Trouble With Us

Chapter 4

Chapter 4.......up in the air

"Hey Dee can you hold the elevator" Brad called out. Fumbling with the binders in my arms I managed to push the hold button.

"Thanks, here let me take some of that for you." Reaching out he grabbed over half. "Where we heading?"

"Accounting," I smiled. "Where else?"

"Ah the joys of year end. Don't worry it eventually ends." Brad said flashing me a smile. "Not until it drives you crazy of course."

Brad fallowed me all the way to accounting and waited until I was finished talking to one of the girls. On the way back to the elevator we chatted about the weather and the massive fire downtown the night before.

"What number," he asked as we got back in the elevator.

"Main please I'm heading for lunch with Rory." This time when the doors closed the air between us felt different.

"So I have tickets to the Knicks vs Bulls court side for this Saturday. I don't know if that's your sort of thing or not but would you like to come?"

I glanced from watching the numbers scroll down on the elevator panel to Brad. He was leaning with his back against the wall and his hands in his front pockets. It was the same stance I had seen Will stand in a hundred times yet the perception varied wildly. Truthfully there was no comparison. Looking at Brad you got the sense of a quiet, soft spoken, gentleman. Will on the other hand came across as powerful, predatory, and in full control. The difference between the two....a speed bump vs being launched on a roller coaster.

I however was so tired of thinking about Will constantly. Done with being hooked on a man that didn't care. Maybe I needed to go out on a few dates in order to close the door on Will and finally move on. I knew it was wrong to use Brad as my rebound guy. That he probably deserved much better but I stomped on those guilty feeling before they took hold. "I'd love to go with you."

"Great I'll pick you up on Saturday at 5:00 that way we can grab supper before the game."

It's not that I had forgotten what Will had said but if I was to ever get out from underneath his thumb I couldn't jump to his every whim. Besides he could hardly say much considering all the kids were going to be at his place by then. "I look forward to it."

After a slightly uncomfortable goodbye I grabbed Rory and went to Oliver's around the corner. We weren't sitting for very long when she asked, "What's on your mind?"

Looking bout the cafés store front window I motioned towards the people walking by. "Do you ever wonder where everyone is in such a hurry to get to? What there stories are?"

Stopping mid bite Rory looked at me like I was crazy. "No never. Why?"

"Brad asked me to go to the Knicks game this weekend." I muffled between bites.

"Ok...how do we feel about that?" She asked watching me closely.

Shrugging my shoulders, "I have to get over Will somehow maybe this will help."

Rory started to say something but then stopped, "You know what never mind it's not going to hurt you to go on a date with Brad. A nice guy might just do you some good."

I rolled my eyes at her fake lack lustre optimism. "That's what I keep telling myself." No longer hungry I sat my plate to the side with over half the food still remaining.

Now you would think come Saturday I would have at some point started to look forward to my date. Such was not the case. It's not that I didn't want to go I just was indifferent. It was nearly three o'clock and I hadn't even thought about what I was going to wear. Instead I was strolling around in a tank top and boxers while doing chores. My face contained no makeup at all and my hair was pulled into a ponytail. Besides who did I have to impress until later anyways. It's not like Wills henchman cared what I looked like.