Chasing Joy: And all things that Matter

Chapter Two: Egg Rolls

Jonah pictured in my head.

"I am sorry to have startled you. I am normally the last one in the building at this hour in the night." He said with a half-smile.

From the bottom up, he almost looked like a normal person. I started making a mental list of what I was seeing so I could believe it once the moment passed. My eyes from the floor scanned from his ordinary brown shoes to the almost too tight pants black pants to a washed denim button down shirt folded at the elbows. God! I slightly looked up under his stomach; nothing about this man was small. I saw that a few of the top buttons were undone revealing the slightest inclination of chest hair. That was all before I noticed his face- that face could have been literally chiseled from fucking marble. He has a thick beard sprinkled with the slightest gray that accented his thick jawline and neck. His brown eyes looked sincere as he smiled. His slightly long hair came right past his ears with some strands tucked behind his ears.

I am not sure how long I must have stayed staring at him before he placed his stack of work on the table next to me and offered his hand. I almost took it, but the insecurities of my curvy appearance made me use a chair to prop myself up before he crouched down to offer his hand. I still couldn't muster up a single word. Vowel. Syllable or sound. My body was in full shock by the mere sight of him alone.

Fucking coward. I thought to myself.

"I am so sorry about your shirt." He said brushing some strands of his hair behind his ear nervously. I was so shocked I didn't notice my tomato soup poured all over my sweater with the remains of my sandwich all over the floor. At that moment I knew I had to no- NEEDED to offer some conventional normal human response. Come on Joy! WAKE UP!! I began to attempt to wipe up the soup stains. "Oh, this old thing, it's not biggie." I offered with a smile. "I was actually on my way out anyway so I can throw my coat over it". Noticing again it was way too late and time for me to get home and immediately feeling like some work loser that worked until dark on a Friday night. "Please let me make it up to you. I actually came here to see what I could eat; I've been working through lunch and am quite starved." It was then I began to wonder- where did this man work? Clearly Elle or I would have noticed this eye candy ages ago?

My thoughts were interrupted.

"Please don't tell me you have a concussion. I wouldn't know how to explain how it happened nor help you." He said with a slight chuckle.Shit, I must have just been blankly staring this whole time. GET A GRIP JOY HE'S JUST A MAN. I let out a little too loud fake laugh. "I am sorry, it's not like I don't have things to do, I was going to meet up with my friend Michelle. We always hang on Fridays, like me being here isn't even an everyday thing...like who works past clocking out? Like certainly not ME. I mean not like that's a bad thing; if that's your thing it's just not my thing. But It's also not like I am not good at my job either. You know what I mean?" I said in one breath with an awkward, too big grin as I leaned on the table further knocking down the stack of papers, I must have not noticed he was there. Smooth Joy. Soooo Smooth. That's when I immediately stopped as I heard from the pit of his stomach the most infectious laugh. It started as a chuckle and then overpoured to his precious lips. A look into his eyes I knew it was a genuine laugh with me rather than at me. In that split second, I couldn't help it. I started to laugh too. Before I knew it, we were both in a fit of laughter. I can't remember the last time I laughed this hard.

"Sorry" He said coughing to try to calm his laugh. It would seem both of us are due for some form of substance. Do you like Chinese? There's one of the best spots for Egg Rolls outside of Chinatown that I go to once I leave this place. It's not far and we could walk if you'd like." Now, normally I would give any excuse to go right home. What would I order at the restaurant? Something healthy? What about the bill? He didn't say it was a date. And let's not forget the part where um I don't know he's a total fucking stranger that can kill me and turn me into Chinese food. I pondered all this as I stared at him. He offered another full smile. It literally made me start to melt. It made me wonder how many other people were fortunate to see his smile. Then it came to me- For the first time in my life I decided on the only thing I could think of to say. It scared me as it was the first thing that popped into my head and scared me even more as it left my lips before I could stop it:

"Yes, I would love to".