Natalie's coworker gets nosey

Natalie left the apartment later than she meant to, by about five minutes, as she constantly got distracted during her routine. The air outside was starting to warm up, and the traffic was unusually thick due to an accident, promising a slow crawl into the office. None of it bothered her. For the first time in weeks, she felt lighter than she could remember in months.

By the time she got to her desk, the morning buzz of the marketing floor had already kicked in. Keyboards clattered, someone laughed loudly from the break room, and the usual scent of burnt coffee hung faintly in the air. Waking up her computer, she caught her reflection in the black screen for a moment, still barely smiling.

Melissa dropped into the chair across from her cubicle with her usual dramatic sigh. “You look suspiciously chipper for a Thursday.”

Natalie arched an eyebrow, pretending to scroll through her emails. “Caffeine helps.”

“Mm-hmm.” Melissa leaned forward, elbows on her knees. “Caffeine doesn’t make you glow. You look… radiant. Like, post-yoga retreat radiant. Spill it.”

Natalie laughed, shaking her head. “I’m fine. Just a good night’s sleep, I guess.”

Melissa studied her for another beat, looking skeptical. “Right. Because everyone wakes up looking like they just had the best sex of their life after eight hours of sleep.”

“Melissa,” Natalie warned, half laughing. “I swear, I did not have sex last night.”

“Don’t ‘Melissa’ me.” She continued, wagging a finger. “Whatever it was, keep doing it. You might actually survive this quarter’s campaign schedule.”

When Melissa finally let it go, Natalie leaned back in her chair, smiling despite herself. She tried to focus on her emails, but her mind kept drifting to the way Aiden had felt in her hand. She’d been so focused on it, she hadn’t even really registered that his hand had made its way to her mound over her dress last night. She caught herself touching her lower lip once and forced her hand back to the keyboard.

The day moved quickly. A meeting about ad copy revisions blurred into a brainstorming session for a client launch. Between notes and drafts, she checked her phone more than once, not even sure what she was expecting to see. Nothing yet. By late afternoon, she was wondering when his last class was done and if they went to dinner, did that count as a date? Or was she just treating him to food instead of cooking for them?

Then her phone buzzed.

Aiden: You ever make up your mind about dinner?

She smiled instantly as she typed back.

Natalie: Maybe. Depends who’s asking.

The typing bubble appeared almost immediately.

Aiden: The guy who’s been smiling like an idiot all day.

She stifled a laugh, earning a curious glance from Melissa.

Natalie: So I take it your classes are done.

Aiden: They are. I survived. Reward seems fair.

She paused, heart ticking a little faster.

Natalie: Fine. Pick a place.

Aiden: The Copper Rail again? For old time’s sake?

She rolled her eyes, biting her lip.

Natalie: Cute. Try again. Somewhere quieter. No way I can do bar food two nights in a row.

Aiden: Challenge accepted. I’ll text you when I get back to the apartment.

Natalie set her phone down, staring at the message a moment longer. Then she exhaled, straightened her posture, and opened the project file on her screen.

For the rest of the afternoon, her focus came in bursts. She worked, she smiled, she caught herself wondering whether Aiden was grinning the same way she was right now.

Around four, Melissa appeared again, holding her usual mug of tea and giving Natalie a look that was far too knowing for comfort.

“You’re still smiling,” Melissa said, leaning against the edge of her desk. “That’s, what- six hours now? Should I be concerned you got another job?”

Natalie didn’t look up from her screen. “Of course not.”

“Oh, come on.” Melissa lowered her voice conspiratorially. “If this is about that guy you met at the client happy hour, I swear to God-”

“It’s not,” Natalie cut in, trying not to grin.

“So there is a guy.”

“I didn’t say that.”

“You didn’t have to.” Melissa’s eyes narrowed playfully. “You have that look about you. The one women get when something, or someone, is making them very… satisfied.”

Natalie laughed, shaking her head. “You’re seeing things.”

“Uh-huh.” Melissa sipped her tea and started to walk toward her desk. “Just saying, if you’re gonna keep showing up here looking that happy, you might as well tell me who’s responsible so I can send them a thank-you card.”

Natalie stared at her monitor for a few seconds before the smile crept back in.

By the time she packed up for the day, she’d decided two things. One: she was absolutely not glowing; and two, Melissa was going to notice if she kept walking around like this. She wasn’t sure she cared, but also didn’t know what to say yet.

Natalie was halfway through the parking lot when she spotted Aiden leaning against her car, hands tucked in his hoodie pocket, hair still messy from the wind. He grinned when he saw her, straightening up like he’d been waiting there for a while.

“You were supposed to text me when you got home,” she said, unlocking the car. “That was, what, three hours ago?”

Aiden shrugged, unbothered. “True, but since I haven’t made it home yet, I haven’t broken my word. I went to do a few things with a friend, and then when I realized the time, and that I was close to your work, I figured I’d just meet you here. Didn’t want to bug you while you were working, so I decided to just wait for you. You get all focused and intense when you’re in that mode.”

“That’s called doing my job,” she replied, sliding into the driver’s seat.

“Right, and now that you’re done doing your job…” He opened the passenger door and climbed in, his grin returning full force. “I picked a place.”

Natalie eyed him over the rim of her sunglasses as she started the car. “You’re awfully confident for someone who’s left me waiting.”

“I’m confident because you’re gonna like it.”

“Where are we going, then?”

He buckled his seatbelt, looking smug. “It’s a surprise.”

She gave a mock groan, backing out of the space. “A surprise. Fantastic. I love surprises from people who don’t text when they’re supposed to.”

Aiden laughed, turning in his seat to look at her. “You’ll forgive me when you see it.”

“Big promise,” she said. “This better not be another bar with sticky floors.”

He pretended to look wounded. “I’d never take you somewhere with sticky floors. I have standards now.”

“Oh, do you?”

“Yeah,” he said, still smiling. “They mostly revolve around good food, decent beer, and women who look like you sitting across from me.”

Natalie shook her head, fighting the smile that threatened to give her away. “You’re lucky I’m already driving, or I’d kick you out for being so cheesy.”

“I’ll take my chances,” he said, still watching her with that same boyish grin that somehow made her chest tighten when it should’ve made her roll her eyes.

They pulled onto the main road, into the sunlight dipping low enough to throw gold through the windshield. The traffic got heavier as she worked her way out of the commercial area her office was in, and Aiden was playing with her radio.

“So,” she said finally, glancing at him, “are you gonna give me a hint, or do I just keep driving aimlessly until you tell me to stop?”

“Keep going straight for now,” he said, resting his elbow on the door. “It’s not fancy or anything. Just… kind of a spot I go to when I want to chill. Figured you might like it.”

Her brow lifted. “You have a spot?”

He smirked. “Even I get tired of Xbox sometimes.”

Natalie smiled faintly at that. “Alright, mystery man. Lead the way.”

“Gladly,” he said, pointing ahead. “It’s called Miller’s. Little place near the lake. They’ve got good food, outdoor tables, and it’s not too expensive.”

She gave a small nod. “Sounds perfect. And I appreciate you being concerned about the cost, but I’ll pick up dinner.”

Aiden glanced over. “You don’t have to do that. I’ve got some money. I don’t mind paying.”

“It was my idea,” she said, cutting him off with a small smile. “So, no, I’ve got it.”

He opened his mouth to argue, then thought better of it and shrugged. “Fine. But I’m leaving the tip.”

“Deal,” she said, turning onto the road that led toward the lake.

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