From across the hallway

Part 24

The days drifted by, with things getting more and more stressful at work for Missy. The company she worked for had just announced their profits for this year were extremely low, far lower than they had predicted. She knew that job losses were imminent and that she was likely to be the first to go...but despite all this, her mind was not dwelling too much on these problems...

At home, she had had just the loveliest week.

Since their kiss, of which neither she nor Wade had spoken about, the two adults, and Emily, had become pretty much inseparable.

Missy would get Emily up and dressed in the mornings, before taking her across the hallway to Wade's, where she would sit and grab a quick cup of coffee and have a talk to the (usually half-naked) merc, before heading off to work.

Wade kept her entertained all day by forwarding her photos of himself and the two-year old, and by the time Missy got home later that evening, she was always met with lots of cuddles from her excitable and happy daughter. That alone, put a smile on her face.

But it was the time they shared after that, each evening, which was what Missy (and Wade and Em) enjoyed the most.

The three of them together would cook dinner, do the washing up, play games and watch cartoons before the two adults would put the toddler to bed. It was then and only then, would both Missy and Wade fall quiet, head back into the living room together and collapse back onto the couch.

They would always find themselves sitting close, their hands touching, but only briefly. Then they would put something on the TV, which Missy would, if truth be told, barely watch. She was more concerned with Wade's close proximity than anything else.

She had not been able to keep her mind off their kiss... She didn't know why she had done it, but knew that it felt good. Amazing in fact.

But knew that that had to be it....

She couldn't do this, not really.

Missy and Emily had thought they had been part of family once before and had been mistaken. What would made this, or indeed Wade, so different?

No, it was best if they just stayed friends...

That way, neither she, nor her daughter, couldn't get hurt again.... like they had once before.

But despite all this, Missy had had the most lovely week. Both she and Emily were happier than they had been in a long time and that was all down to one person...

"Missy, can you get those papers to me by Tuesday?" came a sudden voice, breaking Missy from her daze.

She was currently sat at her desk at work, staring out of the window at the ever-darkening sky.

She shook herself and looked over to see one of her bosses Mike staring down at her, a bemused expression on his face.

"Sorry," she said immediately. "The Francis Papers? Of course."

And with that she rifled through her out-tray, pulling out a neat stack of copies and handing them to him.

"Actually I'm already done with them," she uttered, tucking her curled, caramel-blonde hair behind her ear.

Mike, who was in his late thirties, with dark hair and perfect teeth, flashed her a dazzling smile, looking at her coyly.

"Wow, y'know if this is the kind of work you produce when you're THAT distracted, then you're definitely someone I could do with on my team," he said giving a laugh, and thumbing his way through the stack of papers.

Missy took a breath and clicked her mouse, turning back to her PC, flushing red.

Oh god, being caught procrastinating instead of working, was really not going to help her keep her job.