One Kiss: An Office Romance

Her expression brightens. “Oh! Great idea. I will just run around the corner and get some sandwiches?”

I realize she is doing this because she wants to feed her sister as well. But there is no need for me to belabor that point. “Sounds great. I’ll grab some sodas from the breakroom.”

Clarissa practically sprints from the room and I look over the mockups again. I wonder if she did these illustrations, or if we have a CAD artist on staff? If these are her work, it’s just another facet of her abilities I didn’t know about.

The breakroom has a decent selection of beverages on hand all the time. Everything from energy drinks to bottled water (three brands) to sodas (seven brands) and even a few craft beers hidden way at the back. Leaning down, I select a couple of bottles that seem appropriate. Diet? Sparkling water? I’m not really sure what she likes, but sugar-free ginger ale will work for me.

When I close the refrigerator door, I’m surprised to see Landry hovering at the entrance, looking somewhat tentative. I hold one of the bottles out to her.

“Lime?” I offer awkwardly.

She sucks her breath in between her teeth. “Oh, yes, please!” she answers enthusiastically, taking the bottle from my fingers. “These things are amazing! I don’t know why they are so good. Have you tried them?”

“Um, yes, they are all right,” I murmur in response as she twists open the top and gulps half the bottle down immediately.

“A few weeks ago,” she begins to chatter in a low voice so the other employees cannot hear, “I was so thirsty, I didn’t know what to do with myself. I’m not supposed to have caffeine, you know?”

“I’ve heard that, yes,” I agree.

“Yeah, well, I still have to drink something in the morning, right? So I was trying tea… Lemonade… But that has too much sugar. And then I found these! No sugar, and it still has that flavor, and there’s just something so delicious about them!”

“Delicious, yes,” I hear myself saying.

It’s weird trying to have a conversation that is so full of nothing. We are really talking about water with bubbles in it right now?

“So, anyway, thank you!” she breathes through a sheepish smile.

It is hard to look at her right now. The bruise on her forehead is a startling shade of purple, and I don’t want to think about how she got it. But she is still a young woman, still technically a teenager I believe. She bursts with energy.

“Are you working? Do you have a lot to do? I keep wanting to talk to Clarissa, but she seems to be avoiding me right now.”

I shift my weight my other side. Actually, talking about nothing is fine with me.

“You know what I mean?” Landry continues. “I have a lot on my mind

right now. Sometimes Clarissa is kind of distant. It’s just her thing. You’ve probably seen that. Right? Have you?”

Suddenly this breakroom seems awfully small. This is personal business, and anybody could walk in right now.

Landry looks down, scowling, flicking the lip of the open bottle with her fingernail.

“What I need to do is convince her that I should have this baby,” she mutters aloud. “Like right away. So we don’t have to go back and forth the whole time.”

“Landry, I think that you should—”

“So, do you have any ideas? Like about how to convince her? You know how she is.”

I stare at her helplessly, my mouth dry. Her presumptions are wrong on so many levels. Do I really know anything about Clarissa? No. Do I know anything at all about whether or not an obviously young woman should have a baby? Definitely no. How am I supposed to make casual conversation as she’s staring at me through one eye while the other is bruised and swollen almost shut?

“Landry, if this is what you want, I’m sure you’ll find a way. I’m sure that Clarissa—”

My voice breaks off when I see her, seething in the breakroom doorway. Landry sees my expression and turns around.

“Oh, Clarissa,” she mumbles, “I didn’t see you there.”

Clarissa’s arm shoots out and she shoves a paper bag in Landry’s direction. Silently, Landry takes the bag and hustles out of the room back toward Clarissa’s office.

Clarissa’s hazel eyes are alight with fury. She trembles where she stands, and I suddenly remember that Clarissa is set on adoption. What did she just hear me say?