A few weeks passed without any real interactions with Wilson. We spoke regularly and worked around each other just fine. A few times, I thought I had caught him staring too long, but my perception wasn't his fault, so I never brought it up. All that seemed to be left of our two day fling was some lingering looks and a tad bit of tension. I can handle that.
Friday evening came as it always does, the champion of the week. Zoey, my giddy gossiping girlfriend, convinced me that not only did we need a girls' night, but that I should host. Some easy fun sounded, well, fun; so I agreed. We rode the subway together until we were a stop away from my block.
"What's on the agenda?" Zoey bounced next to me, her heels clicking with each step.
"I got the snacks and wine," I made a list on my fingers. "I don't have dinner unless we wanna cook."
Zoey thought for a moment, "Let's pick something up." We agreed on an Indian takeout spot not far from my house. It set us back half an hour -- and forty-five dollars from my pocket -- but it would be worth it.
"So, are you seeing anyone?" Zoey asked coyly, prompting me to choke on my samosa. I wondered if she knew anything as I wiped spinach off of my lip.
"No," I answered quickly. Zoey just raised her eyebrows. "Yeah, no one really catches my eye. What about you or anyone at the office?" Zoey perked up, and in no time, I was able to hear juicy details about our coworkers' love lives.
"Apparently, Wilson has a girlfriend downtown," she tacked on as if it meant nothing. Of course, to her and the rest of the world, it did mean nothing. It should have meant nothing to me, but it didn't.
I took a bite of lentils, "So, how long has he had a girlfriend?" I pushed the legumes around to try and look disinterested.
Zoey shrugged, "Dunno, but I've seen him meeting with this redhead by the bus stop. They always walk toward downtown." She bobbled her head, proud of her insider knowledge.
"Really, a red head?" I took a sip of wine to wash down the knowledge that Wilson liked redheads.
"Yeah," she leaned in like she had a big secret. "But it was obviously box dye, not natural like you." I just nodded, faking a smile like it was funny to me too.
I decided not to let any of this ruin my night. For all I knew, Zoey was wrong. And even if she wasn't, Wilson and I had no plans of a relationship, so he could see whoever he wanted. Instead of dwelling, I turned on some miniseries for us to watch.
By the eighth episode, Zoey was fast asleep under the blanket I gave her. I wasn't ever paying attention to the show, so I don't know what was happening in the conclusion. I think the main character was from a cult, but I don't really know. I looked at my phone: one-forty-five already.
I opened my messages, pulled up my thread with Wilson, and started typing.
"Hey, sorry to bother you so late. I think we need to sit down and have lunch. Regular lunch, nothing more. Thanks."
I looked the message over a few times, and then I hit send. The tone matched our other messages, and all of those were about work. Part of me hoped he would be too busy or out of town. Maybe it would weird him and his girlfriend out that I was messaging him at two a.m. on a Saturday. Either way, I couldn't get it out of my head.
Once I fell asleep, I slept hard. Last I remember, Zoey was on one side of the couch, and I was on the other. I stretched my leg out, all of a sudden aware of the extra room.
I opened my eyes, but Zoey wasn't there. I stretched again and inhaled through my nose. Bacon? The next thing I knew, Zoey came around the couch with two plates. Both plates were loaded with scrambled egg whites and bacon.
"Morning sleepy head!" She chimed as she set the food in front of me.
"Zoe," I stuttered, speechless. "How early were you up?"
She giggled, "Not that early. It just took a second, really." She plopped her skinny ass down and started eating. I'll always be jealous of her ability to put it away while staying under one-twenty.
"So," she said between bites. "Your phone was blowing up this morning. Gonna tell me who he is?" She wiggled her eyebrows, accusing. I didn't process a word after "phone."
I dug in the cushions until my phone was in my hand. Luckily, it wasn't dead yet. The screen came to life. A few emails, some social media buzz, and four new texts. One was from a model's agent. One was some automated spam text. Just when I was thinking that was it, Wilson's name was on the last two.
The first text agreed to meet me for lunch. The second was just to correct a spelling mistake. I made the mistake of smiling down at my phone, something Zoey couldn't ignore.
"Oh gosh," she jumped up. "Who is it?"
I wiped the smile off of my face and threw my phone down, like it was no big deal. "Just work stuff," I lied. I could tell she wasn't buying it. "A really big deal might be going through," then it all came together for me. "But, I have to meet with Wilson to discuss it." Yes, that makes sense.
Zoey nodded, obviously deflated without the juicy gossip that keeps her young.
We kept eating, occasionally laughing. Eventually, both of our plates were empty, and our time was up. Zoey helped me clean up, we hugged, and she left. I checked the clock: ten-twelve. I typed a quick text to Wilson.
*Does noon work for you?*
I hit send and threw my phone onto the couch, expecting nothing back. Then, it buzzed.
Time went by as I showered and got ready. Eventually, it was time to get off of the subway. To say I was nervous was an understatement. My palms were sweating, and I could feel my hair standing on end. What if Wilson held all of this against me? What if he went as far as to fire me? Maybe this was a bad idea...
There wasn't any more time to think it over as I let myself into a small Italian restaurant. The hostess sat me at a table for two in the middle of the restaurant. Just as my cocktail came, so did the man of the hour. I knew better than to hug him hello; as little contact as possible would be best.
Once he sat down, I decided it wouldn't help anyone wasting time.
"Listen," I stared at the table. "I heard you have a girlfriend." Just saying the words felt wrong, like I was making a huge mistake. And Wilson laughing just sealed the deal.