Going Solo

Part 49

Nicole

Traditionally, I wasn't a morning person. This morning however, I woke up at 6 o'clock and couldn't go back to sleep. So, I washed, dressed, fixed up my hair, and even fixed breakfast, all with time to spare. I leisurely sat down in the front of the television with my pancakes and bowl of fruit and watched my favorite early morning sitcom.  Which funnily enough, I hardly ever watched early in the morning.

Typically my mornings consisted of ripping through my apartment in haste to make it to work, foregoing breakfast in the process. Keys in one hand, hairtie in the other, rushing to fix a perfect bun, while at the same time shimmying into a skirt and sliding into shoes.

Today was a delightful suprise. I enjoyed the quiet that seemed to come with this early breakfast. No hollering neighbors, no cars honking and bustling from outside my window, not this morning. It was too early.

I even arrived to work 10 minutes earlier than is usual for me. And got a head start on my tasks. My day was looking like it was going to go pretty well. That is until I heard Yanna and my other fellow interns talking trash three cubicles down from mine.

"Ugh, she's so stupid." I heard Yanna say.

"Why would she even think she had a chance with your brother?" Riena, another intern asked.

"I don't know, and then she managed to get him in trouble with the Chairman himself. He was only trying to fend her off after her shameless flirting." Yanna spat.

Had Troy gotten in trouble for being a manwhore again? And who had he antagonized this time?

"I never took Nicole to be that kind of person." Reina sighed.

"Me either." I butt in, stepping into their line of sight. I had again, acted without thinking.

So they had been talking about me. Keep it professional, keep it work appropriate.

"Listen Yanna, I don't know what your brother told you, but I don't get down like that. If he hadn't been harassing me in front of the Chairman's office, he wouldn't have had a problem."

Reina and the another young woman who'd been crouched in the little cubicle shared a look.

Yanna stood. "You should be glad my brother even looked twice at someone like you."

Against my better judgement I stepped closer. "And what exactly is that supposed to mean?" I hissed.

"Nicole!" I recognized the voice immediately. 

"What are you doing here?" I said before turning around to face him.

"Decided to take you out to lunch."

"Decided on your own, huh?"

"I need to talk to you."

"Is this your boyfriend Nicole?" Reina instigated. 

"No." I rolled my eyes.

"Not yet." Tony winked.

"Let's just go." I said, leaving without taking a second look at Yanna.

Tony followed me to the elevator and said nothing, even after we had gotten in.

"So, are you going to tell me why you're here? At my job, my place of work?"

Tony sighed. "I told you Nicole. I came to take you to lunch. I need to talk to you."

"You could have waited Tony! You can't just show up whenever you feel like it, especially not at my job."

"I'm sorry, I didn't know you'd feel that way." 

"Well I do."

"Well okay." The elevator doors opened signalling the end of our conversation. "Will you still come with me?"

"Fine."

Once we arrived at the swanky little restaurant, Tony extended his arm for me to grab before we walked inside. The terracotta tile flooring popped against the blindingly white walls. And the host seated us promptly once Tony slipped him his name.

Once we sat and the waiter gave us menus and took our drink orders, I finally gave way to my curiosity, "Did you make reservations?"

"I guess I did."

"You were really confident that'd I come, huh?"

"You're here aren't you?" Tony snickered.

"Why am I here Tony? What did you need to talk about?"

Before I could get an answer the waiter came back to serve our drinks and take our orders. After he did, Tony abruptly changed the subject and prolonged small talk until the waiter came back with our lunch. By then I'd had enough and finally pushed him to tell me why he'd brought me here.

"I needed to tell you. I didn't know who else I could talk to about it."

"Well?"

"I saw her..."

I knew instantly to who he was referring. He never said her name. I could scarcely remember it.

"Abby's mother."

Tony nodded. "At least I think I did. I don't know what's wrong with me, except that, I'm scared.

I'm scared she's going to need her mother. I'm scared she's gonna have tough questions, that I can't answer. Scared I'll never convince her mother to want her."

"There are so many things wrong with this." I said, shaking my head. Tony looked confused. "I can't believe you'd bring me here to talk about this, about her. As if she hadn't put me through enough already!"

I lowered my voice again before continuing. "This proves nothing to me, other than, you haven't changed. You bring me here in the middle of the work day to this beautiful restaurant and I'm thinking you must be trying to win me back." I said, tears welling in my eyes against my will. "But instead you tell me you saw that woman again. And you're agonizing over it? What do I look like to you, a joke?"

"Nicole, it's Abigail's mother and what happened between us was a long time ago."

"Yes, but it seems like yesterday to me! Everytime I see your face! Because we've never talked it out; you don't want to talk about it and that's fine. What's not fine, however is you wanting me to pretend like everything is fine when its not.

You haven't changed Tony and maybe you never will, but I can't wait around hoping."

I stood up then, leaving the table and the barely touched food. I left the restaurant and could hear Tony chasing after me before being stopped by the staff for not having paid for the food.

I took a deep breath, then started down the sidewalk, knowing Tony would be coming after me again soon.

Suddenly a car pulled abrubtly out of traffic. The silver BMW pulled into the parallel parking spot, dangerously close to the sidewalk. When the window rolled down I wasn't surprised to see Jin Lee or the condescending look on his face.

"I happened to see you."

"Its not that far a walk from the office. You didn't have to pull over."

"Of course I didn't have to, but I did and your lunch break is about over. Interns shouldn't be taking more time than is given. You're job hasn't been secured yet."

I considered staying, waiting for Tony. I knew he'd want to continue our conversation, but he'd never tell me what I'd want to hear. And I didn't think I could stand to be around him right now.

"Okay." I said, walking to the passenger door and hopping in. I could vaguely hear Tony's voice calling after me, but I pretended not to hear it.