Page 93 of Up All Night

I was going to pick her up after she finished teaching her last class of the night and take her out to a Chinese restaurant she was excited to show me.

Was I also checking my watch every ten minutes to see if it was finally time for me to go pick her up?

Yes.

The day seemed to drag on, but in less than thirty minutes, she’d be in my car and we’d be driving to dinner. I could leave work behind to be with the girl who had occupied my thoughts since I’d dropped her off at her apartment last night.

I’d wanted so badly to kiss her again but had somehow managed to control myself and only give her a kiss on the cheek.

Ever since we’d kissed Saturday night, my feelings for her had escalated. And it didn’t have anything to do with the kisses (okay, maybe a little bit). It was more that the kissing had been expressive of our feelings, a nonverbal way of communicating that we liked each other, that we both were feeling more than friendship. Before the kiss, I had thought that maybe it was one-sided, that I was the only one having a hard time keeping things platonic.

But now that I knew she liked me too? Yeah, things had changed drastically.

I needed to take things slow, no matter how much I wanted to speed forward with her. We might like each other and enjoy being together, but there were still a lot of unknowns.

I worked on cleaning up my emails until my watch said six.

I was packing up my things when my dad’s assistant, Sheila, walked into my office. She had her bag over her shoulder and looked like she was about to leave for the evening as well.

She gave me an apologetic smile. “Your father would like to see you in his office.”

My hopes for tonight plummeted. It was never good when my dad wanted to see me at the end of the day. He assumed that since it was late and everyone else had gone home for the day, I had no meetings or calls, which meant I was his for as long as he wanted. And he always wanted me for at least a couple of hours.

I glanced at my watch one more time, even though I already knew what time it was, and let out an exhausted sigh. I was never going to make it to Halle on time if I didn’t leave in the next five minutes. I wanted to pray for a miracle—that my father would only need to ask me a quick question, but I knew better than that.

“Thanks, Sheila.” I grabbed my laptop as I stood. “Have a good night.”

“You, too, sir.” She turned and left my office, the sound of the elevator dinging as the doors opened. My head hung low, knowing I couldn’t join her.

Pulling out my phone, I clicked on Halle’s name.

Me:Hey, my dad just called me into his office. Not sure how long he’ll want to meet with me. I’m so sorry to ruin our dinner plans.

Tucking my phone back in my pocket I headed toward my dad’s office, but right before I walked in, my phone buzzed.

Halle:That’s okay, I understand. I just got the keys to my studio and am going to head over there in a bit to see what I can start working on. We can have dinner another night.

I read the last sentence again. How many nights would it have to be another night? I’d finally asked a woman on a date, and I was already having to cancel.

If we planned another night, I couldn’t guarantee that one wouldn’t get canceled either. How many times was I going to do this to her? We’d make plans, but then work would ruin those plans. I’d watch as each time she would get disappointed, and eventually she’d end things between us.

What was the point of starting anything if it was destined to end eventually? The thought of getting to be with Halle only to lose her sent a physical pain through my chest. It wasn’t smart to get involved with her. I’d end up hurting her. I’d end up hurting myself. Nothing good could come of us trying to be together.

Pushing those thoughts away, I opened the door to my father’s office and sat across from him at his large desk.

“I’m glad you’re still here, son,” he said without looking up from his computer screen. “We have a few things to discuss before our meetings tomorrow.”

Two hours and ten minutes later, my dad was finished meeting with me.

I was so tired, and as much as I wanted to go home and go to sleep, I wanted to see Halle more. I shouldn’t want to see Halle, but it was what it was. My hand was already in my pocket pulling out my phone to text her.

Me:I’m finally walking out of my dad’s office. I hate that I didn’t get to see you tonight.

I shouldn’t have written that last sentence, but I couldn’t help it. My fingers were typing out the truth before I had a chance to stop them.

Halle:I wish we could have seen each other, too.

Halle:But in good news, I stopped at Home Depot and picked up some paint. I’ve been painting for the last hour and it’s already looking so much better!

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