The trip home can best be described as silent and awkward for the most part with Bradley attempting to make conversation with Jennifer regarding her post at Pearson & Walters. Emily was silent throughout the trip and wondered why Bradley had suggested he would give her a lift home.
They were finally at their apartment building and Bradley got out the car along with the two ladies, as they both thanked Bradley for the lift and were saying goodbye, Bradley quickly interjected with, "Emily, may I speak with you before you go in?"
Emily turned to her friend and said, "I'll catch up with you in a bit Jen." She turned back to look at Bradley, not sure what this was about now. "Is there something wrong Mr Curtis?"
"I am not sure, maybe you can help me with that Miss Burns."
Emily was not sure how to respond, Bradley continued, "Is there a problem between us Miss Burns?"
"No! I don't think so, why you would say that?"
"Why is it so easy for you to agree to refer to Timothy by name, but I am Mr Curtis to you? Do I make you uncomfortable in some way?"
Emily was thinking, well duh! Yeah, you do! But instead, she chose to pretend there were no issues at all and just replied with, "No, you don't, but you are my boss and I have been referring to you as Mr Curtis for so long that it feels weird to just call you by your first name. I only just met Timothy, so it was easy to transition into a first name basis with him." Emily broke eye contact with him and looked at her feet not sure how he was going to respond. She then added, "I didn't mean to offend you. I will try work on using your first name to address you if that will make it easier for us working together."
"That's all I needed to know. Whenever you're ready Miss Burns!... good work today! I will see you at the office on Monday." Bradley turned around and got into the car, then drove away while Emily stood on the sidewalk watching him leave, feeling very confused. She knew she had a lot of explaining to do when she got up to the apartment. Jenni will want every detail of what just happened and to be perfectly honest, she didn't know what just happened herself.
Jenni walked away from the two of them still very confused about the big secret relationship between these two, one that her friend had been keeping from her and now a request for her to leave them alone to have a word? She got into the apartment and went straight to the window overlooking the street where Bradley had dropped them off. She watched them from the bay window trying to read their body language and figure out what was being discussed. Emily looked very awkward and almost shy. There was no physical contact between them, but there was a definite awkwardness between them that could be read even from eight floors above. What was going on between these two. She saw Bradley get into his car and drive away, but why was Emily standing there watching him drive off like she was watching a boyfriend she just broke up with leave? That's not what you do when your boss drops you off and drives off. Bradleys car eventually disappeared around the corner and Emily turned to walk towards the building.
Emily turned the brass knob on the door of apartment 806 acutely aware of what awaited her on the other side of that door.
She opened the door and looked straight into the questioning eyes of Jenni, still seated on the bench at the bay window facing the apartment door. Jenni had been waiting for her, expecting answers.
"Em, I have no idea where to even begin with my questions, but I think I'm going to jump into the shower quickly and give you a few minutes to gather your thoughts. But we will be talking about this before bed tonight," Jenni walked to the bathroom while waving her index finger at Emily.
YOU ARE READING
Finding Emily
Short StoryEmily was a confident Architect working at a prestigious Architect firm in New York. She was born in a small town in New Hampshire called Meredith. Leaving all that was familiar to her behind to make a career for herself in the big city, she was loo...
