Professional Restraint

10 What a Week!

Ella

By the third day of working with Liam at Trenton Tech, we have an easy rhythm. I still miss my kitchen and yoga pants, and hate to admit, but given the tight timeline, being on site has really sped things up.

Liam had IT link my laptop to their system and Tim has been working remotely with me to get his program up and integrated with their system. There's a slight comfort in having him on messenger to chat with and distract me from the man sitting mere feet away.

Tim: So how's working with the big boss going? 😏

Me: Same as yesterday. Don't you have a patch to work on?

Sophia, of course, told Tim all about our dinner and now he is super interested in my day-to-day moments. To listen to him, you'd expect Liam to be humping my leg, but that's not the case at all.

In fact, there's been no sign of anything from his end since dinner. I feel this electricity between us, but he's been nothing but professional, chipping away at whatever his workload is before we leave.

I'm at the point that I'm wondering if I misinterpreted his interest at dinner... Maybe he was just being polite?

Tim: The patch is done and rebooting, stop dancing around the question!

Me: There's nothing to dance around. It's fine, we're both very busy.

Tim: Bullshit, there's no way y'all are just sitting there like saints after THAT chemistry at dinner.

Me: I think I looked into it too much... he's been very professional all week.

I can't look away from the screen and those infernal chat bubbles as Tim types his reply. An eternity slowly ticks away before his reply finally pops up.

Tim: Right...

Me: 5 minutes of typing for one word?!?!

Tim: You don't want to hear what I was going to say.

Me: Lay it on me.

Again, those awful chat bubbles blink away at me like they're laughing as Tim apparently types me an essay. My eyes flit up above my laptop and steal a glance at Liam. His jacket is hanging up, leaving his broad shoulders on full display as he types away. When he isn't typing, he's reading and absentmindedly stroking his beard.

Tim: You're too close to it. Take it from another guy. From what Sophia said she saw, he's hooked. Maybe he's just trying to be professional... you guys do work together... now how he might act OUTSIDE of the office, that's a different story...

Outside of the office...

I inwardly groan, rolling my eyes. That's not likely to happen. We spend the day working and Soph swings by and grabs me on her way out, then drops me off at home.

Me: This is a professional, working relationship, need I remind you?

Tim: Is that what you think, sweet cheeks?! Let me know what you think after you spend the weekend with him without a chaperone.

My cheeks heat instantly at his suggestion. I hadn't thought about what might happen on this trip. I just assumed long hours of digging through data. Not that Sophia counts as a chaperone. She would lock us in a room together at her first chance.

Really, I have no idea what to expect from this trip. He hasn't even said anything about when we'd be leaving other than Friday, nor when we'd be back...

Tim: Earth to Ella, where'd you go???

Me: Sorry, got distracted...

Tim: By a certain green-eyed devil?