Daddy's Boy

Discovery

My gaze met his over my desk in box. I smiled gently and he seemed surprised. That I was being nice? Or that I acknowledged his existence in the first place? He was pretty good looking. At least 5 years older than me and quite a bit bigger. I liked that. It made me want a hug for some reason. Maybe just to feel his arms around me.

I was slightly shocked at the turn of my thoughts. I didn't realise that I felt like this until now. I guess I must have been staring at him because he gave me a curious look. I cleared my throat and was going to wave him away... but I stopped. I bit my lip and checked my door to make sure no one was eavesdropping. Then I took a chance.

"Do you... will you go out on a date with me?" I blushed from the roots of my hair to the tips of my toes. It was hard to meet his gaze and I hoped he wasn't offended. He looked shocked. I worried for a moment while he seemed to be recovering.

"Uh, are you sure? I mean, yes I would love to... just..." His rumbly voice seemed uncertain and I cocked my head to the side.

"What?" I asked. He scratched the back of his neck.

"Why me?" He seemed genuinely confused. I timidly rubbed my mouth.

"I don't know exactly... no that's a lie. I guess I really like how warm and kind you seem. I want to get to know you better." I blushed again from my frankness. He grinned really big and nodded. He leaned over and wrote on my notepad, it was his name and phone number.

"Okay. Call me or shoot me a text when you are free." He said. I nodded and smiled. I took the piece of paper off right as soon as he left and held it to my lips. I couldn't wait to call him now. I wanted to see him again, and soon. I suddenly felt like I had found something that was missing. I felt a little silly typing his name into my cell phone, not the least because it was nearly my only contact number and because I put a little heart emoji next to his name.

I thought about what I could say to him in my first text. Should I be forward? Confident? He seemed to like my honesty so I was hesitant to be fake about it. Maybe I should just let myself be eager and shy about this. I typed in a half dozen different messages and then deleted them. My lunch was ending soon so I sent the last message. I stressed over it for the rest of the afternoon.

Then I heard the beep of a message returning. I scrambled for my phone. In response to my message: Hey it's Brendan from the office, do you want to go for coffee tonight around 8pm at the Café on 3rd street and main? Also keep this number private since it's my personal cellular please.

He had typed: Hi Brendan. I would love to meet for coffee. I'm really looking forward to it. I will of course keep your number safe. Thank you for trusting me with it. It made me feel a little calmer to see his reply. He sounded just as eager as I did and didn't get mad at me for texting him too soon or whatever. I felt a little lighter as I worked the last of my day. I thought about whether I should change out of my suit or just go to the meeting all dressed up.

I didn't want to get any stains on my clothes from dinner, so I went home to change and picked up some Chinese take out. I think I was getting too much salt in my diet. I tried to atone for it by drinking just water when I ran and sweating some out. Probably needed to get my blood pressure checked or something. I should ask Edmund if he cooks. I grinned to myself.

A woman walked up to me and asked me if I was lost. I said no, because for the first time in a long time I really wasn't lost. That and I knew she was trying to flirt with me. Too bad for her. I threw out the remains of my meal and made my way to the small café. I knew this one had big booths that you could hide in and most of their clients were older folks.

I ordered a deluxe hot chocolate and picked my favourite booth. One of the old ladies waved to me and I timidly waved back. I heard the bell on the door chime and peeked out to see Edmund walk in uncertainly. I waved at him and pointed to the counter. He nodded and grabbed himself a drink from the counter before joining me in the booth.

I giggled because he barely fit, and he chuckled along with me. We sort of stared at each other for a few minutes, somewhat companionably. I was nervous now that I was on my first official date. He was drinking coffee and seemed amused at the swirl of whipped topping on my drink. I think he guessed it wasn't coffee as well.

"What are you drinking?" He finally asked in curiosity. I blushed.

"Um, hot chocolate. They make a wonderful deluxe hot chocolate here. It has a flavour shot, whipped topping and chocolate shavings... but I ate all those already with my spoon." I grinned at him. He shook his head with a big grin.

"Who would have guessed. The big bad executive likes his cup of cocoa with whipped cream. I pegged you for an espresso man myself. Glad to see I was wrong. Maybe I was wrong about a whole bunch of things, hmm?" He winked at me and I flushed again under his knowing gaze. I really liked his gentle teasing. I liked the attention he gave me, like I was the only person in the world at that moment.

"Tell me about yourself Edmund. What are your hobbies and things you like?" I asked him. I know it sounded rather like an interview but he seemed happy I asked.

"I will start with reading. It is my favourite thing to do. I like to read newspapers and adventure novels. I think paper is a fascinating way to transmit ideas and information. You print a bunch of symbols on a flat piece of a tree and other people take it to the person you wanted. Funny huh? That's why I started working in the information transfer business." He seemed really happy talking about his work. I admired that about him. I nodded to show I was listening.

"I also like to stay fit. That means exercise and a healthy diet. I run sometimes at my gym, do some weights, practise some martial arts and play recreational sports once in a while. What about you? Do you work out? You seem fit." He smiled and took the breather to sip at his coffee.

"Thanks, I do work out. I have a fitness centre in my building that I go to. I tried outside gyms to meet new people but never found one that I felt comfortable in." I gave a rueful smile. He nodded in understanding.

"What about food? Are you vegetarian or anything? I should know ahead of time since I plan to ask you out for dinner." He licked his lips and smiled innocently. I was pleasantly surprised. I guess I was doing alright after all.

"Ah no. I'm not vegetarian or anything. Thank you for asking. I'm actually terrible with my eating habits. I can't cook. I have to order my food from places around here that deliver or I would starve." I blushed yet again from the shocked look on his face.

"You can't cook at all? Like, not even make soup?" His jaw was slack as he waited for my answer.

"Nope. Not even soup. I have burnt soup before. It smelled awful." I grimaced at the memory of that attempt. I threw out the whole pot because I couldn't scrape the burnt soup off the bottom.

"When was the last time you had a home cooked meal?" He looked saddened by my response. I was about to admit something even sadder. I couldn't meet his gaze.

"Never." My mouth twisted at the thought of chefs, serving staff and cafeteria food. When I finally got up the courage to look back at him, I saw tears in his eyes. Now I was in shock. He shuffled over in the booth and gave me an awkward, crushing hug to his side.

"Forget going out. I'm coming over with groceries and making you something. How about this Saturday? I can make a bunch of stuff to keep for a few days, okay?" He sniffled and stroked my hair affectionately. It was all I could do not to burst into grateful tears. I nodded and relaxed into the weird hold. All I could think was: I made the right choice.