2Author's Note: Hello all! I am back with another one-shot. This one, I think, is better than "Library Boy", although I'm not too fond of it, in general. I felt like it was too rushed, but I'm not very good at developing characters in short stories—I'm better off writing novels. But I'm too lazy, at this moment, to pursue a full-length story, so here is my attempt at a short one! It was sort of based on my summer internship this past summer, with none of the romance in it, sadly.
I twisted my hands together anxiously, walking alongside my dad as he strode to the end of the hallway, his strides long and purposeful. I tried to match his pace, but, in the meantime, was also trying to suppress my heavy panting. Goodness, I had not worked out for ages. That probably also explained why my pants pinched uncomfortably around my waist.
We reached our destination, and my dad's hand was on the doorknob, ready to turn it, but I quickly reached out my hand and stopped him.
"What's the matter?" He sounded exasperated, a heavy sigh emitting from his lips. "Nora, we have discussed this. You are going to be fine. Teresa will love you. You go to a top university, you are smart, and you work hard…what else do you have to worry about?"
"I—I don't know," I admitted, unable to look at him directly in the eyes. "I just—I'm nervous, that's all. Your ex-boss sounds kind of intimidating."
Dad snorted. "Hardly. And don't call her my ex-boss; she is a friend. You probably won't be working for her directly, though. I think she told me that you'll be working together with one of her employees."
I felt my shoulders loosen from their previously strained position. Wonderful. I wouldn't have to perform duties under Teresa, who had been Dad's boss at his last job, before their entire firm had been wiped out. I had only seen her once, three years ago, when my mom and I stopped by his office in New York City, since we had planned to see a Broadway show and do some shopping that day. However, my dad had described many details to me about her: she was about five years older than he, tall, blonde, and athletic. She was intelligent and sharp, having graduated from Yale and Harvard Business School. She had also, at some point in her life, been on the list of Forbes Magazine's 100 Most Powerful Women. People rarely defied her; she was rumored to have a rather nasty temper, and acted out viciously whenever her orders were not followed. In a few words and phrases? Powerful. Intimidating. Scary as hell.
"She's a very warm and kind person," Dad continued, smiling. "She'll love you. Really. She only curses at you if you do something really stupid. Which you won't, of course. You're my daughter, and I've never done anything to piss her off."
I grimaced. My dad was simply awful at consolation. Now I felt even more nervous about messing up. Not only would Teresa be angry, but my dad…oh, dear. I took a deep breath and mustered a crooked smile. I must have looked maniacal, though, because Dad raised an eyebrow at me, before opening the door.
Immediately, when we stepped inside, a blur of blonde and bright colors flew past my eyes and I stumbled back, blinking. In front of us stood a tall woman, with short blonde hair. She donned a bright pink business suit, very much like the one that Elle Woods had worn in Legally Blonde, but what struck me the most was her face. And the green eye shadow on her eyelids. I was not sure what to think of her…interesting sense of fashion. Instead, I smiled politely.
"Tom!" she exclaimed with enthusiasm and hugged my dad fiercely. I looked on, feeling more awkward by the second, and purposefully avoided the curious glances of the nearby employees.
"And you must be Nora." She—I assumed her to be Teresa—looked over at me and smiled. "Oh, I have heard so much about you. Come on into the office and we'll have a chat. But—oh, hold on—I need to do introductions to some of my guys and gals here." She gestured vaguely to the rest of the office space.
I nodded mutely, and then figured that it would be proper to speak. "It's nice to finally meet you."
"Oh, you too, dear. Now, Tom, come here. I want you to meet a few people as well."
She led us to a group of employees standing closely together. "So, this is Karen, my assistant." A brunette, equally as tall as her, waved and smiled. She looked to be in her forties.
"Tina." A slender, dark-haired woman nodded her head in response.
"Sam." A man in roughly his thirties stepped up and shook my hand."
"Edward." A balding man, who looked older than my dad, began to speak quite loudly after the introduction. "Oh, Tom, it is nice to finally see you again. How are you, buddy? Yeah, as you can see, I'm forever stuck with Teresa."
Teresa rolled her eyes. "Please, Edward. I am trying to finish up here. You may speak to Tom later."
Edward sighed and grumbled a few words under his breath. Then he brightened when he saw me. "Nice to meet you, Nora! Say, you don't look much like your dad—"
"Edward."
"All right, woman, calm down."
Teresa exhaled slowly, and offered me a thin-lipped smile. Clearly Edward often grated her nerves. "And this is Jake, whom you will be working with on our current project. He's very smart and a good teacher, so he'll teach you the ropes. I'm sure you two will get along just fine; he's about your age after all, just graduated from college last year."
