“Are you kidding?” she almost scoffs. “He’s the apple of his papa’s eye.” And then she winks, and I don’t know if she’s flirting or if she’s insinuating she knows who I am because Benny and me—we really do look alike. In any case, I hightail it out of there and make my way to the elevator. Another minute passes, and I’m at another desk, and there’s a younger guy behind this one. He isn’t dressed as professionally as the others I’ve seen in the building. I look around before I make my way over. This floor is open, desks scattered in groups. Glass walls surround the offices lining the exterior, and… there’s a basketball hoop in the corner. “Yo,” the guy calls out. I assume he’s Trent. “You good, bro?”
I take the few steps to get to him. “Yeah, is Mia Kovács around?”
His eyes squint, assessing me, and then he nods, slowly. “Do you have an appointment?”
I shake my head. “Is that a problem?”
His shoulders lift with his shrug. “Give me a sec. I’ll try calling her office.” He picks up the phone, taps it a few times, and then I wait, look around some more. The people on this floor seem young, like—just out of college. Some of them are dressed in slacks and button-up shirts, but a lot of them are in jeans and casual shirts. “She’s not answering,” he says, and then his attention moves to a guy coming up to the desk.
“What’s good?” the guys asks Trent.
“Not much, man. You seen Mia around?” he asks, motioning to me.
The new guy looks me up and down and then shoves his hands in his jeans pockets. “You’re here for Mia?”
I nod, already hating this guy without knowing a thing about him.
He smiles to one side. “Good luck, man. We’ve all tried.”
I stand to full height, noting I’m a few inches taller. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Ooh…” he says, his hands going up in surrender. “You, like, know know her.”
“Caleb, shut up,” Trent tells him. Smart guy. “If Joseph knows you’re talking about her like that, you may as well pack your shit now.”
Caleb doesn’t shut up as suggested. “All I’m saying is she’s hot as hell, and she doesn’t act like a rich girl, you know? So yeah, we’ve all tried to hit it, but she’s so wrapped up in her son, she doesn’t even realize when guys are hitting on her.”
I cock an eyebrow. “You’ve tried to hit it?”
He nods. “So has every other guy on this floor.”
Trent sighs. “Shut up, dude.”
Again, Caleb doesn’t listen. “I mean, good luck, man,” he says, tapping my shoulder like we’re old friends. “You’re going to need it.”
I look where he’s touched and then back at him, my jaw tense. I’m two seconds away from smashing his head against the desk. Luckily, in those two seconds, Trent says, “There she is.” I follow the direction of where he’s pointing, and sure enough… there she is. In a simple gray dress and black heels, Mia walks toward me with her head down, waves upon waves of black hair shielding her face. She’s carrying a box filled with rolled-up posters, and when she’s about ten feet away, Trent calls her name. She glances up. I lose my breath. Mia stops walking, freezes completely, besides her lips. They move, but I don’t know what she says. Then her shoulders fall, her chest deflating with her exhale. She drops the box, letting all its content scatter everywhere. And then she’s walking toward me, those heels clicking against the tiled floor, and as soon as we can reach each other, she’s in my arms, and her mouth’s on mine, and this time, it’s not quick, and it’s not chaste. Her tongue slides against my lips, and I part them, giving her what we both need. She’s so soft in my arms, her tongue warm against mine. Her arms tighten around my neck, pulling me closer, and of all the reactions I’d hoped for, this wasn’t even in the dream category. When she pulls away, her eyes are glassy. “You’re here.”
“I am.”
“For me?”
I nod.
She kisses me again. Just once. “Thank you.”
I smile. “Don’t thank me. I want to be here.”
After a sigh, she says, “Let’s go.” She walks over to the box and starts putting everything back in. I turn back to Caleb, wearing