Today, I was rereading some of my sketches and came across this one... A bit of editing and I figured I might as well post it since I haven't written anything new in a while.
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Waiting, hoping, watching… Always watching, but surreptitiously so as not to be noticed. She's a friend, damn it, she's just a friend. Oh, but she could be so much more, the wicked voice will not be silenced.
It's early morning, the office still and empty, quiet as it readies itself for the day ahead. Perfect for brooding and daydreaming in solitude but Alex is jittery. Slender fingers tap out a nervous dance on the keyboard, the clicking sound irritating her jangling nerves. Hands run through short black curls, teeth worry the lower lip. Waiting, waiting… It's still early, she won't be in for a while.
Suddenly the main door squeals and slides closed with a jarring thud. Alex freezes, afraid to turn around. Is it her? But it's too early, what's she doing here? Schooling her features, pretending calm she doesn't feel, she looks up expectantly.
Quick steps clatter down the hall,
"Good morning, Alex," Léa's voice sings out, bright and cheery, "Couldn't sleep? Bad dreams?"
No, Léa… Restless dreams… Dreams of you. But of course she doesn't say that. Instead she smiles widely,
"You know I'm an early bird when I'm up in the uncivilized North Country. I'll sleep when I get back home."
Léa's voice quivers with feigned outrage, magnifying her lilting French accent, as she gasps, "Uncivilized! You're in Montreal; it doesn't get much more civilized than that."
Alex laughs, the joyful sound rending the silence of the office, covering the blush, the heat coursing through her veins.
"And why are you here so early?" She leans back in her chair, looking up at Léa. Her heart is pounding, breath catching in her throat. Will it always be like this between them?
"Well…" Léa's hesitation caresses the words as she speaks. "Since you're only here for two days this time, I thought, maybe, we'd go for coffee this morning?" The ensuing silence is fragile, lasting barely a moment before Alex breaks it.
"That would be great." A wide grin and the invitation is accepted. It's only coffee… behave, behave.
"Ok, let me just check e-mail… five minutes?"
"Yeah, yeah, I've heard that one before," Alex waves her hand in mock surrender. "Take your time; I'm not going anywhere if there's coffee in the offering."
Inside, she's churning, the unstoppable rush of happiness flooding her senses, making her giddy. Calm down, calm…
Léa giggles and disappears into her office, leaving the door wide open. Alex sighs in relief and takes a deep breath, and another. Calm down…
Leaning back in her chair, she turns at an angle that would allow her to watch Léa through the glass pane in the wall. Ahh, the joy of modern office construction where everything is on display and privacy is long forgotten.
Minutes tick by, five, ten, but Alex is content to wait. From the guest cube she has the perfect view. Humming with pleasure she watches as Léa peers at the screen, smiling at something. Her perfectly manicured fingertips skipping over the keyboard; tap, tap, clickety-click. Alex's hungry eyes feast on the image before her. The gentle curve of Léa's back as she leans toward the screen, the tiny frown marring her brow, the quick smile, then a tiny shake of her head. Tap, tap, clickety-click. She can watch her for hours. Watch, wait, hope…
Suddenly Alex's computer beeps, yanking her out of her reverie. The Instant Messenger window is winking at her from the middle of the screen.
"Are you ready for that coffee now?"
Exhaling a sigh of contentment, Alex grins and taps back, "For you, dear, anytime."
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