The Interning Assistant

Business Trip

Stuart's POV

I walked into work already tired. I instantly woke up when I saw a suitcase next to her desk. "Are you going somewhere?" I asked slowly.

Liz looked up from her desk at me, then her suitcase, then back at me. "Oh um yeah. Chetty needs me to run to one of the other offices in New York for a few days. I'll be back next week," she explained, barely looking at me as she stood up from her desk and began organizing it.

"What um," I cleared my throat. "What do you want me to work on while you are gone?"

"Well," she said clearing her throat, finally looking at me. "You are actually going to be answering phones downstairs."

"Downstairs?" I said, raising my eyebrows. "As in at the IT Help Line downstairs?"

I held in a scoff when she nodded. She saw the look on my face and sighed. "Look, I'm sorry you are stuck working in the call center. It's just. . . There's a reason I don't usually have an assistant."

"Because you have nothing for them to do or because you don't trust them?" I said before I could stop myself. I instantly wished I could take back what I said when I saw her eyes softened.

"I'm sorry," I said before she could say anything. "I didn't. . . I didn't mean it like that."

"I've never had an assistant because I never had anything for them to do," she said standing up a little straighter. "I'm trying to change that."

Without another word, she grabbed her suitcase and left. I watched as her tense shoulders left the building, heading towards a cab that Chetty was standing next to.

"Damn it, Stuart." I mumbled. "Why do you have to be such an ass?"

*****

After Liz left for her business trip, I spent the next two days working at the call center, spending the whole day answering the phone and telling people to try turning their computer on and off.

I have to admit that I was in a kind of daze since Liz left the office. I didn't feel like an intern who had worked hard to get where he was. I felt like a part-time high school student working through the summer.

"Stuart?"

I looked up from the small computer I was working at to see Billy walking towards me with some files in his hands. "What are you doing down here?"

"Liz left on a business trip Thursday morning. She won't be back until Monday so I've been down here yesterday and today," I shrugged trying not to come off as irritable as I actually felt.

His eyes narrowed before he pulled a chair over and sat down. "Are you alright? You haven't seemed like yourself since. . . Well since the first week."

"I think the bush you're beating around is 'since Liz and I slept together'," I groaned, pulling off my headset and running my hands through my hair.

I looked up at him when I heard him let out a small chuckle. "This isn't funny, Billy."

"That's not. . ." He sighed. "Look, kid. I know I'm usually the big goof that no one takes serious and I don't blame them. In fact, I lean into it."

"Is this rambling going somewhere?"

"What I mean is, I'm not taken very seriously and I don't know a lot about technology and what's "hip" nowadays. What I do know is women."

I quickly tried to cover up my laugh with a cough, but he saw right through me. He sent me a glare before continuing, "Without getting too mushy, tell me about Liz. Not necessarily how you feel about her, but what is it like working with her?"

"She's inspiring," I said without hesitation. "Not only because she's my age and has her own department, but because she knows what everyone thinks about her and she doesn't care. She doesn't let anything Eric and Kenny say get to her. She's tough. She's creative. She's smart. I feel really lucky to be able to work with her."

"So you like her?"

"Of course. I mean, you've met her. You know how amazing she is."

"She is pretty cool," he said with a small nod. "Do you respect her as a boss?"

I thought about his question, already knowing where he is going with it. "Of course I respect her like that."

"Then you have to respect her wishes and try to forget what happened."

"I can't," I cut him off. I lowered my voice as I continued, "I know it would be the smart thing to do or whatever, but I can't just forget it. I've never. . . I've never felt like this about a girl before."

"Then chase that," Billy said with a smirk on his face.

"What?" I asked, not expecting him–or anyone–to say that.

"Chase her."

"But," I stuttered.

"If you're worried about Liz not liking you," he leaned in to whisper, "she already slept with you."

My eyes narrowed as he continued. "You said that you weren't the only one acting weird, right? That she was too?" When I nodded, he continued, "Well, there you go. If she didn't care and it really meant nothing, she wouldn't have started acting differently around you. She would have came into work Monday morning and acted like nothing happened."

"What are you saying?" I asked slowly, waiting for him to say he was kidding.

"Go get her."