Unexpected

Part XXX: A First for Everything

Elliot rises from the chair across from me, fixing his tie and brushing crumbs from his suit jacket. He lets out a sigh and looks down at me and I know that our office lunch date has come to an end.

"I should be getting back to the office," he says.

I pout and nod. "I know but I don't want you to."

Elliot gives me a sad smile. "If I had my way, neither of us would be at work today." He leans over my desk, giving me a quick peck on the lips. "But I'll see you tomorrow for dinner with Kate."

"I'm looking forward to it." I hum.

Elliot tucks a strand of my hair behind my ear and turns to leave. I watch as he exits the office, admiring his long strides and firm backside. I drag my bottom lip through my teeth, thinking about what he looks like under that suit.

That's all mine.

Once he's out of sight I slump in my seat and cross my arms over my chest, looking at his empty seat on the other side of my desk. I never thought I would be this girl, sad and disappointed when I wasn't spending time with my boyfriend. I scrunch up my nose and shake my head.

Gross, who have I become?

It's almost as if...I'm a girl who is actually happy with her relationship?

I hear a knock on the door and look up to see Julia stepping into my office.

"Are you free?" she asks softly and doesn't meet my eyes. Having worked with her, I know this isn't an indicator of good news.

I nod and motion to the chair Elliot had just been in. She sits down and lets out a deep breath.

"Long day?" I ask.

She nods and rolls her eyes. "Yes, and we're not close enough to the end of it."

"What can I help with?" I question, leaning forward and propping my elbows on the surface of my desk.

Julia makes a pained face and quickly says, "I need you to deal with Harris again."

"Oh." I shudder, thinking back to my last encounter with the man. I touch my fingers to my neck, remembering how it felt with his hand wrapped around my throat. I rub my head and pinch the bridge of my nose before nodding.

"Yeah, okay, of course." I agree. "What do you need me to do?" I sigh.

"I need you to head over to the law office to meet with Brian. The two of you will then be meeting with Mr. Harris and his lawyer to go through case notes, as they've now officially requested them."

"Oh, wonderful," I say sarcastically. I pull the Harris files out of my drawer, dropping the stack of them onto my desk, the papers thudding against the wood surface. Julia sheepishly places a few more forms in front of me.

"These are my most recent notes from the last home check with his wife," she says as I slide the notes into one of the files.

I sigh and bite the inside of my lip, twisting my necklace from Elliot around my fingers and push the files away from me. Julia picks up on the change in my demeanor.

"I don't think he'll try anything after what happened last time," she assures me. "He knows how much it will hurt his case at this point."

I nod as I pack the files and my computer into my bag and stand up. "I'm sure it'll be fine. I survived him last time didn't I?" I tease.

Julia smiles and nods. "What would I do without you?" she asks.

"I'm pretty sure you'd lose your mind." I wink. She stands up and walks me out of the office.