friendship meant the world to me and the last thing I wanted to have happen was to lose it. I was comfortable with how things were, and he obviously knew how I felt about Paul.
I woke up the next morning feeling more refreshed than I had in a long time. I had obviously needed the extra sleep. I got ready and chose my favorite black skirt with a white blouse. Brushing my blonde hair into a French twist, I pulled out a few wisps to frame my face.
I arrived at the office and passed a few people on my way in. I prided myself on getting to know the people who worked for Paul and I think it had paid off. Everyone was always very cheerful to me and said hi as I passed by.
As I walked by the last of the cubicles before I got to the office area I shared with Paul, a girl named Trisha pulled me aside. I didn’t know her that well, but had talked to her a few times. She was very pretty, couldn’t have been more than twenty-three, with long brown wavy hair and striking blue eyes.
“Aly, do you have a moment?” she asked.
“Sure. What’s up?”
She looked around and hesitated a minute. “Um, could we go into your office for a second?”
Puzzled, I nodded and motioned for her to follow me. I unlocked our door and ushered her inside. I set my purse on the floor below my desk and went to the two chairs by my desk and sat down. She took my lead and sat across from me.
“Okay, so what’s up? Is everything okay?” I asked her.
She looked embarrassed as she fidgeted in her chair. “Oh yes, everything’s fine. I feel really silly asking this, but it’s been driving me crazy and I can’t stand it anymore.”
Having no idea what she was talking about, I just sat there and waited for her to fill me in.
“Okay, well, I’ll just ask,” she started. “Is Mr. Pierce, you know, taken?”
Well, that was unexpected. I was stunned she’d ask me that. Not only was she asking if Paul was available to date, but he was her boss. He was her bosses boss. This was highly unprofessional and my opinion of her sunk a bit.
“Um, wow. I wasn’t expecting that,” I mumbled.
Her face turned red and she lifted a hand to her mouth. “Oh, shit. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have done that, huh? Please don’t tell him. I’ve just been crushing on him for so long now and I couldn’t take it anymore. I would never have dared to ask him, so I asked you. I’m so sorry.”
Feeling a little sorry for her, I relaxed. “It’s okay, Trisha, but I need to clarify some things for you, okay? First of all, Paul is not available. He’s been dating someone for three years now. I’m surprised you didn’t know that. Second, even if he was available, I know he frowns upon dating those who work for him. You’re not the first to try and I’d hate for you to be hurt if you attempted to pursue him and he turned you down, but please don’t worry. You have nothing to be embarrassed about. I’m glad you came to me.”
She looked disappointed at what I said, but c’mon, she was delusional if she thought she had a chance with Paul. While she was very pretty, she was at least ten years younger than him and she worked for him for heavens sake. Hell, I’d been working side by side with him for three years and even I didn’t stand a chance. Thinking that brought the memory of his kiss slamming back to me and I flushed.
Trisha stood. “Well, okay, thank you. I am glad I came to you, but I really am dying. It’s just he’s so...well, hot, you know? I’d be a fool not to want to date him.”
I stood with her. “Of course you would. He’s very good looking. Imagine what I have to go through working so closely with him,” I said in a joking tone. I laughed as I said it and hopefully didn’t let on how true my words were.
“Ha-ha, yeah, but you have no idea how much you’re envied around here for that. Do you realize if you ever left the company how many women would be vying for your job?”
While I’d never thought about it, I wasn’t surprised. “I can imagine,” I replied.
When we got to the threshold of our