Slipperless(3)

"He's cuuuute," hummed my other friend Ellie. "What's his name?"

Clutching my sweater sleeves inside my palms, I felt moisture come to my  skin as my friends interrogated me about him. Besides Ellie and  Christine, there were my two other friends, Kelly and Cheri. They were  all beauties, who unlike me fought men off on a daily basis. In fact,  the only time men usually talked to me was when we were all out together  and they wanted to get close to one of them. Now that the situation  reversed itself, I was literally like the proverbial fish out of water.

"Fiona … " Ellie said with a leading tone in her voice. "I'm not gonna ask you a third time. What. Is. His. Name?"

I chewed the inside of my lip for a moment before reaching up and tugging a strand of hair behind my ear.

"Gabe," I muttered.

"Wooo … " Cheri cooed. "Angelic."

"You're going to have to get used to this kind of thing, Fiona." Ellie added.

"What are you talking about?" I asked.

"You're gorgeous." Ellie said. "You know, finally coming out of your  shell. Men are going to notice." She glanced back over and sucked her  lower lip in as a flash of lust came to her eyes. "I wish he'd notice  me. If you don't want him, I'd gladly take him off your hands."

"You guys are being ridiculous, okay?" I groaned, as I shrugged off  their comments. "Our conversation was really awkward. And anyway, it  doesn't matter. There's no way he'd be interested in me."

Just then, the waitress appeared, providing me with a much needed  respite from their relentless grilling. As the girls asked questions  about the menu, I peeked over Ellie's shoulder back in Gabe's direction  only to find him staring straight at me.

What the hell am I doing to myself? This is ridiculous, Fiona. Stop it. Now.

Sinking down into the cool leather of the booth a bit further, I tugged  my sweater down over my curves before reaching up to grab my menu. I was  being stupid. Now was not the time to lose focus. Not after all the  years I'd put in to get to where I was. Tomorrow was too important and  this discussion was nothing more than pure silliness.

Wasting time fantasizing about it wouldn't help me one bit when I  interviewed at Hawkins Biotech. It literally was my dream job. Something  I'd lusted after ever since I decided what I wanted to do for a career  ten years earlier. I've heard that's what tragedy does to a person. It  focuses their priorities in life. I'd never really given the notion too  much credence though. It was natural for me to plan, think ahead. You  know... budget, calculate, count, save and control.

My friends teased me with comments about having chronic OCD and the  like. Frankly, I didn't understand how anyone got by without discipline  in life. Most people could do with a little more organization, structure  and control in their lives, not less. But anyway, I'd grown used to the  jokes. What stung at first, maybe even hurt, rolled right off me now.         

     



 

I was in charge and doing exactly what I wanted.

Besides, I wasn't the girl who got the guy, and a random encounter in a  stupid bar wasn't about to change that fact. I wouldn't go so far as to  say I was inexperienced, but one drunken screw in my sophomore year left  me with little interest in chasing men around, so I didn't bother. Of  course tonight, the girls weren't having any of it.

"What did he say to you?" Kelly asked, as eagerness flashed to her features.

Still nursing my soda from earlier, I took a sip of the bubbly citrus drink before placing it back down on the table.

"I don't know. I don't remember."

As I lied, I reached down and flicked at my charm bracelet, spinning the  four different-colored gems in order, one after the other.

"Don't ignore us, Fiona," Christine warned. "If you do, we're going to  go right over to your little archangel's table and give him your  number."

"No!" I exclaimed with a loud whisper, knowing they'd make good on their  promise. I glared at my friends, sending a not-so-subtle warning to  them as I moved from one to the next, staring them down.

"Well if you ask me … " Kelly snorted as she dismissed my non-verbal  threat. "By the look in his eye, he'd take you to the coat room and try  to fuck you right now if he had the chance."

Reaching my hands up into my hair, I groaned as I leaned forward and  propped myself up on the table's edge with my elbows. Kelly's comment  only made things worse. My suddenly skanky friends began to grunt in  agreement with her offensive assertion.

