Veronica, May 2006
Working as a tour guide, we didn't have a set time for our lunch break, we just had to slot it in between tours. Sometimes I'd get lucky and one of the other guides would be taking their break at the same time as me but that very rarely happened, usually I just ate alone in my office or went home for lunch if there was no one around.
When I returned to the office, after my last tour before lunch, it was empty but as I was about to leave for home I passed Hamish. He was carrying a brown, paper bag which indicated he had gotten take out from one of the many local eateries that were close by.
"Are you not stopping for lunch today V?" He asked me, thinking I was headed back out on another tour.
"I have leftovers at home and live near by." I explain without giving details of how close by I live. I don't share a lot of details about my life with my co-workers, not after what happened with Jarred stealing my letter and selling it to the media, that was a huge lesson in who I can and can't trust with my privacy.
"Don't go home, I bought enough sushi to share." Hamish says, holding up the paper bag in his hand. "I was hoping to catch you, when no one else was around because I've been wanting to talk to you about something since your birthday party."
"I, ah." I stumbled, trying to figure out what to say. Shayla had told me she saw Hamish looking at my chest at my party, I thought she must have imagined it because I know Sam would have brought it up with me if he had saw Hamish acting inappropriate so I just brushed it off but now I was starting to wonder if Shay had not imagined it. The hairs on the back of my neck stood up, this was my boss, he had the power to fire me but I needed to make it clear to him that nothing would ever happen between us, even if that meant losing my job.
"Oh, I'm keeping you from having lunch with Sam." An awkward look crosses his face when he says Sam's name, throwing me a little.
"He's still in Manchester, won't be back home until later this evening." I blurt out without even thinking and instantly regret it because now Hamish knows I have no valid excuse not to join him for lunch. "What did you want to talk about?"
"Let's eat in your office, it's a bit more private than the tea room." Hamish suggests, leading the way to my small office down the hall. My heart is racing a mile a minute as I trail behind him, trying hard to remember the basics I learnt from self defence class back in high school, incase I need to use them.
I purposely leave the door open and am grateful that I have my desk to keep us separated.He places the the brown paper bag on my desk and takes a seat, unpacking the bag he takes out two plastic containers, one of which he hands over to me and the other he keeps for himself. I lift the lid off of my container and inside the roll of salmon and avocado sushi has been cut into 6 pieces with a dipping sauce in a smaller, round container.
There's a moment of silence, that lingers heavily in the air, like both of us are waiting for the other to start the conversation. I don't really know too much about Hamish, he keeps to himself mainly but has always been friendly and polite. I never questioned why it was that he didn't eat his lunch with the rest of us when we'd be at the office, I figured it might be a management thing, separating yourself from your employees but now here he was, sharing his lunch time with me alone.
"I have to admit, I'm envious of Sam." Hamish finally speaks up, his gaze focused on the food in front of him as if he's ashamed of his confession. "Ever since I met him I just can't shake it."