I turned my head and met a pair of blue eyes. He offered me a hand to shake, and I took it, feeling slightly callused fingers. My hand felt oddly small in his.
"Nice to meet you, Nora." He grinned, a small dimple forming on the right side of his cheek.
"Likewise," I managed to choke out.
"You and Jake can get acquainted, and we'll talk later," said Teresa, glancing at her wristwatch. "He'll explain what you two will be doing together and whatnot."
"Sure." He gave a small motion with his head toward the cubicle at the very end of the office area. "Here, we can go to my desk, and then I'll explain the tasks to you."
I nodded, and followed him. I came upon a table piled with stacks of paper, highlighted and marked with red. A picture frame with a dog inside was shoved at the corner; a couple of pens were lying about. Jake waved toward an extra chair and I sat down.
"So," he began, as he settled down in his own chair, "Nora. You go to Princeton, huh?"
"Yes."
"You must be a bright girl."
"I guess." I shrugged. I never knew how to reply when people commented on my choice of education. I never figured out how to take in compliments, preferring instead to nod politely and smile. My younger sister, on the other hand, drank them in with fervor.
Jake laughed. "Sorry. I didn't mean to be awkward. It's just—well—you have to be smart to go to a school like that."
"Well, you could have been the kid of a famous celebrity or someone really rich, like George Bush," I pointed out, and then immediately regretted my words. I was acting like a smart-ass, which was not proper behavior in a work environment, especially since I was just a lowly, rising college sophomore, trying to make it through the first day of my first summer internship without screwing anything up. And, of course, I did. Naturally.
However, Jake did not seem offended by my comeback. In fact, the smile on his face had widened, and his shoulders were shaking with mirth. "Oh, man, you are a riot. And very true, your statement. But, as you aren't a famous celebrity or filthy rich—no offense, of course—I assume you must be pretty smart. Anyway…" His cheeks flushed and he ran a hand through his hair, which was, I mused, the color of dark chocolate, contrasting deeply with his cerulean eyes. I had never met anyone with such distinguishing features. "We'd better get to work. Um, this here is the whole stack of papers you'll be typing into Excel…we have to get them into a spreadsheet before proofing and finally doing some analysis."
He pointed to several large, black binders, and I nodded. "All right." I flipped through one of the binders and examined the contents. "So, this is…these are the securities that the bank has bought from another one?"
"Yes, very good. Some of them are corporates, most of them are REITs, though…you probably won't recognize most of them, but hey, I can't either. Anyway, I'll help you with the formatting, and then you can get started, okay? You'll be working at the desk right across from mine, so if you have any questions, feel free to ask."
Jake then proceeded to open an Excel file and began putting together a template format, the mouse moving rapidly across the page, while his eyes were glued to the screen, not noticing the world around him. I tried to watch the screen as well, so that I would be able to replicate the format later on, but instead, I couldn't help but stare at him. He possessed such concentration when he worked and strangely, I felt more drawn to him. I always had a thing for guys who were intelligent and hard working, and Jake seemed to fit both categories nicely. And as a bonus, he was also pretty cute. Dark brown tresses, twinkling blue eyes, fairly tall, well-built, although not too bulky…
"Hey, Nora? You got all that?" Jake was peering at me, his eyes finally off the computer screen.
"Um. Yes." I bobbed my head up and down in a neurotic fashion, compelling Jake to raise an eyebrow.
"Okay. If you're sure." Traces of doubt flickered through his features.
There was no way I was going to admit that I did not pay attention half the time. I needed internship experiences for my resume, and I made sure to present myself as a studious and capable worker at all times. Even if it meant stretching the truth a bit at times…such as now. "I'm definitely sure. I've done some work on Excel." Okay. Perhaps that was a little white lie, as I only used Excel once in high school math to add and subtract some data.
Jake, though, did not seem suspicious. I assumed this was because he thought I was supposed to be smart. Well, I did have my moments, but I liked to think of myself as possessing a normal level of intelligence, but rose up at opportune moments, such as SATs and end-of-the-year finals. Oh, and regular tests and papers. Really, though, other than those times, I was normal, meaning that I had my times of procrastination and absent-mindedness.
"Well, good luck." Jake's mouth tipped upward as he gestured toward the cubicle space in back of his desk, made so that we would be facing opposite directions, while our chairs would only be a few feet apart. "Here, I'll help you get settled in."
Just as he walked to where my new desk would be, his khaki-clad leg brushed my pantyhose-covered knee, and he glanced behind where he stood. "Oh, sorry there."
