Author's Note: This is my first attempt at a short story. My goal was to provide a quick fix while also telling an interesting story, so please let me know what you think. All feedback is welcomed. I hope you enjoy!
***
"That woman drives me crazy!"
Selina slammed the phone down, startling Calvin out of his concentration and away from his computer.
"What now?" he asked, turning around from his desk to face her.
"Kathy has more changes she wants made to the radio spot
,
" Selina said.
"I thought we were done with that."
"So did I. I keep telling her the script should be finalized by now, but she keeps coming back with more suggestions." Selina leaned her head down and pressed her skinny fingers against her forehead. "The deadline is next Monday; we don't have time for this."
Here we go again,
thought Calvin. It was the beginning of a ritual that brought him an odd sort of comfort. "Relax, it'll be fine. She's the boss. It's out of our hands."
"I know," Selina said, "but she's always undermining my decisions. She thinks she knows best just because she's been working here longer."
"You should be used to it by now."
"I am. Doesn't make it any less annoying."
Selina seemed upset, withdrawn and focused on work in a way that Calvin found curious. Normally she was a firecracker of positive energy, a disarmingly short and beautiful Latina who wore her insecurities on her sleeve, always mindful of her looks in ways that bordered on obsessive. Before meetings she often turned to Calvin for assurances, demanding to know—sweetly of course—if she had anything in her teeth, or if there was a booger in her nose. This amused him, and he couldn't help but be charmed by the extent to which she worried about her appearance when by all objective standards she had no reason to be.
In the beginning, it had been enough for Calvin to develop a crush on Selina, one he knew would never be reciprocated. In all the time he'd known her, she'd had a boyfriend, Arthur, whom he'd heard much about but only met in person once, and based on what he'd seen, they seemed happy. At over six feet, he towered over her, a contrast that struck him as almost comical. Compared to Calvin—slim, relatively nerdy, average height—Arthur was a walking talking hunk of masculinity, bearded and broad shouldered, a modern day viking.
She certainly has a type,
he remembered thinking. Just in his one brief meeting he could feel the chemistry between them; it was the kind people search for their entire lives, to varying degrees of success. And theirs seemed quite successful. As far as he could tell, she had no reason to leave him, nor him her. From the outside they seemed perfect for each other.
After that Calvin made a conscious effort to purge himself of any fantasies of being with Selina, and accepted the fact that she would always remain his friend and coworker, nothing more. The process was surprisingly freeing, and over time this acceptance flourished into a genuine appreciation. Selina was a kind and generous person; her presence enriched his life, made it better, less lonely. He'd be a fool to taint that with jealous thoughts of impossibility.
And yet his desire for her still remained, small and tucked away in the corner of his mind, peaking out every so often to remind him: w
hat if?
"Everything okay?" Calvin asked, noting the pain of frustration lingering on her face. It was so unlike her; he found it disturbing.
"I'm fine," Selina said, sounding oddly disingenuous. "I'm just hangry. Mind if we eat lunch now? I know it's early."
"Sure, I'm hungry too."
In truth Calvin wasn't hungry at all—he had eaten a large breakfast, as he often did—but he saw no point in admitting that. He looked forward to lunch with Selina, no matter the time. It was a welcomed reprieve from work, and gave them the opportunity to talk, which was always the highlight of the day, at least for him.
Calvin and Selina had been working together in the public relations department of their local environmental nonprofit for many years. Both had fallen into their positions by happenstance, volunteers at different times who did their jobs well enough that they quickly found themselves climbing the hierarchy, unable to escape its grasp. Not that either tried all that hard to do so. It was a relatively cushy job, though didn't pay well, which both made peace with by convincing themselves they were at least doing some good, helping the planet in their own small way instead of mindlessly taking from it.
That, along with the freedom and relative convenience, was what Calvin supposed kept them there for so long. Tucked away in a corner of the second floor, their office sometimes felt like their own little world, small and separate from the rest of the building. They had a shocking lack of direct supervision, which they gladly took advantage of, spending much of their time discussing whatever was going on in their lives instead of working. It was the sort of rapport that grew naturally over time, until it became quite common for them to chat until both realized an hour had passed and neither had actually accomplished anything. Some days it felt less like a job and more like getting paid to hang with a friend for eight hours. How anything got done felt like its own miracle.
Selina pulled a plastic container from her absurdly large purse and removed the lid, revealing two elongated objects wrapped in tinfoil.
"What's on the menu today?" Calvin asked.
"Churros," Selina said.
"What's a churro?"
Her eyes went wide, as they often did when he admitted his lack of knowledge regarding food. "You need to get out more Calvin."
"Won't argue with that."
Selina chuckled quietly and smiled, sending minor chills of relief through Calvin's body. It was the first time he'd seen her smile all day, her teeth a bright white spotlight that brought attention to just how pretty she was all bundled up in a fleecy purple sweater and plain jeans; a simple combination, especially for her, but she worked it well.
"Here, just try it." She wheeled herself across the office and handed him one. "I made it from scratch, so give me your honest opinion."
Selina did this often, bringing in lunches for the two of them, always homemade, always asking for earnest feedback. It was another quality of hers Calvin admired; she was always trying to improve, in every aspect of her life.
Calvin carefully undid the tinfoil, revealing three long tubular looking pastries covered in sugar.
More dessert than lunch,
he thought, but that didn't surprise him. Selina had quite the sweet tooth.
He slid the middle churro a few inches out of the foil and took a bite. It was sweet, soft and doughy and bursting with a subtle cinnamon flavor that he found delightful.
"This is good," Calvin said before taking another large bite.
Selina nodded in appreciation, took a bite of her own, leaned back, and closed her eyes, while Calvin watched, as he often did. He liked the way she ate, the way she found satisfaction in the simple things. How such a small woman seemed to have such a limitless appetite, he never knew. She took her time with each bite, savoring every morsel, while Calvin, motivated with a newfound hunger, inhaled all three in mere minutes.
"Delicious," he said, rubbing his stomach in an exaggerated manner before tossing the foil into the garbage.
"You sure?" Selina asked. "Did you even taste it?"
Calvin laughed. "Why do you think I ate them so fast? It's a compliment."
Selina rolled her eyes and shook her head in resignation before taking another bite.
"So how did your party go Saturday?" Calvin asked.
