Pure Belleza | ✔️

(40)

Throughout the rest of the week, the flirting continued.

As flirtatious as Marnie could be.

Jordan would compliment her outfits and she would grunt an indifferent thanks.

Progress was made though. On Thursday when he came to work in an almost purple black shirt with no tie on and a new haircut, Marnie said, "I'd break office policy for you in the backroom."

On Friday, they arrived at work together.

He walked her into our cubicle and watched her with affection. Seriously. This man was head over heels. It was all over his face.

He leaned down to give her a kiss but before he could make contact, she turned around, flicking him in the face with her hair. "Not at work," she said.

His lips pulled into a thin line, mild embarrassment, as he nodded and scurried off to his office.

Marnie sat down in her chair and thanked me for the coffee I'd left on her desk. Her glasses fogged over as she took a sip and when they cleared, I noted she was watching me.

"What?" She snapped.

"Oh," I realised I'd been staring at her. "Nothing. You just seem. . . different."

She shrugged and turned on her computer. She did seem different. Her bangs weren't as blunt. Her face was more exposed, like she'd had them thinned out and her make up was lighter.

As she watched her computer screen, lips pursed with boredom, her stare slowly moved towards me again. Her shoulders slumped and she shook her head with puzzlement.

"Max? Alright. Yeah I slept over at his place last night. He's not as disappointing as he behaves. The man should have more confidence."

I waved my hands back and forth. "I'm good. I don't— don't tell me. Glad you're happy. That's— yep."

She shrugged and we proceeded to work with less sharing. Marnie and Lucas would be good friends. Milly too. There's that shared need to discuss things that I valued as private.

I'm a man. I enjoy sex - albeit it's been a while since I had it - but still. I masturbate. I'm a dude in those aspects. I just missed that trait that allows me to blurt out I'm going to beat off to whoever might or might not want to know.

If Marnie wanted to tell me all about her life, she would tell me whether I wanted to hear it or not.

Jordan came back one hour later. I was in the middle of drafting up a new letter head design, per his request, as he leaned on the wall and absentmindedly twisted a pin in the cork board. It held up a photo of Marnie's parrot.

His stop ins had increased since he and Marnie started seeing each other.

He smiled at her, she didn't frown at him, and then he looked at me. "I have a Christmas vacation this December. I'm going overseas. Somewhere warm. Do me a favour and browse for flight and accommodation packages. Tropical. Like uh, The Maldives or something."

She looked at him with bored puzzlement. "We just had sex, Jordan. Don't invite me on Christmas vacation."

He narrowed his stare and lightly laughed. "We might have had sex more by the time Christmas comes around."

She sighed and pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose. "I would hope so."

That was all he needed it seemed because he looked at me and said, "search for two person packages."

Did the packages even come for less than two? I suppose singles vacationed alone too. He left me to it so I opened google and started going in search of different offers and options and locations.