A shiver, much like goose bumps, spread through my entire body. I rubbed my arms, trying to eliminate the tingling feeling. I looked at Jake, who was setting something up on my own computer, but he did not seem affected by our brief interaction. I hoped that the cool prickles against my skin would disappear soon enough. I needed to prove myself this summer.
A week had passed, and I felt as though I had worked for Teresa my entire life. My dad was right; she was hardly the big, bad monster I had originally imagined. Instead, she smiled and greeted me every morning when I came into to office. Whenever I made an error, she would correct me with a gentle voice, rarely letting herself become irritated or impatient on my behalf. Finally, she always seemed genuinely interested in my opinions and in my life, listening with wide eyes and her hands cupped at her knees.
On Monday, the beginning of my second week, I found myself early at the office, with only Jake as the other person there, tapping away at his keyboard. I placed my purse down on my desk, turned on my computer, and sat down in my chair, inhaling some of the cool, air-conditioned environment. Jake turned around at the sound of my purse plopping down on the table, and shook his head.
"Sorry about that. I got too caught up in all this." He brandished his hand at the general direction of the computer screen.
"It's okay." I gave him a smile of reassurance. "You seem to be really into your work."
"Well…" He shrugged. "I mean, like people say, it pays the bills. It's a great job to have, though. Teresa got me into this place right after college, since she knows my dad pretty well. She's a great boss, really understanding and fair. And the job itself can be pretty interesting, especially manipulating equations on Excel. I'll show you how to do some of that after we finish getting in the data." Jake chuckled. "I guess I'm boring you."
"I think it's great that you like your job," I replied. "Not many people can say that, I'm sure. Plus, I think Excel is the coolest program ever. I'm a huge nerd like that." I grinned nervously, uncertain of what he would say to my last statement.
So, yeah, I was a nerd, and proud of the fact. I loved reading anything I could get my hands on, plus I found Calculus class in high school surprisingly relaxing and enjoyable. And, although I rarely admitted the truth to anyone, I actually enjoyed doing homework sometimes. I loved experiencing the satisfaction of finding the correct answers to questions. It made me feel safe, in control, and confident of myself.
"A nerd, huh? Since you go to Princeton, I guess I'm not surprised. Although…" Jake trailed off, a smirk gracing his lips. "You don't look much like one." His eyes, surprisingly, did not stray down below my face. I shifted slightly in my seat, mesmerized by his blue gaze. I admitted to myself that I found the guy attractive. He was exactly my type. Now, if only he were my age, and we didn't work together. Well, I suppose that inter-office dating wasn't a completely foreign concept, but the fact that I was only temporarily at Teresa's firm made the relationship somewhat shaky. Plus, I was still a college student, and he had graduated, now with a steady job. But wait a minute—why was I thinking about all of this? We'd only known each other for a week. Although he was a lot different than the usual guys I encountered. Perhaps I'd been going to the wrong social functions, but none of the guys at school had much chemistry with me. They were either friend material, or just annoying prats. Maybe my dad was right—dating in college was a waste a time. Better wait until graduate school. But goodness, I wasn't willing to wait that long. I hadn't even so much touched a boy before, albeit the times in elementary school when we had to hold a boy's hand while doing some classroom game requiring everyone to be in a circle.
Jake, though…he was nice. Too nice, even. He didn't once falter when I struggled to do a task. There was something about him that made me feel that I could act like myself around him, and admit my mistakes and faults, because he would accept them and try and help me conquer them. Perhaps I was too forward, and a bit of a romantic…but I had a good feeling about him.
Before I could reply to Jake's somewhat flirtatious comment—what was I to make of it?—Teresa had entered, clad in a navy blue dress and donned in a bright yellow wool coat. I hid my grimace at the choice of outerwear, but then caught Jake's eye. He grinned at me, his eyes twinkling. I stifled a laugh, inwardly beaming at the fact that we shared somewhat of an inside joke.
A few days later, I was making some copies at the copying machine, when I felt someone's presence beside me. I turned to my right and found Edward standing beside me, his eyes watching me steadily, looking rather solemn. I gulped and forced a smile.
"Hi, Ed. How are you today?"
"Fine." He tilted his head sideways, and rotated it to its original position once more. "So…you enjoying yourself here?"
"Oh, very much," I burst out. It was true. The work was enjoyable, and I was learning more than I did at school—useful, practical skills, instead of those dead facts we were forced to memorize for tests. Plus, working with Jake was also a bonus….
"I hope Jake is being a good teacher," Ed continued, a rather sinister grin plastered upon his face.
