The Suite Adult Life

May (9.5)

"Hey, Bail!" Andrew knocked on her office door. The brief flash of a memory crossed her mind before she realized that he wasn't using her previous nickname.

"Hi Andrew! How are things? Do you need something for the Scrumptious account?" She started to flip through the files on her desk searching for what she had just finished.

"Uh, no...? But I'll take whatever you have!" He quickly amended. "I just wanted to say it was fun hanging out with you the other night." He sat in the chair in front of Bailey trying to gain a little stability. Andrew really was the epitome of a small town hero trying to make his way in the big city. He had brought his High School to their state championships and won, he played Division 1 football for Ohio State and went to Rutgers for law school. He didn't have the ivy background that Bailey or the majority of their colleagues had but he had more passion than all of them combined. He had wanted to go into public defense but Lodge and Associates had made an offer that was too good to pass up. He was their goto council whenever they needed to appear in court, and he headed up the Pro Bono department.

"I did too," Bailey smiled, letting her eyes linger over his form. His suits weren't always the best quality, not what their paychecks could certainly afford, but it looked like he just pointed to a picture and let the sales associates find everything in his size. She wondered if he was more comfortable in a pair of jeans and a white t-shirt, or maybe no shirt...

"So, uh..." He cleared his throat. Bailey wouldn't necessarily call what he did flirting with her. But he was always quick to get her a coffee from the breakroom if she wanted, or keeping her favorite donut to the side. If she needed something from the inhouse library he was always willing. "I was wondering if maybe, you might, sometime, want to get dinner?" His golden brown puppy dog eyes were so eager to please and she thought she could find herself falling into them.

She could hear London's voice in the back of her head cheering her on. Bailey thought he might have a little crush and sent his corporate picture to her friend, who had proceeded to internet stalk him. It wasn't hard as he was a "playmaker" for the Buckeyes. "If you don't jump on that tight end, I'll fly back and do it myself!" The socialite threatened. It took Bailey to realize the difference between the innuendo and Andrew's actual position.

"Sure! It sounds like fun." She smiled brightly at the redhead. She wondered if he would have more confidence outside of work when it was just the two of them. He had oozed charm at the employee outing. She wondered if there were two Andrew Fredericks and which one was the real one. Maybe he was both of them and vulnerability didn't come easy to the football star. But to watch his face light up with shock and joy warmed her like the sun.

---

Bailey had to get this notion that she had any right to be jealous or even concerned that Cody was dating someone else. They were just friends. She was being irrational and she knew it. She told herself it was just the excitement of making a new path with her friend. Her work relationship with Andrew was fun and sweet. He brought her flowers when he picked her up saying that his parents instilled old-fashioned values in him. Their first date was at an upscale restaurant in the middle of the Upper West Side where the food barely existed on the plate. Both looked at each other in confusion. He couldn't apologize enough because 'in the pictures' it looked different.

After a very unsatisfying meal made up by great conversation, they found a by the slice pizzeria to really eat. He marveled at how she wasn't afraid to eat, not like most city girls. They shared their backgrounds about her Kansas upbringing and he was from a small city in Upstate New York so they were both 'Midwestern-adjacent'. Both had worked on farms, loved football, and loved God above all. He was almost the opposite of Cody but still similar to Chad that she wondered if he would turn out to be a 'Chad'. As soon as the thought entered her brain she shook it out, that wasn't fair to Andrew and she wanted to give him the best chance possible. Besides, Chad could never come close to what Andrew had accomplished.

They shared their first kiss at her doorstep, with her taking the step. Neither was certain about the etiquette at their office so they knew they couldn't take it further until they understood all of the ramifications. Once that was out of the way he surprised her with a picnic in the park. He hadn't made any of the food and was upfront about that. He could eat just not cook. Where someone might bring champagne Andrew brought Ginger Ale. Everything he did just made him that much cuter in Bailey's eyes. She debated the consequences of making out in the park from the stained clothing to being arrested. Maybe she would let him kiss her sweetly instead.

That was, until he pulled out a football. He promised to go easy on her but sometimes his arm just slips and he doesn't really know how hard he's throwing it. Bailey knew that game a little too well. Before going to SSHS she had tried out for the football team and almost made it but her 'being a girl' was what ultimately kept her off the team. Even though she could kick farther than any of the boys and had a better spiral than most.

Andrew kept his promise, throwing the ball gently to her. Maybe a little too gently... "So, I just hold it back here, right?" She asked him, the sugar starting to drop in her voice.

"Yep, just like that! You're a natural!" he complimented. The poor guy had no idea what was in store for them.

"Maybe you should come a little closer, I don't think I can 'go long'." Her friends would have picked up on slight sarcasm but she knew Andrew didn't know her well enough. He smiled like a golden retriever all the same and came a few feet closer. Bailey repositioned her hand, right where her father had taught her, made her wind up and released a pretty tight spiral. The ball catapulted right to Andrew's chest and he let out a little 'oof' in surprise. He looked at the ball in his arms and the woman who had just rocketed it to him, letting a smile slowly spread across his face realizing he had been had.

He didn't know why he apologized to her, but he felt it was warranted. She was gracious enough to take it but assure him that it wasn't necessary. It was her secret talent and she liked it that way. However, she would sure love a lesson, or two, from a BCS Champion Quarterback. She knew he liked the sound of that when his eyes glittered at hers. The impromptu game of catch and the late May sun warmed their skins, starting to give way to a late spring tan. Even in the pleasant warmth, he took the extra step to wrap his scarlet and gray letterman jacket around her shoulders. It smelled like him and her mind asked if maybe her sheets would smell like him too.

That was how their days were blissfully spent. In the office, he still got her coffee and kept a donut to the side for her, but they found themselves in the stacks of the library more than most and maybe his hand drifted to her waist when they walked together. The bank merger was still in trouble and he was being called to litigate hoping they wouldn't have to go in front of a congressional committee. The atmosphere was tense because everyone feared about being called to testify if they knew about the corruption at the SEC or if they would become the scapegoat who leaked the story to the media. The two became a relief to each other in the suspense.