A Night to Forget (10 page)

“I don’t know. I can’t really explain it, but it’s almost like you two know each other and you have some sort of unspoken language,” Sarah said with furrowed eyebrows.

“Hmm, you’re being silly. So tell me about last night,” I asked, trying to change the subject.

“Oh, it was great. Eight of us ended up going to this wine bar at the Ferry Building. I felt like we were so posh and grown-up,” Sarah giggled with delight.

“Hi girls.” Ms. Wilson was walking towards us with a notepad in hand.

“Hi, Ms. Wilson,” Sarah and I said.

“Please, call me Claire,” she said. “So l
et me show you two to your workstations.” She motioned us to follow her and she turned her heels and headed back towards the offices area.

“So as associates, you guys will be seated with your team in cubicle workstations,” Claire explained. “Sarah, this is your workstation,” she said as we stopped at a cubicle. “And
that is yours, Emma.” Claire motioned to the cubicle next to Sarah’s.

“Hey girls.” We looked up to see Josh pop up from a cubicle on the other side of mine.

“Hi,” Sarah and I said back.

“So I’ll let you girls get situated in your workstations. This morning, you’ll be having one-on-one meetings with your team leader, who will assign you your first projects,” Claire said.

My heart beat quickened at the thought of being alone with Brandon.

“Have a great day. If you guys have any questions, my door is always opened.”

“Thanks, Claire,” we said as we watched her walk away.

After Claire left, I turned on my computer and checked my email. My stomach flipped when I saw an email from Brandon Fisher. Seeing his name in print seemed to solidify how real he was in my life.

To: Emma Anderson

From: Brandon Fisher

Subject: Introductions

Good morning, Emma,

It was great meeting you yesterday. I look forward to getting to know you better. I hope you will find working under me to be pleasurable, and if you ever need anything, please do not hesitate to ask. My door is always open. I look forward to speaking with you further during our one-on-one.

Brandon

I read and reread the email. I know I was reading too much into the email, but I couldn’t help it. I stared at the words, “
working under me to be pleasurable
,” “
if you ever need anything, please do not hesitate to ask
,” and “
my door is always open
,” as if by somehow by staring at them with fierce concentration, they would reveal their intended meaning.

“Hi, Emma.” Startled, I
looked up from my computer screen quickly and looked straight into Brandon’s warm eyes and inviting smile.

My heart fluttered uncontrollably. “Hi. Hi, Brandon,” I said as I shifted my body nervously. I reminded myself to smile and breathe.

“Well, here’s your coffee, a regular coffee. A free drink on me this Friday if you can guess what I put in there,” he grinned, and part of me found it difficult to think.

“Free drink this Friday? Put in where?” I asked in confusion.

“Oh yeah, happy hour on Friday. Josh told me about it this morning. I hope you don’t mind that the old guy tags along,” he said with a wink and then laughed at himself.

“You’re not old,” I blurted out without thinking, “Wait, how old are you?” I felt a flush of embarrassment when I heard the words come out of my mouth. “I’m—I’m sorry. That was inappropriate of me to ask.”

“Don’t be silly, Emma. I was the one that brought it up. I’m 27. Not too old I hope?” he teased.

My cheeks felt hot at his casualness with me.

“Well? So what’s your guess on what I ended up putting in your coffee? You did ask me to surprise you.” He smiled and it was warm and genuine.

“Oh. Right, I forgot about that. Um, half-and-half?”

“Darn, I guess I owe you a drink on Friday,” he said with a wink.

I giggled, temporarily forgetting who Brandon was or the fact that he broke my heart.

“Well, since I have your attention already, let’s go into my office and we can do our one-on-one introductions now,” he said as he gestured towards the office my cubicle faced.

“Oh, that’s your office?” I cringed the second the question came out of my mouth.

“Well, I am your group leader, so they’ve placed you, Josh, and Sarah next to my office. It fosters team unity and open communications.”

Brandon motioned me to follow him as he walked into his office. The wall of his office facing the hallway was large panes of frosted glass. His office was the size of my entire studio apartment. In one corner of the office was a large sleek modern desk. In the center of the office was a large round work table covered with binders and files. Against the glass wall was a luxurious beige couch with an oval acrylic coffee table.

“Have a seat, Emma.” Brandon gestured at one end of the couch as he sat down on the other end.

“Thanks.” I sat down, holding my coffee cup nervously with both hands.

“Your first project is the Imperial Hotel Project. Here’s the binder with a summary of the project and what I’ll need you to look into and work on.” Brandon handed me a binder. “Let me know if you have any questions.”

“Okay, sure. Thanks.”

As I was about to get up and leave Brandon’s office, he said, “Before you leave, tell me a little about yourself,” Brandon said with a sincere smile.

Brandon was less than a foot away from me and his close proximity made it hard to think. I took a tentative sip from my coffee, hoping to buy some time. “Well, I’m originally from Los Angeles. I just graduated from UCLA with a marketing major. I’m really excited to be working at Fisher & Morrison.”

“That’s great, but tell me more about
you
, not what I can gather from your resume,” Brandon said with a warm chuckle.

“Oh,” I said in surprise, “Like what?”

“Well, I’d like to get to know who I’ll be working with. What are your passions? What excites you?”

“Oh. Well, I love to cook and bake,” I offered.

Brandon’s eyes lit up, “Oh, what can you cook?”

“Lots of different things. I love to try out new recipes.”

“Nice. I can’t remember the last time I’ve had a home-cooked meal.” There was a slight pause before he continued, “So if you were making a special meal for someone, what would you make?”

