He responds to an e-mail that I sent out to all the Project Managers with "bite me."
I write back, "with pleasure."
He says something to the effect of "don't get me all excited."
I reply, "You wouldn't let me anyway."
He says "I'm going to be here for a while if you want to come over and talk."
I say, "Talk, I thought you wanted me to bite you."
He says "come on over β but I think you're chicken."
I don't respond.
He writes back "Are you coming? Did I spell that right? Buck, buck, buck."
I show up about fifteen minutes later. He's talking to his common law wife Holly on the phone. Apparently she had her van broken into while at the gym today. She is older than him by a few years, but not unattractive for a woman in her early forties. They have a six-year-old daughter named Emily together. Holly has two other children, boys in their late teens from a previous relationship. When the two of them first tried to have kids, they found that they couldn't, and resorted to in vitro fertilization. We chat about Emily for a little while. I can tell that she is his world.
He moves from sitting at his desk to sitting on his desk, much closer to me. We continue to talk about insignificant things. He catches my eye several times and holds my gaze just long enough to let me know that he's not just interested in making small talk with me. I can't meet his stare so I look away nervously. He has the most intense green eyes that just make me melt. I never would have imagined that this could be happening. I had no idea he was interested in me at all. He is gorgeous, and I never would have expected to stand a chance with him.
He calls me a chicken again, as he swings his leg so that it bangs against mine. He mumbles something about the awkward silence in the room.