Story : Meredith and Brian have known each other for just about their entire lives. Ever since middle school, they hated each other. They had this sort of unspoken rivalry.
3 years after graduating high school, they end up working together at the Adler Planetarium. Each of them is surprised by how much the other doesn't annoy them. They actually get a long really well.
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Meredith was nervous. She was starting a new summer job at the Adler Planetarium. She was happy to be back in Chicago for the summer, but for some reason she had a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach.
"Hey there, Meredith!" her boss, Jeremy, said when she walked into the front office. "I'm so happy that you will be joining us for the season." His smile was wide and cheesy.
"I'm happy to be here," she said.
"I can't train you, but our junior manager can handle it. He should be here any minute. His name is Brian."
"Got it." With that, Jeremy walked down the hallway and out of Meredith's sight. She just stood there awkwardly. She ended up pulling out her phone to pass the time.
A few minutes later, she heard the door open. When she looked up, her mouth fell open slightly. She couldn't believe that he was there. It suddenly clicked. It was that Brian.
Brian Holden didn't look much different since they had graduated. He looked older, obviously, but he still made that same face when he was thinking. He looked over at Meredith and his breath caught in his chest.
Meredith had grown up a good bit. He was taken off guard by how good he thought she looked. He cleared his throat before walking over to her.
"So, you're the Meredith I'm training?"
"I guess that means you're the Brian that's going to be training me." He rubbed the back of his neck. It was an endearing nervous habit of his.
"Great," he said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. As he turned his back, Meredith couldn't help but roll her eyes.
This is gonna be a long summer, she thought.
Brain explained what she should do at every possible position in the building she would be working. It was a lot to take in and he wasn't taking any time to make sure she understood. She was overwhelmed rather quickly.
"Uh, Brian?" she asked, interrupting him as he was telling her how to run the projectors.
"What?"
"Could you tell me that last thing again?" Brian sighed. "I'm sorry. You're just going really fast. It's a lot to take in."
Brian examined her features. Her eyes were a charming brown. He let himself smile. The way he smiled did something to Meredith. It caught her off guard.
"Yeah. I can slow down. I'm sorry."
"It's all good."
After that, Brian tried to make sure that Meredith was getting everything. At the new speed, she was getting it with no problem. Now that they had spent almost an hour together, Brian was loosening up. It was like he forgot who he was talking to. Brian was cracking jokes and Meredith was laughing at them. It was like they were meeting for the first time.
They got back to the main office and Brian grabbed a schedule. "You can work the front desk with me right now. I'll handle most of the business so you can watch. Sound good?"
"Yep." She gave him a thumbs up. He nodded and walked to the front desk. The girl who had been working there before left.
It was another 2 hours of Meredith just watching Brian. The longer they were together, the more she noticed about him. She noticed the way he always made the customers laugh. She noticed the way his eyes crinkled at the corners when he smiled wide enough. She noticed the way he was trying his best to impress her.
At the end of her shift, Meredith thanked Brian. She thanked him sincerely. It was the first time in almost 20 years of knowing each other that Meredith had ever said a truly nice thing to Brian. He almost didn't believe her just out of habit. He blushed and looked away from her to hide it. He told her not to worry about it and that it was his job.
"I'll see you tomorrow?" Her tone was hopeful.
"See you tomorrow," Brian repeated.
Maybe this won't be so bad after all, Brian thought as he watched her leave.
