The party
It was Saturday and you had a day off. You had cleaned your apartment and prepared snacks for the night. You took a shower and then got yourself ready. The first guests arrived at 17:55 and by 20:03 everyone had arrived, except one. Rogers had been called to work because there was a hostage situation in one bank. It was 20:35 when he finally got home to take a quick shower. He changed his clothes and then took a motorcycle ride to your place. It was 21:45 when he knocked your door. You went to open, almost certain that it was a neighbor complaining about the noise. You did not think that Rogers... Steve... was actually coming.
- Coming! you shouted and opened the door.
- Rogers! you said surprised.
- I am sorry I'm late. There was an emergency...
- No, no... it is okay. Please come in! you said and moved away from the door so he could come further in. He took off his jacket and noticed a mountain of shoes and that you were not wearing any so he took off his. He gave you a deep red rose. It was beautiful and rich in color. You thanked him and gave him a drink.
- Please, everybody... This is Steve... Steve... here are everybody, mostly from accounting and data-services.
- What are we celebrating? he asked after personally greeting everyone.
- My promotion. I am no longer in the "copy and scan" -department... but in the data analysis... The floor is the same though, but I don't fight against the copy machines anymore but search the deep web...
- Deep... web?
- The dark place of the Internet that is not indexed, the 90 percent of the information is there and it cannot be reached through a regular browser. That is where all the weirdos, criminals and maniacs hang out. you answered, clearly trying to make the job sound more thrilling that it actually was.
- That sounds... dangerous. Steve said and looked at you like he tried to analyze whether he approved it or not.
- Come on... I browse the Internet! I do so in my small, unimportant cubicle and then I write reports of things that I've found.
- Right... I am not sure if I fully understand what you do, but... congratulations! he said and hugged you all of a sudden. The hug was awkward. You did not know should you wrap your arms around him or... what? You decided to wrap one arm and then tap his should the back of his shoulder in a friendly way. The hug continued and he even dared to move his hand on the area of your upper back that was not covered. You were wearing a sleeveless dress. The touch of his fingers made your skin tingle.
- Ahem! your friend said and broke the embrace.
- Yes? you said and turned to face her.
- I must go now... I have to let the babysitter go home.
- Yes, of course! Thank you for coming! you said and hugged your friend. You walked her to the door and said goodbyes.
It was getting late, almost midnight and the last guests were leaving. You thanked them for coming and then were left alone with Steve. You turned volume down and changed the music into chillout -style.
- Thank you so much for coming. you said and then sat on the sofa.
- Thank you for the invitation. he said and sat down as well.
- I hope you had a good time.
- Yes! Although I am sure that spending time with you anywhere would mean good time. he said and smiled shyly.
- Likewise, Mr. Rogers. you said and smiled widely.
- It is Steve...
- But... Steve is like a "normal dude" -name and it feels weird to call you "Steve" knowing that... Hm… Uhm… you said and got lost in his blue eyes as he stared into yours intensely.
- This is definitely outside office hours and outside the office. he said with a smile on his face. He leaned a bit closer.
- Yes... This ain't an office alright. you commented. It was getting harder to breath for some reason and you stood up to open the window. The cool night air greeted your lungs and you took a couple of lung-full’s. Then you turned. You were surprised to find Steve standing right behind you, or... in front of you, so close again. You felt strange magnetism to him but you did not dare to raise your head. He put his hand on your cheek and then guided your face gently up.
His phone rang. He sighed and looked disappointed.
- I have to take this. he said. You gulped and walked to the kitchen. He talked about work-things and you started to gather the dishes into the sink and the food into the fridge. He hung up the call.
- Apparently... I must go. he said.
- Oh... well... the party is over anyway. you commented and looked around just to emphasize the fact that all the guests had gone home.
- This was nice… we should do this some other time too.
- What?
- Spend time together outside work. Thank you for a wonderful evening. he said and went to the hallway to put on his shoes and jacket. You walked there and leaned to a wall as he got dressed.
- I really like you. he said and took your hand and as he was pulling you closer his phone rang again. It was Romanov asking "are you coming?" Apparently there was an emergency. He left the apartment and you stayed standing in the hallway with your heart beating like a drum, almost drumming its way out from your chest. You gasped for air as you tried to understand the situation. All this time you had thought Steve as your friend and that was it...
"I really like you" you replayed the words in your mind over and over. Surely you had misunderstood. Of course he liked you... you were good friends. "Aww-shit! You and him are just friends" you assured yourself.
- What kept you so long? Romanov asked as Rogers came down. He ignored the question and groaned with an annoyed tone.
- Okay, what is the matter? he asked and after a short chat he drove away following Romanov.