The Assistant (Stefanielle)

Chapter 21

"Good. Because I'm only just getting started with you,"

Barrett side glanced her best friend as they walked down the street on their lunch break, giving her an odd look. All Stefania was doing was looking down at her phone, but the prompter for the odd look, she was smiling. 

"What are you smiling about?" Barrett asked, curiosity finally getting to the better of her.

"I'm not," Stefania replied, looking up at her best friend with a confused look on her face. 

"You were lit- you were just smiling!" Barrett laughed, holding her hands out in front of her. "Is it a new deal or something?"

"No, no. Just Danielle,"

"Oh, you've got it bad!" The curly haired woman laughed, a very amused look on her face. "You're telling me that you've already been around this woman for half a day, you could call her and she'd be by your feet and as soon as you leave the building on a break, you're texting each other and she's got you smiling like that? Stefania Spampinato, you are a fool in love," Stefania stared blankly at Barrett for a moment, trying to think of something to say though her mind came up blank. 

"Perhaps she has me just a tad smitten," Stefania sighed, running a hand through her hair as they came up to the sushi place they wanted to go to. "Never tell her I said that. Even though she probably already knows,"

"When are you making her your girlfriend?" Barrett asked as they entered the restaurant and walked over to the range of sushi platters. 

"By the end of the week," Stefania replied nonchalantly. 

"She's not a business deal, you can't just say by the end of the week!" Barrett exclaimed, giving Stefania another weird look which she found herself doing a lot lately. "When and how, please,"

"I am taking her to Santorini and I shall ask her with the sun setting behind us,"

"You're what?" Barrett's mouth dropped open as she stared at the COO in some sort of disbelief. "You're taking her to fucking Greece to ask her to be your girlfriend?" She asked as they joined the queue. 

"Of course not, but your face is a picture right now," Stefania laughed. "I might take her there in the future. Perhaps for an anniversary, but as of right now I do not have an exact plan in mind. Something romantic, maybe something related to candy because that woman has a sweet tooth like no other,"

"You should take me to Greece," Barrett said quietly, scraping her foot along the floor. "You know, your dear best friend who would do anything for you,"

"No," Stefania deadpanned as she paid for her sushi and cup of edamame at the till then waited for Barrett to do the same. "Plus, you would want to go for an entire week which means taking time off from work and that just sounds preposterous to me,"

"Preposterous," Barrett mimicked. "Maybe we should actually plan something though. Oh! We could go on holiday with Danielle and her best friend? You said she has a best friend right? We could book a villa or something," 

"First holiday I go on with Danielle I would probably want to do alone without your annoying self there every minute," Stefania laughed, the comment making Barrett playfully hit her arm. "Nevertheless, it is not a bad idea. Perhaps just in the future,"

"Fabulous!" Barrett grinned. "Or unless I suddenly get a boyfriend, he can come along as well,"

"Oh yeah, what has happened to that?" Stefania asked, vaguely remembering Barrett talking about a guy a few weeks ago. 

"Literally nothing," She replied, letting out a long sigh. "But that is okay! I am an independent woman," 

"I think we should eat on thirty one," Stefania said once they arrived back at Grey & 19.