The 18th Floor

Chapter Fourteen

It's been three weeks since Lucien came over for coffee at my house, although he hasn't come back in since, him driving me home has become more frequent, even when it isn't raining. Something about him saying it's too cold, or the train line has too many delays; excuses I accept because I enjoy the rides home. Even if we don't exchange words, I enjoy being in his company.

Its currently 9:15 and Lucien isn't in yet. It is not abnormal him being late, but we push the weekly meeting back half an hour to wait for him. In the meantime, I get started on my emails.

A knock on the door, I look up ready to say good morning to Lucien, but my eyes meet Reid's instead. He smiles morning at me and walks over to my desk.

"How are you this fine morning Lady Cyrene?", he sings playful.

"I am fine Reid, how are you?", I ask as his ginger hair shines slightly in the morning light. Reid is hardly in the office, but when he is, he doesn't give the impression that he wants to be here. He takes the casual workwear a bit too casual, no tie, buttons undone on a hardly ironed shirt. Nothing like the standard Lucien and Simon set.

"I'm great, in fact I would be a lot better if you would help me on something?"

"Shouldn't I be coming to you for help on projects?", I question back. He laughs.

"Cyrene, love, come on now, you've been here for a while I trust you don't need any more support."

"Ok, sure, how could I help?", I ask.

"Actually, it isn't to do with a project, it is something a bit more personal...", he says as he breaks eye contact and looks over to Lucien's empty chair and then the glass wall.

"I don't think I follow?", I say, my eyes following Reid as he walks around the room.

"I've been invited to a wedding you see. And the bride is my ex." I'm listening, but I still don't understand where this is going.

"Soooooo", he begins, stretching out every O, "I was wondering, if you would want to go to the wedding with me? As my plus one?", he shoves his hands in his pockets as if he's asked me about the weather today. I'm still looking at Reid, this is not what I expected.

"You want to go with me?", I question back. He nods, slightly helpless. "Reid, if this is a way to make your ex jealous, I'm not sure I want to be involved."

"It's not Cyrene, please, I don't want to go alone and I don't know who else to ask." He walks away from the window and leans on Lucien's desk, his arms held together in a begging motion.

"Don't you have any other friends", I shoot back, maybe too harshly, but I still don't understand why he is asking me. Me and Reid work well together, but outside of work I hardly talk to him, let alone know much about his personal life.

"What if I want to go with you and only you?", he says, just as the door opens with Lucien walking in.

Lucien looks up, his eyes darting from me to Reid leaning on his desk and then back to me again.

"Good morning", he gets out, "Where are you two going?", he asks as he motions to Reid close to being sprawled out on Lucien's desk. There's something in Lucien's voice I can't place, something I haven't heard before. His bags are slightly darker than last week, the colour on his face paler and his hand holding only his briefcase. No morning coffee.

"Morning, Lucien", Reid replies before me, "I was just asking darling Cyrene for a favour."

Reid turns to me, "think about, and let me know. I'll message you more details." He winks as he leaves the room, actually winks. Lucien steps out the way as Reid exits and closes the door behind him.

As he goes towards his desk he says, "Sorry I didn't get you a coffee, I didn't want to be any later."

I smile and say "it's fine, I can make us one." He smiles back but it doesn't reach his eyes.

Then says, "what was that about?", nodding his head towards the door where Reid left from.

"Reid wants to take me as a plus one to his ex's wedding or something." Shock and confusion quickly pass by Lucien's face, as he looks back up to where Reid walked out from, then back to me.

"Are you going to go?", he asks.

"Probably not", I begin, breaking our eye contact and turning back to my laptop. "I'm not really a wedding person and I also don't want to be used as bait to make the bride jealous. Not that she would be."

"What?"

"I think Reid is just taking any girl that would say yes to him to make his ex-girlfriend jealous. His friends probably bailed on him and I'm guessing he came to me as a last resort. Not that I would make anyone jealous", I explain to him as I look up at my laptop to face him. He's sat down, and is looking directly at me.

"You said she clearly wouldn't be jealous, why?" he asks back.

"Well, I just mean like, she's getting married, she clearly doesn't care about Reid and well, also... I don't think I would be the person to make her jealous."

"You shouldn't say that about yourself" he says, continuing to stare at me, taking me all in. Before I can speak, he carries on, "I'm sure you drive some people in insane".

I can feel my cheeks start heating; not sure I can form any words right now into a coherent sentence.

As I turn back to my laptop, I swear I can him say, "I think you're beautiful." But when I look back up, he's staring at his laptop as if his lips didn't utter the words that make my heart start beating faster.

By 5pm we fall into our usual routine of Lucien getting ready to drive me home. As we start to pack up, I start talking to Lucien, "by the way, can I take Monday off?"

"Sure, just let Simon know and he'll pencil it into the diary."

I nod saying my thanks when he asks, "anything exciting?"

"Um, no, just an appointment", I lie.

"Oh ok, sorry my bad, hope it all goes well. Are you ready to leave?" he asks, finally looking over his desk.

"Yep" I reply back, as I leave my desk. He hands me my coat from off the hook and I make way to the door he's already holding open for me.