Page 71 of Some Kind of Forever
We break for lunch, and once I’m in my mostly empty office, the first thing I reach for is my phone. It’s been five days since I left Fort Bender. All I want is to see my girl and hear her voice. We were back in a good place by the time I had to leave on Friday, spending the day before snuggled up on the couch at her place, and the night before tangled up in her bed. It took everything I had not to tell her I loved her when I left her house Friday morning. Something about saying those words for the first time before leaving her for a week just didn’t sit right with me. She’ll be staying with me after the shareholders’ event in a couple of days, and I think I’ll tell her then.
For now, I lean back in the chair in my office and press thevideo icon on my phone, bracing for her sweet face to appear on my screen.
“Hey! I was wondering when you were going to call today.” She grins. I see the walls of Patti’s Place behind her as she steps out of the dining area and hurries down the hallway to the back office.
“Yeah, we broke for lunch a little late today. I’ve got thirty minutes just for you.” We quickly fell into a habit of doing video chats during lunch and right before bed, with a constant stream of texting in between. Looking at her on the screen is a poor substitute, though, and I can’t wait until I can wrap my arms around her again.
“How’s training going?”
“It’s good. I think we’ve got some nice cohesion within the different teams. We’ll see how they do while working together to gather the projected sales numbers. What about your portfolio?”
“I got it all turned in yesterday. I’ll hear about the internship right before the event on Friday.”
“You’re gonna get it, baby. Your portfolio was top tier.”
“I hope so! Patti’s running around like a chicken with her head cut off, trying to prepare everything for the event, and it’s driving me nuts.”
I can just imagine Patti flitting around the diner, moving everything out of place, with Kayla cleaning up behind her, cursing under her breath.
The rest of our conversation touches on my new apartment, plans for the evening, and a promise to talk again later before she has to get back to work. Those three little words hang off the tip of my tongue as my screen goes blank, and theI think I’ll tell her this weekendturns into anI know. I don’t care about the number of weeks on the calendar anymore. I love her, and she deserves to know it.
“Hey, Chase,” Marla greets me as we merge into the hallway from opposite directions. The dark brown curls framing her heart-shaped face bounce along with each footstep. She’s friendly,and an absolute powerhouse with teaching corporate strategy. “You ready to finish up your nap in the back row?” she teases, referencing the dozing I succumbed to earlier.
“Nap? Me? During that very important and not at all dated HR slideshow? I’d never do that. Must be thinking of Trev.”
“What’d I do?” An auburn buzz cut with sepia skin-tone emerges from the doorway.
“Just napping during the last session,” I rib, clapping the former military man on the shoulder as I pass through the door.
“Oh yeah, that was definitely me.” He nods with a chuckle, folding his tattooed arms across his chest.
“You two are a mess!” Marla smiles, shaking her head before joining Mike at the front of the room. The rest of the associates file in shortly after, and I feel my eyelids droop as soon as the slideshow starts up again.
Kayla
Patti and I just pulled up to the venue. Wish me luck!
Me
Good luck, baby! I can’t wait to see you. Still good for lunch?
Kayla
Yep! See you soon.
Finally,she’s here. After what feels like the longest week of my life, my girl—my love—and I are under the same roof. She doesn’t know it, though. I’m in the ballroom at Trancy Hall, setting up the projector equipment for tonight’s presentation, and plan to surprise her ahead of our scheduled lunch date.
I’ve dimmed the lights in the large room and positioned thewheeled projector over the burgundy fleur-de-lis carpet so it points toward the curtained stage. Testing the focus on the screen, my mind drifts to how I want today to go. I’ll take her back to my new apartment for lunch, and maybe that will be a good time to confess I’m head over heels in love with her. Or maybe I should wait until after, when the stress of finding out about her internship has passed. Either way, I need to tell her before my head hits the pillow tonight. Even if she isn’t ready to say it back, I can’t keep this inside any longer.
Circling my way around the large room, I double-check speakers, charge microphone batteries, and test the sales presentation twice, making sure everything is cued and ready to go for tonight. Glancing at my watch between each task doesn’t make the clock move any faster, but I can’t help it. I need the hands of time to speed up so I can wrap my arms around Kayla. When I can hold her, all will be well in my life again.
I walk down the dimly lit hallway toward the large Victorian styled dining area with a few minutes to spare. Peeking through the glass of the double swinging kitchen doors, I look for the one person I’ve wanted to see since I left her in Fort Bender.
“Hey, Chase,” Patti says from behind me. I turn, half expecting her usual flour-stained apron and hair piled on top of her head. This isn’t Diner Patti, though. This is Business Patti. She wears a navy pinstripe power suit and a simple string of pearls around her neck, with her hair pulled back into a sleek bun.
“Hey, looking sharp, Patti! I almost didn’t recognize you.”
“I clean up alright,” she says with a chuckle. “What are you doing here?”
