Gold Rush

Chapter 10

"They slipped briskly into an intimacy from which they never recovered."

F. Scott Fitzgerald

I walk into the office building Monday morning gripping the same tray of coffees I do every day. I haven't spoken to Harry all weekend, which is probably for the best. I really needed time to cool off after everything that happened with the banquet. More importantly the morning after. I just can't stop thinking about his goodbye. The soft and tender kiss on the forehead. The way he said I wasn't what he expected. What did he even mean by that?

My pondering is interrupted when, speak of the devil, I see him striding through the crowded lobby. For some reason I hesitate, deciding whether or not I should say hi. I push that strange thought aside and speed up to catch up to him.

"Hey!"

"Hey," he responds, barely slowing down his stride to talk to me.

"How was the rest of your weekend? Did your girlfriend lock you away for staying out all night?" I joke.

"Ha ha, very funny. She definitely wasn't happy but it was nothing I couldn't handle,"

"This is giving me flashbacks to the first time we met," I say while we get in the elevator, the tray of coffee still in my hands

"Except this time I'm employed,"

"And now we're friends," I add

"Woah who said we're friends, sweetheart?"

I laugh while the elevator slowly opens its doors to the 32nd floor. Harry slowly starts to walk out of the elevator.

"Well, have a good day," I say to him "See you for lunch."

Harry turns around and says, "About that, I'm gonna have to cancel lunch today. But I'll see you later"

"Oh okay," I say right as the elevator doors close.

As the elevator continues on to the 44th floor, I surprisingly get a call from Aspen.

I immediately answer and ask, "What are you doing up so early?"

"On my way to Greece. Just wanted to let you know I'd be gone for the week."

"Wow and to think I was going to ask you to lunch today," I say jokingly.

"Oh that's a load of bullshit," she says, "I know you wouldn't miss lunch with your boy toy for anything."

"Well yeah, I wouldn't," l say, exaggerating the I.

"Ooh trouble in paradise?" she asks.

"I don't know. I'm probably just overreacting but he seemed a little off today and he canceled lunch with me."

"Ouch. Did he give a reason?"

"Not really. He did mention that he was really busy with work but other than that he just ran off" I say as the elevator doors open to my floor and I step out.

"It's definitely the girlfriend. She must know about the other night and forbid him from seeing you," she replies.

"Oh my god Aspen, I don't know about that and he doesn't seem like the type to listen when someone tells him not to do something."

"Yeah but didn't you say he always acts weird when she calls him? Maybe she has some secret chokehold on him," she says.

"You might be right about that. I'm going to try and talk to him tomorrow and see what's going on," I tell her as I set my things down at my desk.