I inwardly cringed, wondering if the balding man had noted my steadily growing infatuation. Honestly, if even men who were in their mid-sixties could sense the attraction, I was not being subtle enough. And here I thought my occasional ogling went unnoticed. "He's great," I replied, attempting to keep my voice steady. "I—I'm learning a lot from him. He knows a good deal about Excel and this whole industry."
Ed nodded. "Yeah, Jake is real sharp. He got into a bit of a rough time in high school; hung out with the wrong crowd and had a run-in with the police. He pulled himself together, though, for the last two years of high school, after he transferred to a boarding school. His past doesn't say anything about him, though; he's a good kid." He paused, and examined my reaction. "He'd be good for you, I think."
"What?" I stared at him in disbelief. "What does that mean?"
Ed snorted. "Please. I can see this thing between you two. It's so apparent to all of us. I think even Teresa's noticed it, although I'm not entirely sure, since she's always in her own little world. So, like I said, I think you two would be good for each other. He's a nice kid, you're a nice kid; it all fits." He moved both of his hands toward each other and clasped them together into a fist.
I laughed at his visual explication. "I don't know, Ed. I haven't known Jake for very long. Plus, I'm still in college, and he's a grown, working man. It all seems—weird."
"Weird?" repeated Ed. "Nothing is weird in the face of true love."
I blinked. "True love? You think Jake and I have true love?"
"Well, maybe not true love," he amended, "but you like him and he likes you. Not to sound like we're all in grade school here or anything. You should tell him how you feel, though. Enough of this wishy-washy nonsense that you young people go through these days. If you like someone, you take the chance. Unfortunately, I never really found a girl to settle down with, but it doesn't mean you won't." He pointed his finger at me.
I was not sure how to reply. I had my future in front of me—did I really want some long distance relationship to drag me down? Did I want to start a relationship that would probably eventually falter from, well, life? I opened my mouth to pose these questions to Ed, but he beat me to the punch.
"There are complications, certainly. But if you two really like each other, you'll make it all work."
"Ed, why—how do you know that Jake even likes me? This could all just be some misunderstanding here…"
Ed rolled his eyes. "Please, Nora. I am not blind. Jake is had the worst luck with women. The last girl he dated was his old next-door neighbor, and he couldn't even make it to dinner without thinking how she wasn't 'the one' because she didn't like his old, beat-up SUV. And he tells us all his problems, trust me. After all the women in this office are through with him, we know his love life down to the last details. You, though—every time we ask him about how everything is going with you on board, he just—lightens up. I can't quite describe it. He just looks so happy. And he blushes. Trust me, the kid never blushes. You've got quite an effect on him."
I was stunned. Little old me, making an impression on a guy who was three years older than I? Even though I had absolutely zero experience when it came to the male species? I just stood there, staring at Ed, the copies that were practically jamming the machine forgotten.
"Good luck, kid." Ed patted my shoulder gently, and walked back to his desk.
The sky outside was darkening, and I craned my head outward to peer at the sunset. I was staying late at the office, with Jake, finishing up a project that was due the next day. We were three-quarters of the way finished, but I still had to finish calculating a few things. I let out a small sigh, and took a bite out of my sandwich. Jake and I had made an emergency food run to Panera, as we were both about to collapse from hunger.
"How's it going?" I heard Jake's muffled voice from behind me. He was apparently stuffing his face.
"Fine," I replied, blinking at the screen. "I'm almost done, I think."
"Me, too. Hey, thanks for doing this."
"Hmm?"
"Oh, you know—staying later to help me out. I really appreciate it. I'd hate for you to take the train this late, though. You can crash at my place, if you want."
I swiveled my chair around to look at him. "Oh, God, I'd hate to inconvenience you like that. But I think my parents would appreciate it a lot; they are kind of paranoid when it comes to my being out after dark."
"No problem." Jake waved his arm around casually. "My place isn't much, but it's cozy."
I nodded, my heart thudding against my chest. Oh, dear. I had planned to reveal my feelings to him tonight—but we were going back to his place. If I told him of my attraction, would he think of me too forward? Perhaps even a slut? Which I totally was not. I went back to my work, Jake on my mind the entire time. I was amazed that I was able to perform the calculations; I felt as though I were in a daze the entire time. After about an hour, though, I finished. Jake was packing up his own belongings, running a hand through his mussed hair. I was pretty much in love with his hair, and had an urge to swoon every time his fingers swept through the tresses.
"Ready to go?" He looked over at me, a smile gracing his countenance. "You're a real trooper, Nora. Most people probably would've been complaining their asses off the whole time, but you seem to like working, I think."
I laughed, feeling the heat rise in my cheeks. "Guilty as charged. Sometimes I enjoy doing homework."