"Yeah he would," Ellie said with a throaty tone.

"You guys!" I said as I pulled my hands out of my hair and dropped them  to the tablecloth, palms flat. "Enough. Now, this is supposed to be a  nice quiet evening. Please don't stress me out. You know I won't be able  to sleep. I don't want to get sick because I'm exhausted."

"Oh poo," Ellie groaned.

"Yeah, really Fiona." Christine added. "You're never sick. It's all in your head."

"That's not true," I replied, straightening up in the booth. As if they  needed a reminder, I rattled off my current string of ailments including  my unexplained knee and ankle injuries from last year. Then of course  there were my seasonal allergies, a persistent sore throat and the  occasional migraine. The fact that I didn't come from the strongest  stock never seemed to be of any importance to them.

"You're a hypochondriac, Fiona," Cheri said. "You know it. We all know it. The next time you're really sick will be the first."

I thinned my lips.

Ellie leaned in towards me. "Forget about all that. Did he ask you for your number?"

"What?" I scoffed. "No. Of course not. When has a man ever asked me for my number, Ellie?"

Seriously, I didn't know what had gotten into all of them.

Am I really this pathetic when it comes to men?

Casting a hopeful glance at Gabe once again, I noticed that for the first time he wasn't doing the same.



FIONA

I'd spent the better part of a week shopping for my interview outfit, a  black three-quarter-sleeved, ruched dress with an A-line silhouette and a  pair of cute black heels to match. Even though I wasn't in the kind of  position that demanded impeccable attire, I wanted to make the best  impression possible.

With my wardrobe in order, I arrived and parked outside the gleaming  steel-blue structure that was the headquarters of Hawkins Biotech at  precisely fifteen minutes until nine in the morning. It probably goes  without saying, lateness is a huge pet peeve of mine. I can count on one  hand the number of times I've been late in my life. In fact, I only  have to use one finger and that time it wasn't even my fault.

Anyway, I'm never late.

After walking my way across the parking lot, I tugged at the handle of  the large glass entrance and walked inside. Immediately, I felt a chill  against my skin as an air-conditioned lobby breeze hit me. I made my way  towards the bank of elevators, the sound of my heels clacking across  the marble echoed off the lobby walls. After pressing the button to go  up, I reached inside my purse to get my compact. I pulled it out of my  bag, and the elevator doors opened a few moments later.         

     



 

Drawing my eyes up, I froze in place as its sole occupant came into view.

Gabe.

Dressed quite differently from our talkative flirt at the bar, Gabe  stood with his back against the elevator wall in a casual pose. With one  hand inside the pocket of a perfectly-tailored silver suit, he smirked  as our eyes met once more.

"Well, well …  Fiona."

I hesitated for a moment, just long enough so the elevator doors began  to close. Gabe pushed himself off the wall and reached for it, hooking  his hand around the door. As he did, they snapped opened again with a  pulse in the opposite direction. I smiled and slid the strap of my purse  over my shoulder as I stepped inside.

"Thank you."

"Not a problem."

After I entered, I turned towards the panel full of buttons and pressed  the one for my floor. As I did, Gabe spoke up from behind me.

"So now what? Are you stalking me?"

I thinned my lips as his line of questioning picked up right where he left off at the restaurant. What a rude thing to say.

"No," I replied with a disdainful tone. "I am not stalking you. Do you remember the interview I mentioned to you?"

"Ohhhh, so this is where the big interview is?"

I did a half-turn towards him, rubbing my forearms in an effort to warm myself from the chill in the building.

"Yes," I replied. Still a bit annoyed at the stalking comment, I did my  best to shrug it off. After all, if he happened to be an employee, there  was no sense in making enemies. I tried to change subjects. "Do you  work here?"

"No," he replied, as he assumed his previous position against the  elevator wall. "I just like to ride the elevator all day long in a suit  and tie."

I frowned at his nonchalant reply. "In other news, I see you haven't lost your ability to charm."