“Hm. That’s tough. I try to cater to what my guests would enjoy,” I said. I smiled at him and realized that no matter how nervous I was, Brandon had a way of making me feel comfortable, and at home.

I paused before asking, “For example, what do you enjoy eating?”

“Me? Hm. Well, I’m pretty boring. I’m what you’d call a steak-and-potatoes kind of guy,” he said with a chuckle. “So, what would you cook for me?” There was a twinkle in his eyes and for a moment, I got lost in them.

“Well, if it was a special meal, and you liked steak and potatoes, I would probably make my garlic prime rib with a Guinness au jus dip, with a side of buttermilk mashed potatoes and French string beans with slivered almonds. Or something similar,” I said as I thought about my choices.

“That sounds amazing, Emma. Your boyfriend must be fat and happy,” Brandon said with a chuckle.

“I—I don’t have a boyfriend.” I felt confused and hurt by his comment. I looked at him and couldn’t interpret the expression on his face.

“Oh okay. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to be rude. I just meant that the meal you described sounds wonderful, and I just assumed that some lucky guy has already claimed you for himself.” He flashed me a brilliant warm smile, which instantly melted my hurt away.

Brandon then shifted slightly on the couch and moved perceptively closer to me. I felt his knees brush gently against mine, causing a jolt of excitement to run through my body.

“Well—,” I began hesitantly, and I felt my hands grow clammy, “since you haven’t had a home-cooked meal in a while … um, if you’d like, I’d be happy to make that meal for you some
time.” I looked down at my coffee as I spoke.
Did you seriously just ask him out?
I thought to myself. Nerves prickled through my body as I waited for his response and I found myself fidgeting uncomfortably in my seat.

After what seemed like an excruciating eternity, he smiled at me, “That’s very sweet of you, Emma. Thank you for the offer.” His empty response shot through me like a sharp, cold dagger.
So, he wasn’t interested in me after all,
I thought.
It was all in my imagination.

“Right, no problem,” I said weakly as I looked down at my coffee, my fingers fidgeting nervously at the coffee lid.

“So, Emma, since we’ll be intimately working together on projects, what would you like to know about me?” I could still feel his knee firmly in contact with mine.

Do you remember me?!
I screamed inside.

“Um, well. What do you do for fun?” I asked.
Really? That’s the question you came up?
I thought to myself.

“Well, San Francisco is a great city to do a lot of different things, so I’m always looking for new hobbies to try out,” Brandon began. “On a typical weekend, I like to start my mornings
out with a bike ride around the city or a hike along the coastal area near the Golden Gate Bridge. I find it really relaxing and the view is spectacular. Do you bike or hike?”

“I can’t remember the last time I’ve been on a bike, but isn’t hiking just a cool way of saying walking?”

Brandon laughed, “Yes, it’s basically walking.”

“So, did you just ask me if I walk?” I asked playfully, again feeling completely relaxed around him.

Brandon chuckled, “You got me there, Emma. Last time I checked, you could walk.” He lightly put his hand on my knees and gently squeezed it. His warm hand sent chills down my back and I felt the hairs on my arms stand up in anticipation.

“Yes, I believe that’s how I got to this couch,” I teased as I beamed at him.

“Touché.”

We then looked at each other—
really
looked at each other, for a split second, it felt like we saw each other for the first time, and I was instantly taken back to that evening in Cancun when our eyes locked for the first time. I looked at him longingly and thought I saw a glimmer of recognition in his eyes.
Please kiss me,
I thought as I willed him to inch closer to me.

Just then, his phone beeped and the spell was broken. He blinked and slightly leaned away from me.

“So, do you live in the city?” I heard myself ask, trying to fill in the silence that was becoming uncomfortable.

“Yes, I live in Presidio Heights. My
condo has a great view of the bay, and I love coming home at night and be able to watch the sunset from my living room. I’m a sucker for sunsets.”

Brandon’s mention of sunset
s took me by surprise, causing me to jump, and before I could stop it, I saw in slow motion the coffee cup slip out of my hands and land squarely on his lap, causing the hot contents to pour directly on him.

“OHMYGOD, I’m so sorry!” I shrieked as I jumped
up in alarm. I instantly grabbed some tissues from the tissue box on the coffee table, and frantically started blotting the coffee off Brandon’s pants.

“It’s—it’s okay, Emma,” Brandon said in between my rushed movements, momentarily frozen in shock.

“I’m so sorry, I’m not sure how that happened! I—I …” I grabbed some more tissues and pressed them against him, trying to soak up as much of the coffee.

Just then, I froze in horror as I realized what I was doing. I was knelt down, inches away from Brandon’s crotch, and vigorously rubbing down on his pants to remove the stain. I was rubbing his
crotch
.

Before I can react, I heard Brandon’s uneven intake of breath right above me and
my hands felt him stiffen and grow slightly under his pants.

Oh God
, I thought in embarrassment.

I quickly moved away, “I’m—I’m so sorry. I’m such a klutz. I—I—”

“It’s really okay,” Brandon interrupted me as he regained his composure. “Don’t—don’t worry about it. I have an extra set of clothes here in my office that I can change into,” he said as he looked at me. His eyes seemed dazed as he shifted in his seat and slowly got up and walked to a small closet in the corner of the office.

“I’m really
really
sorry,” I stammered out as I scuffled towards his door. “I’ll—I’ll just go and get started on my first project,” I said in rush and ran out of the office, closing the door behind me.

I was mortified and cringed as the images of what just happened flashed through my memory.

“Emma? What happened?” Sarah looked up from her workstation and started at me in curiosity. I realized that I was still standing in front of Brandon’s office door.

“Oh God, I just spilled coffee on him,” I confessed. Another wave of embarrassment crashed through me.