Jake laughed outright, shaking his head, his eyes meeting mine. "Oh, man. You are a nerd. But I like that you don't care about others knowing it. You're cool like that. Plus, your being a nerd is kind of hot."
I don't think my face could've turned more crimson than it did at that moment.
The ride to Jake's apartment was awkward, to say the least. We mostly made small talk, since I was still reeling from the unexpectedness of his last statement. He thought I was hot. The fact that I devoured books, from chick lit to the classics to books on investment banking…was attractive to him. He didn't wince when I gave a speech to him about my love for Jane Austen and other period romances and their movie adaptations. He listened intently as I also informed him of my love for Sarah Dessen teen novels, and then switched topics and spoke of the economics novels I nicked from my dad's bookshelf. He even contributed to the discussion, telling me that he liked economics books, too, and even somewhat enjoyed Pride and Prejudice, which both shocked and pleased me.
When we got to his apartment, he unlocked the door and flicked on the lights. Before I got a chance to put down my purse, though, he said, "So, I need to tell you something."
"Okay." I waited, my curiosity peaking.
"I like you."
Wow. So Ed had been right about his returning my feelings. I breathed in, then out, quietly, wondering how to respond. Should I tell him the truth? But that would make my life all the more complicated. I wanted a fresh start to my sophomore year, in New Jersey, which was two and a half hours away from my home in Connecticut. I liked Jake, but…I also needed to concentrate on school and on my future. Also, I doubted my parents would approve of a long-distance relationship.
However, I was not hurtful. I would tell him. "I like you, too, Jake, but I'm still in college, and you're, well, a free man. You have a job and are all settled down. I'm still running around like a chicken with my head cut off, not knowing about my future at all. This all just seems kind of impractical."
Jake sighed. "Nora, that's not how life works. I want to have dinner with you this Friday, after work, at this really nice restaurant in my hometown. I have it all planned out, due to the fact that Ed revealed your—um—feelings for me. Yes, you are three years younger than me, and yes, you are still a student, and I'm not. But I plan to go back to school, to business school, so I'll be a student again in a few years! You see, I haven't felt this way about a girl since high school. All the women I've dated have been casual—usually a dinner or a movie, and nothing after that. I haven't gone on more than one date with a girl since freshman year of college. But you—I hate to sound forward and scare you away—but you could be the one. Really. I mean, you're just so smart and pretty, and sometimes I can't think, damn it, when you're working so close to me." He peered into my eyes, his eyes bluer than usual. Like ice, but warmer—like the blue sky during a bright, sunny day. He was holding onto hope, and I didn't think I had the heart to shoot him down.
But what was I to say to him in reply? I knew that I would be an idiot to say no. He just gave me a sensitive, heartfelt speech about how he felt about me. In the typical romantic comedy, this was when I, with tears of joy in my eyes, return my affections. Or I reject him gently, and then change my mind a few minutes later. This was the downside of watching too many of those things; it distorted my ability to make decisions regarding relationships in real life. But when I saw Jake's face, I knew I couldn't turn him down, despite the fact that it would make my life free of complications—which was how I preferred things to be.
"Jake," I said gently, "have you thought about what happens if we work out? If we're an item? I have college and you have your own life. This situation will just be so complicated. We'll never see each other—"
"Nora," he interrupted, growing frustrated. "We're in the twenty-first century here. I can visit you; you can visit during your breaks. There's email, cell phones…seriously, what are you worrying about? It's not like we're getting married; I'm asking you on one date, Nora."
I bit my lip. "I've got no experience," I said quietly. "I've never gone on a date, never been kissed…"
Jake raised an eyebrow. "You think I actually care about that? You're a great girl, Nora, and I'd like to get to know you better. Although I think I know a lot of things about you already, from what we've talked about for the past two weeks. As for the first kiss deal? I know the perfect remedy for that problem."
With that, he swept me up in his arms and placed his lips upon mine. And I felt amazing. It was like all the best events of my life were encompassed into the single moment I was now experiencing—getting an A+ in Biology all through high school, winning medals from my cross-country races, seeing my baby sister for the first time, receiving the acceptance letter from Princeton. Jake was definitely something else.
As he pulled back, his blue eyes were questioning. "What's the verdict?"
I grinned, and pushed back the thoughts of the future that had been previously holding me down. "What time were you thinking of on Friday?"
Jake laughed and enveloped me in his arms, giving me a hug that made me feel as warm as an indoor fire on a cold, wintery day. As familiar tingles shot up and down my body, I remembered what Edward had said to me a few days ago. I looked up and into Jake's face. He smiled back at me, and I could almost see a glow radiating off of him. He really did look happy. And I knew that I did, too.