Last Night

Part 21

I guess I should be relieved that I fell asleep in the same place that I woke up. And that there weren't any surprise visitors. It was almost refreshing except that I'd kind of hoped to see Ian and I knew I had to go to work on a Saturday.

I kept hoping that he'd come knocking on my door, asking what I was doing up so early on a weekend, but I managed my morning routine without interruption. Even with an ear to the door, most people were either leaving or slowly waking up. Ian would definitely not be doing either of those things right now. At seven fifteen, I pulled out a paper and scribbled down a note saying we should hang out tonight and talk some. Locking my apartment behind me, I scrambled up to his door, knocked, but was met with expected silence. Afraid someone with loose lips would see me, I quickly shoved the note underneath Ian's door and rushed down the stairs and out to my car.

Goosebumps covered my arms as I started my car and I looked around, curious. Ian's car was gone still. I guess whatever had tied him up, took too long and he was staying somewhere else today. With a quick glance, I spotted Lisa's car. I wonder if they had met up and maybe, no. Why would he not bring his car back? Sure, Lisa was pretty, okay, beautiful, but why would they only now get together. Both of them had been living here before I showed up.

I took a deep breath, threw my head back, and exhaled. This was stupid. I had work to do. It was already seven-thirty and I wanted to have some time to relax this weekend. Now focus, Nicole. Work.

The office was quiet, but the lights were on. A few others seemed to be appreciating the opportunity to catch up on the weekend or maybe just taking advantage of the lack of distractions. Not wanting to break the silence, I traveled to my desk with soft steps and without a word.

Several hours later and a good twenty-five pages deeper into this manual, someone cleared their throat behind me. I turned around and there was Leo, awkwardly holding a small vase with a few red flowers and dark berries away from himself.

"These are for you. Someone dropped them off a little while ago."

I gaped at the vase, then realized it was rude to make him stand there and hold it. "They're beautiful. Do you know who delivered them?"

He gratefully handed it off and shrugged. "As they're not intended for me, I did not read the note."

The red petals were pointed at the ends and had a bit of a swirl effect when you stared at the center. I'd never seen a flower like that. The berries were practically black and had a beautiful gloss to them. There was a note attached to the stem. Tugging it towards me, my hand brushed against the soft, magenta petals and a berry-laden leafy branch. Finally, I reached the paper and opened it.

See you soon, Beautiful.

He must have seen my note from this morning. I guess I just missed him as he got home. A grin spread across my face as I looked back at the flowers. They were so mysterious and different. It was a perfect gift from him.

Leo cleared his throat again and asked, "You going to be here all day today?"

His abruptness snapped me out of my head, but the grin remained. "No, I've got plans tonight."

"Are you going to head out now or do you want to grab some lunch?" He looked sidelong at the flowers, then back to me. "I hate going out to eat by myself. It just feels wrong."

"Sorry, I already snacked on some things at my desk. Maybe next time." I set the flowers down and turned around to my desktop. With a few clicks, everything was saved and shutting down. Grabbing my purse and the vase, I turned back to see Leo still standing there. "Thanks for making sure I got these before I left."