, sometimes I wonder if we’re the only ones who actually care about doing things right around here.”

I laughed softly. “Probably. But at least we are doing what we are paid for.”

She grinned. “True.”

We continued working, passing folders and notes back and forth to each other. At one point, Brenda handed me a stapler without even looking up, her focus was entirely on her screen. I took it with a quiet thanks, fastening a set of papers before adding them to the growing pile on my desk.

“So,” Brenda said after a while, her tone shifting to something more playful. “I’ve got a lot of gist.”

“Oh?” I replied, not looking up from my laptop.

“I’ve been talking to this one guy,” she said, her voice full of excitement.

That got my attention. I glanced at her, eyebrows raised. “A guy? Tell me about it.”

She reclined back in her chair with a dreamy smile on her face. “We met on a dating app. He’s amazing, funny, smart, and get this; he’s a chef,” she squealed.

“A chef?”I repeated, impressed. “That’s a good find.”

“Right?” she said, laughing. “We’ve been chatting for a couple of weeks, and he finally asked me out. We’re meeting this weekend.”

“Where?” I asked, genuinely happy for her.

“He says it’s going to be a surprise,” she said with a shrug. “But knowing he’s a chef, I’m hoping for some incredible Italian dishes.”

“Lucky you,” I said, smiling. “Sounds like it’ll be so much fun for the both of you.”

Another coworker, who goes by the name Susan, walked over, holding a stack of papers. “Hey, you two. Good morning?”

“Morning, darling,” Brenda replied, turning over to look at Susan.

Susan smiled, setting the papers down on her desk. “By the way, does anyone want coffee? I’m heading to the break room.”

“I’m good,” I said, holding up my water bottle.

“Same here,” Brenda added.

Susan nodded and walked off, leaving us to our gist.

The rest of the morning passed in a blur of typing, reviewing documents, and exchanging comments.

Brenda and I worked well together, our gist kept the mood light despite the workload. At one point, she accidentally knocked over a stack of papers, and we both burst out laughing as we scrambled to pick them up.

“You’re such a klutz,” I teased, handing her a stray sheet.

“Hey, I’m doing my best,” she shot back, sticking her tongue out to make me laugh in a way I'm not supposed to.

By the time lunch rolled around, I was mentally exhausted but grateful for her company.

Brenda stretched her arms above her head, groaning. “Finally, lunch time. I’m already starving.”

I nodded, standing up and grabbing my bag. “Same here. Let’s go grab something to eat.”