Say Please

New Friends

The rest of the day went by relatively fast. After our lunch Mr. Voss gave me a tour of the office, introducing me to the various people I would work with as the marketing representative. He showed me where our morning team meetings were, and pointed out through the wide windows at the various coffee spots and quick bites he recommended.

"Most days I try and have lunch provided for all of you." His smile was warm. "But on those off days, I make sure that all my employees know where to wander."

"That's kind of you," I responded, meeting his warmth with my own, "I tend to get so engrossed in my work I just bring snacks anyway."

"I hope you know how grateful we are that you are here—how grateful I am. Your portfolio drew me in, and I am thrilled that you are finally here."

"I am happy to be here too!" We paused near my desk.

"Any other questions before I leave you to the rest of the day?"

Many questions I had, but only one popped into my mind. "Is there a certain editor that I am assigned to, or will I work with all of them?"

"Oh—I'm sorry I didn't answer that without having you ask! Yes, your team consists of two editors as well as some others from different departments. The editors you'll be working with Lyra and," my heart skipped a beat as the last name was revealed, "Chan."

"Erm, okay!" I responded with a mixture of both awkwardness and over-enthusiasm. This would be... a lot of face time with Chan. And after being around him for just a couple hours, I had a feeling my thoughts would just get worse and worse.

"They're a great team. Lyra is more novel-based, and Chan works in the poetry department. You'll work a lot with him since he spends most of his time choosing hundreds of poems to add to compilation works. He needs some help reading all of them."

"I'd be happy to help him with that."

Voss beamed at me, the wrinkles on his forehead scrunching as the corners of his mouth raised. "Again, I hope you know how happy we are that you're here! Please let me know if you need anything as you get settled." I gave him a nod and returned his soft smile. He wandered toward the front of the office and I allowed myself to settle into work.

———

The rest of the day was fuzzy, mainly because I found myself dissociating into how I could've introduced myself to everyone differently. I perseverated on my initial interaction with Chan. How much more awkward could I have been? Those gorgeous blue eyes imprinted in my mind. My mind wandered to his full nose and full lips, and how his eyes crinkled when he smiled. I couldn't stop myself from thinking about the way his veins cascaded down his arms like rivers. I thought about how his shirt fit his chest tightly—so tightly that I could make out the shape of his torso.

Sure, I had looked at other men before. But it had been a while since someone other than Mark had forced their way into my subconscious like Chan had.

"Hey!" I jumped as Bri's sweet voice jolted me from my thoughts. "Whoops! I didn't mean to scare you. Figured you could use a drink after being the center of attention all day. You don't strike me as someone who loves that."

I giggled, "you know me so well already!"

I put my things away and headed out of the office with her, letting Bri lead me to whichever spot she chose. Although I had grown up near here, I was unfamiliar with this area as of right now. We walked a couple blocks west toward the waterfront and stopped in this small, dark restaurant. Inside, the walls were a mix of exposed brick and green vines. Small booths lined the walls, each included a tall stained glass divider for privacy. Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald played softly in the background.

"I love this," I whispered, completely taken my the mood of our surroundings. "I feel like I've been thrown back in time."

"I love it too. This is one of my favorite spots. Just... adorable!" She squealed the final word.

We sat and talked casually while we ate an array of small bites and drank fancy drinks. I learned Bri grew up in the Atlanta area with a huge family. She moved out here because of a man, who she broke up with soon after uprooting her life. She fell in love with the city and decided to stay. She asked me about myself, and I went through the usual moves, talking about my family, my college career, and about Mark. As the sun set, we parted ways with a hug, and I thanked her for being a friend to me so early on.