JENNIE
I've been in a detached daze since Florida.
Something in me has changed.
I'm sick. Heartsick. And it's not good. Being in such close proximity to Lisa at work and not being able to touch her is making me crazy. Tuesday and Wednesday fly by. I get a nod as I pass her in the hallway, and it's not nearly enough. Thursday, and with no more offsite courses left to book, I do the only sensible thing I can think of – I phone Jisoo, telling her I'm under the weather and will be working from home.
No way I am overthinking any of this at all.
Which is why when I hear a knock on the door close to six in the evening, I absolutely do not leap over the couch and almost wipe out on the rug, then stop dead and wonder for a full ten seconds if I should change out of my old yoga shorts.
Whatever.
I whip open the door, only to catch her walking away.
My hair hanging, damp, and limp on my face. "Lisa?"
She turns around, and when our eyes meet, it's like an electric shock, only nice. "Oh, hey. Sorry, I know it's late."
If I think time away from the office would dampen her impact on me, I am sorely mistaken. I stare at her, my heart in my throat. Her light brown eyes glimmer, her cheeks red from the evening wind, and her chestnut mane a perfect mess.
Lisa stares right back at me. "Jisoo mentioned you weren't feeling very well, so I thought I'd check if you were okay. Was worried you caught my bug?" She holds up a paper bag. "Brought some soup, Gatorade, Advil... Lotronex?"
I'm smiling. "Oh, ha-ha. For when things get diabolical... Right, I deserve that."
Lisa takes a small step forward. "Are you okay?" she asks, and I go all fuzzy inside.
"Yeah." I wave my hand around. "Just a migrainey thing."
"I've been working you too hard?"
Not hard enough.
"No. I just get them from time to time. And thank you, it's nice of you to check up on me. Do you want to come in?"
Lisa hesitates. "Sure. For a minute. Here." She hands me the bag, and we pad inside. I drop the bag on the small table. Turning around, I raise an eyebrow. "So, tell Miss Manoban. Do you make house calls to all your sick staff?"
She opens her mouth and then gives me a slow smile. "Only the ones that have met Louis."
"And how many have done that?"
Her eyes fix on mine, leaving me nowhere else to look. "One."
My stomach flips, and I edge closer. "I see," I say quietly. "So... did you really miss me that much that you needed to see me?"
Lisa tries not to smile. "Jennie... " she says softly. "The conference is over."
My heart sinks.
What happens in Florida, stays in Florida.
Lisa reaches forward, pushing a strand of hair out of my face, and my whole body becomes electrified.
"Honestly, you can't say my name and touch me."
She quirks an eyebrow. "The combination?"
"Deadly," I say, basking in the warmth of her closeness.
"I don't know what I'm doing."
"Good. Either do I."
We stare at one another.
Too close.
