The Beginning | Facts About Myself | Don't Mess With An English Major | The Bake SaleThe Favor | The Rescue | The Brothel | The Number | The Wrist, Part One | The Wrist, Part TwoThe Sighting | The Question | The Concern | The Explanation | The Star Wars Debate The Phone Call | The Holiday Thursday | The Rain Check | The First Freak Out | The TwistThe Second Freak Out | The Clarification | The Confusion | The Awkward Conversation | The Accident
The day had finally arrived. My Bestie and I had stressed and planned and replanned and reorganized and called this person and that person and the day was finally here.
No. It wasn't a wedding. It really wasn't even something that important. We were just going to see a show. The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, to be exact.
The ticket holders had changed more times than we could count. The restaurant options had been throw out, approved and later rejected at the last minute. But we were finally good and set. Five of the six tickets were definitely claimed with another person working to find a sixth ticket holder. Four of us were to meet for dinner prior to the show.
Around 3pm, I sent Office Boy a text to let him know that our dinner reservation had changed from 5:30 to 6pm. No response.
Around 4:30, I called, to confirm that he had gotten the text and knew the reservation had changed. I got voicemail.
I texted my Bestie and told her what was going on. Around 5:15, I still hadn't heard from him, so I headed out, deciding I would just meet up with Bestie and walk to the restaurant with her if I didn't hear from Office Boy. As I drove, he called me back.
"Hey," he said."Hey," I said. "Did you text my text and voicemail?""Yeah. I was sleeping. Sorry.""Not a problem. So do you want me to meet you at your apartment or at the restaurant?""I'm gonna walk over with Alex*, so you can just meet at the restaurant.""Wait...Alex is coming?""Yeah.""I thought you said he was out of town this weekend.""No. He's here.""Did you invite him to the show, too?""Yeah.""Why didn't you tell me? We assumed we still had an extra ticket because you hadn't found another guy to take it. Bestie is having the girl who took the fifth ticket find someone else to come.""Oh. Well, he can at least come to dinner.""Yeah. And we might still have the ticket. I don't know if we've actually found a sixth yet. Let me call Bestie and I'll get back to you."
After a quick, somewhat panicked conversation with my Bestie, we determined that we did, indeed, still have the sixth ticket. So we were safe. *phew* That was a close one.
I drove to Office Boy's apartment complex where I met him and Alex. We walked the few blocks to the restaurant where we waited for Bestie and her other friend to show up. The food was delicious, though the atmosphere was strange. Everyone seemed in a weird mood and it was super loud, making it difficult to hear even the person sitting next to you. We finished dinner and walked the few blocks to the theatre, meeting the last of our party, and making it just in time to get seated and situated before the show began.
A couple of hours later, the show (which was hilarious, by the way) concluded and we all went our separate ways. Bestie out with her brother and the cast. The two other ladies to previous evening plans. Office Boy, Alex and I back to their apartment complex. Office Boy and I said goodnight to Alex and went in to his apartment and sat down.
"Did you have fun?" I asked."Yeah. I did," he said.
There was a pause.
"Why don't you like it when people call you cute and adorable?" he asked.
I sighed. Here we go.
"It's not that I don't like it. It just irks me in certain situations. When you said it the other day, it made me feel like a little kid, and that's hard when we work together. I don't mind being considered cute. It happens when you're my size. But I feel like people don't take me seriously and forget that, in spite of my size, I am a grown woman and I would like to be treated as such.""Oh. I'm sorry," he said. "I'll try to remember that. And I don't think of you as a little kid."
We turned on Star Trek, which I had never seen before. As I watched, I sat there trying to figure out how to kindly say, You need to man up or we can't do this anymore. I don't do this back and forth. Sorry, bud. But how to bring that up? I had no idea. So I waited.
As the movie progressed, he began to relax and got more comfortable. Occasionally he would reach his hand up and carress my cheek, turning my head just enough that our faces were only inches apart.
What the hell is going on? This is not normal friend behavior. He has got to know what he's doing. I just...I don't...ahhh!!
The movie finished and we sat in silence.
"What are you thinking about?" he asked."Nothing," I said. "It's not important." What I'm really thinking is are you gonna keep coming within inches of my face and turning away or are you ever gonna work up the nerve to kiss me?"Oh, come on.""No, really. It's nothing," I said. "What are you thinking about?""That's not fair. I asked you first!""But it's not important. So what are you thinking?""Ladies first.""Nope. It's not important."
He grew silent and we sat there for a few minutes.
"So what are you thinking about?" I asked again.
He didn't say anything at first. I waited. He leaned in and kissed me.
----------Check back Friday for the next installment in The Saga of Office Boy!Like what you're reading? Like me on Facebook or follow me on Twitter!
*Names changed.