Please Remember Me

Chapter 5

I was sitting at the front secretary's desk in Tachi's lobby, as usual while at work, but  unable to focus on the screen in front of me. 

My mind kept wandering back to the meal I shared with Sean, Gabe, and Mr. Blackborne last weekend. While I was embarrassed most of the meal, the three men had managed to comfort me and treat me nicer than I had felt in years. We ended the night with an exchange of numbers; something I was still unsure of. 

I couldn't comprehend why they wanted to stay in contact with me, or why I so easily agreed to give out my number. 

Sighing, I tried once again to focus on the meeting notes the Mr. Sikeouti had tasked me with editing and reorganizing. He had a very specific template and order that he liked to receive his meeting notes in; an exceedingly detailed template. It took more than an hour to go through each time I was given this task. 

I was, unfortunately, given it for most meetings.

I ignored the sound of my phone vibrating in my purse set to the side of my feet below the desk. I had a sneaking suspicion it was probably notifications for new messages in the group chat that Gabriel had created with Mr. Blackborne, Sean, and myself. I smiled at being included in the chat. Mostly it was Gabriel and Sean teasing each other; occasionally they would ask me questions about my life. 

It was easy to give them simple answers and avoid revealing too much information. I didn't want them to figure out how pathetic I truly was and decide to cut me out of their lives; not yet. Mr. Blackborne was the only one who had not made use of the chat. I tried not to think too hard about why that might be. 

Maybe he had already figured out that I wasn't worth anyone's time.

Glancing at the clock I realized it was half past two, and time for my late lunch break. I decided to take it in the workers lounge on the floor above our lobby today. Usually, I would avoid that area, but since I was taking a later lunch than most would, I assumed there would be fewer people in the lounge. I grabbed my purse, which contained the cup of noodles I would be eating, and went towards the stairs. It was only two flights of stairs, and was worth it to avoid the crowded elevators. 

Once I reached the lounge I was pleasantly surprised to see only a handful of people. Two women were sitting at one of the tables, which seated five, and chatting animatedly while eating. An older man was sitting on one of the couches available reading a magazine and drinking some coffee, I assumed. That left the last table with only one other person sitting at it. I didn't recognize any of the people in the lounge, but that was not unusual with such a large building that housed three companies.

I observed the younger man sitting at the table alone, while I made my way to the kitchen area and heated up my food. 

The man had an air of elegance that was not often seen in men. His shoulders were slim and his posture remained perfect, even while he read from a book in front of him. He was dressed in a white dress shirt, not a wrinkle in sight, with a purple silky looking tie. He definitely looked like someone who would work in this building; yet, he seemed out of place too. I couldn't put my finger on why I thought so. 

His hair was styled back, deep brown, and tapered nicely. It wasn't long, but it wasn't very short either. The man's nose was long, but not unattractively so. It only added to the air of sophistication about him. Briefly I noticed his hands, as he flipped the page of his book. I would bet anything that he played the piano with hands like those.

The beeping of the microwave broke through my thoughts, and I jumped blushing. 

Thank goodness he hadn't looked up from his book to see me almost salivating over him.