The Pickup Line

Chapter Twelve

Wanna sip this smooth air, kick it in the sand. I'd say I told you so but you just gonna cry.  You just wanna know those peanut butter vibes 

Gooey - Glass Animals

(to the picture above, imagine that the screen is actually facing the windows, so when sitting her back would be to the windows and the front of her desk looking at the door)

(hope that ^ makes sense)

- Sawyer - 

"Hey Jenna, can you come critique this for me?" I said into the office phone.  Jenna was my best friend at work and we often called on each other for advice.  

"Sure, I'm coming up right now," she said.  I sighed in frustration as I put the phone down.  It was about an hour before it was time for me to leave and since I had too much free time, I decided to do something about it.

I shifted the page to the needed size and waited for the elevator to signal she was here.  Jenna worked downstairs and printed everything we needed to print, while my floor worked on our customers requests.  Before I started here full time we worked as assistants together and bonded instantly.  It was a given that when we both received a job here our friendship would continue to grow.  I was hoping to be one of her bridesmaids for her upcoming wedding. The elevator chimed and her heels clicking on the floor grew louder and louder with each passing step.  

"I feel bloated," she huffed as she strutted into my office.  I leaned back in my chair and allowed her room to my computer space.  My twenty-seven inch Apple iMac desktop that the company gives to each employee cast a shadow across her face as she zoomed in to my work .  Since I was now a full-time worker, they also issued me a laptop so I could work from home during sick days or a deadline.  It's just an added plus that I get to keep them both if I ever go somewhere else.

"Is this an assignment you have?" she asked.  We usually left all our smaller projects to the interns, but to me this wasn't a small project.

"No, I finished early today and decided to do something for a friend," I said.  I purposefully left out any details that might lead her to believe that anything was up. 

"Hm, it's very professional.  Maybe add some art or something to add something special and not look so under dressed," she said.  She turned around and leaned against the desk, watching me.

"What kind of friend?" she asked me.  I turned to my computer again and worked on adding something in, clearly avoiding her. 

"Sawyer!" she squealed. "You have a lover boy!" She exclaimed.  I watched her twirl around and clap as she giggled maddeningly. 

"He isn't a lover boy," I mumbled, even though she had stopped listening. 

"Will you bring him to my wedding?" she asked as she sat down in a chair across from my desk. I designed this whole office myself and I was still upset that the chairs my customers use are more comfy than mine.

"We basically just met," I said.  It wasn't like I had been hiding Brayden, it was just that everything happened so quickly.  We met one day and it feels as if I've seen him every day since.  Not that I really mind, but having Austin as my only other relationship to compare us to, it left me feeling unsure and careful. 

"Oh come on, you like him," she rolled her eyes at me, obviously not liking the way I was acting about it.

"Hell yea, I like him," I retorted angrily.  If she wanted me to be blunt about my feelings, then blunt is what she would get.  I continued working something into the project as she rambled on about how fun it would be to double date. 

"Wait, stop.  Brayden and I haven't even gone on a date alone yet," I said.  I blushed furiously as the fact set in.  At least when Austin and I were dating we waited until we were officially boyfriend-girlfriend to do anything even remotely sexual. It took Brayden less than twenty-four hours to get me all hot and bothered. I felt horrible about it all.

I looked over my computer at her when she became silent.  I watched as she headed out the door, stopping just outside.  I could see her staring at something down the hall, a crease between her brows.

"I don't think it'll take long..." she said as she stepped back a few feet.  A man appeared in my office holding a huge vase of the most gorgeous arrangement of flowers I'd ever seen.  The vase itself was a light pastel green and the flowers were a combination of blue, purple and white.  All my favorite colors.  The vase and flowers blended easily and it looked as if it had popped right out of a home decoration magazine.  I pulled my gaze away from the flowers and to the man.

"Sawyer?" he asked.  He was an older man, probably around the same age as my grandfather.  I nodded at his sweet face as he smiled at me and handed me the machine to sign.  "These are for you," he said.  He watched as I signed my name and carefully took the flowers from his hands. 

"Thank you," I told him.  Only I wasn't really paying anymore attention to him.  I slowly reached and grab the card from the stand in the center of the vase.  I could feel my face burn as I continued to grin, rereading the card over and over.  I ignored the delivery man as he left, I ignored Jenna as she walked over and plucked the card from my hand. I didn't, however, ignore the butterfly's that had seemed to move into my tummy. The way Brayden made me feel without even being in the room was indescribable.  Magical.

Jenna smiled at me and stuck the card back onto the stand.  She left quickly after that without a word, not wanting to ruin my moment.  I sat down in my rolling chair and propped my feet up on the dresser behind me that held all my projects, finished and unfinished.  My happiness spread everywhere, from my toes all the way to my finger tips and stopping at the tip top of my head.  I ignored the way part of me thought about how fast this was all going, but then again, it all had to start with a date.

I grabbed my phone and sent a quick text, answering his question from the card.  After pressing send, I quickly hopped up and grabbed the card again.  Rereading over and over again, my secret project undone and forgotten.  My worries about our relationships pace and my father and Tess all flowed out of me.   Brayden being in my life seemed to be a blessing in disguise, he left no room for negativity in my body.  I pulled myself away from my thoughts and read it again one last time before packing up my things and heading home.

Save the Date:

You have a date with Brayden this Friday!  Dress casual and wait to be picked up at 7:30!

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I'M SORRY I HAVEN'T UPDATED NO EXCUSES JUST LAZY TBH

SO my friend (the only friend who I have allowed to read this story this early in; shout out SS)  texted me today after literally just walking through my front door from getting back from a day on the lake and told me to update and I had like half of this done already and had planned on writing a much longer one but since she wanted one now I decided why not make it a filler 

AND my next chapter which I am currently working on will be a lot longer than this one btw

If you liked this chapter please if you don't mind pressing the little star to vote :))))

I LOVE YOU ALL

STAY TUNED!!!!