Pure Belleza | ✔️

(39)

Scrolling google in search of date ideas might be considered somewhat lame.

I should've been able to come up with something on my own, right? But I wanted it to be perfect. Amalia deserved the perfect date.

Jordan appeared at our cubicle. Today his shirt looked different. It was the same. Always the same pinstriped in a different colour. But he wasn't wearing a tie and his sleeves were rolled up.

"Good morning team," he leaned on the wall and nodded. "Max, if my fifteen year old dipshit of an ex step son calls, do not transfer him."

"Uh. Ex step son?"

"Yeah. His Mother brought him with her into our seven month marriage and she took him with her when she left. Almost two years later and he's still leeching for cash."

I raised my brows and wrote down a reminder on a post it. "What's his name?"

"Gold."

"His name is Gold?"

Marnie snorted from where she sat, tapping at her keyboard.

"Yep," Jordan answered. "I've sent a list of jobs over on Chat. Starting with a coffee please, Max. Get one for Marnie too."

Her head remained still but her narrow gaze moved to where Jordan stood, now watching her. He smiled. "You look nice, Marnie. New shirt?"

Her eyes darted from side to side and then she looked down at her black blouse. "What do you want?"

Jordan recoiled and nervously laughed. "You just look. . . nice. Is that inappropriate to say?"

"Just tell me what you want. You've accidentally deleted the file I drew up last night, right? You need me to stay late?" She drawled with boredom and then leaned back in her chair. "You want me to work the weekend?"

Jordan stammered, standing up a little straighter, his confusion evident.

"Save the compliments, Jordan. I'll be much less pissed if you don't waste my time and just get to the point."

"Alright, fine," he swallowed, flushed and panicked. "Do you want to have dinner with me?"

Well.

Her shoulders slumped. She stared at him, nothing but silence in our awkward cubicle while the rest of the office floor continued to hum around us for a solid two minutes.

Finally she stood up and both Jordan and I flinched.

"I quit."

Jordan's eyes became wide and he looked to me for help.

"Marnie," I stood as well.

She still seemed bored. You would think she was entirely unfazed at the whole situation but it'd clearly pissed her off.

"Are you in on this?" She started packing her bag up. "Filming me? Is this an office prank?"

"I don't think it's a joke."

She paused and gave me a flat stare.

"It's not a joke," Jordan rubbed the back of his neck. This was not how I had expected Monday morning to begin.

Jordan as a boss was in charge. He had good leadership qualities and carried himself with confidence.

Jordan as a man showing interest in a woman and attempting to ask her out, was a whole other story. In his defence, Marnie can be intimidating.

"I just want to get dinner together sometime," he said, gulping when her scowl set on him. "If you want. No pressure."

For a split second, her disinterested countenance slipped and I saw vulnerability. She really couldn't understand what he would want to ask her out for. That was sad.