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Eight stops on the metro from her Bronx apartment until she could exit at Times Square. Gia checked the Citymapper app again. It said it would take her 35 minutes to get to the Morgan Stanley building from her building, so she left her apartment at five minutes before seven. With it being her first time during rush hour, she hoped it was enough. The app had been accurate on travel times so far. She anxiously tapped her feet.
Gia smiled at the young mother and child who sat down next to her, wondering what their story was. Maybe the mom was taking the toddler to daycare so she could work. The woman was dressed in jeans and a T-shirt. What kind of job allowed that to work? Or maybe the woman would change into a uniform when she got there. Gia's mind continued to wander as her eyes settled on a man dressed in a suit. Not as high of a quality as the suits that men at Morgan Stanley wore, so maybe he's not into investments or banking. Her eyes fell to her own navy colored skirt and matching jacket. It felt stuffy for a July day, but she didn't want to be underdressed, especially on her first day. Hopefully it was adequate. It was something she had picked up on sale at Macy's, and it was nowhere near the quality of the designer brands that she had seen when interviewing. This particular suit seemed to flatter her figure, though, and maybe the executives would be understanding since she was just an intern. Back home in her little beachside town, working for Mr. Fitzsimmons during the summer, a sundress was enough on most days. The atmosphere at Morgan Stanley was a far cry from that. Even buying suits on sale, she spent more than she would have liked when updating her wardrobe for this job. She sighed, then took several deep breaths. First day nerves were real.
Checking the app again, she saw that only 4 more stops remained. The ride was going quickly, though she was admittedly envious of Evie, who only had a five minute walk to the school where she was working. They had both been thrilled when the school that hired her as a second grade teacher, offered the option to teach summer classes. If she hadn't come with Gia for the summer, living expenses would have been out of her budget.
It was the 72nd street exit, and the next was her stop. Gia gathered her purse and messenger bag and eased her way closer to the door smiling nervously. Excitement raced through her as she anticipated the year to come.
~~~
The cold appearance of Mrs. Ivanov was deceiving. She was actually a very thoughtful and kind woman, as she walked Gia around the office. Her compassion made sense, with her being head of Human Resources, and having to regularly work with employees when they have personal issues, or problems with other employees. Gia was surprised, however, that Mrs. Ivanov was the one leading her around, and not her assistant. Just as the elevator doors started to close, Gia looked up and saw a familiar face walk past.
"Nick?" she called, but it was too late.
"You know Nick?" questioned Mrs. Ivanov.
"Sort of," Gia responded. How do you explain that you and a man spent the evening staring at one another across a restaurant, and then he paid for your meal, even though you never officially met.
"Wonderful!" Mrs. Ivanov clapped her hands together. "I was trying to decide who your mentor would be, and had narrowed it down between him and Ben Nakamura. But I think this was fate, unless you have an objection to Nick?"
"Oh, sure. Nick is fine. Though I have to admit, I don't really know him. I just saw him last week." Should she say more? She surely didn't want Mrs. Ivanov to think she had just made it all up, or that she was some sort of stalker, once she realized he didn't even know her name. Surely he was a nice guy, though, with the way he paid for their meals, so hopefully it would all work itself out.
"No worries. It will be good for him. He hasn't been a mentor in ages. I'll show you your desk first, then we'll go by and speak to him."
Heart beating rapidly, Gia hoped that her face was not giving away her true feelings. The thought of working directly with Nick pleased her, but scared her at the same time. The attraction she felt towards him, was easy to ignore when he was just a random man that she may never see again, but this...was she ready to try again with a relationship? Reeling in her thoughts Gia reminded herself that she didn't even know him; he could be a jerk for all she knew. And regardless, now that he was a coworker, or actually her superior, didn't that mean they couldn't date? She needed to look more closely at the policy manual she had been given.
Gia's desk was towards the back of a sea of low cubicle stations; connected as pods, but divided with sound dampening partitions that were low enough for the workers to see and talk with one another at each pod. The area was humming with people typing away while studying the tickers on their dual computer screens, chatting into their headsets, or discussing things with their coworkers.
Sitting down, Gia smiled at the man sitting at a desk directly in front of her. He stopped typing and reached out to shake hands. "Welcome! Gia, right?" She nodded, and he continued. "I'm Steven. Great to have you. I look forward to working with you."
His friendly smile put Gia at ease, and she smiled back and greeted him.
The woman sitting to her right said goodbye to someone through her headset, then stood up and extended her hand to Gia. "Allison Lee. So nice to meet you."
"Great to meet you too!" Gia was looking forward to getting to know her coworkers, and these two seemed close to her age, so she hoped they would become friends as well. It would be nice to have some confidants who knew the ropes both in the business and the city.
"You should join us for lunch." Allison gestured towards Steven. "We take our break at 11:30. We'll have more time to talk then."
"Sounds perfect." Gia grinned.
"I'll show you to our collaborative work lounge and we can talk without disturbing others." Mrs. Ivanov led her to the opposite end of the space and they entered a room with several seating areas made up of sectionals, lounge chairs, and low tables. She also noticed that each seating area was close to a wall with a marker board. "This is where teams can come to work and brainstorm together in a more relaxed environment than our conference rooms. You're welcome to use it if you just want to get away from your desk also."
Gia nodded and smiled, taking it all in.
"Now I do need to warn you. You said you don't really know Nick. Well...he can be a bit cold and sharp with his words sometimes. Don't let that scare you. He's just very focused and he does have high expectations, but once you get to know him, you'll see that he's fair and thoughtful underneath it all. But fair warning: do your work and be attentive to what he has to say. If he senses that you're trying to take the easy way out, or aren't fully engaged when he's speaking to you, that is a sure way to set him off."
Gia stared at Mrs. Ivanov wide eyed, and remembered some of the intense looks he had given her that night at the restaurant. "Good to know."
Minutes later they were standing outside Nick's door. Gia noticed the nameplate on it: Nicholas Bellanti. It looked like an Italian name. Thinking back to the handsome, dark haired man, she decided he did, indeed, look Italian. She smiled, there was Italian on her mother's side, but you would never know it from her blond hair and blue eyes or last name.
Mrs. Ivanov knocked then called to Nick. Gia wondered if she should call him Mr. Bellanti. She still couldn't believe that in all of Manhattan, the very man who she had been thinking about all weekend, not only worked at Morgan Stanley, but would be her mentor. What were the odds?
"Jen?" Nick's voice came from inside, and Mrs. Ivanov responded. "Come on in."
Mrs. Ivanov turned to Gia. "Wait here, and I'll call you in." She entered, but left the door cracked.
"Jen, what's up? How can I help you?"
First name? They seemed rather chummy. Maybe that's why Mrs. Ivanov knew what was past his hard, cold exterior. Could they be more than friends, or had they been? Surely not. She was wearing a wedding ring. Gia chided herself to stop letting her mind run away with her.
"Well, maybe I can help you!" Mrs. Ivanov clapped her hands and sounded chipper, while putting an emphasis on the word "I."
"How's that?" Nick chuckled.
"We have a new intern-" Before Mrs. Ivanov could finish her sentence, Nick groaned. "Now don't be negative. I've put off giving you one, but it's time you have a turn."
"You know how I feel about that, Jen."
"I do, but this one may actually change your mind by being more of a help than ones in the past. Please don't give me a hard time, Nick."
There was silence, then Nick spoke, "Whatever. You're not going to let this go, are you? Send him in."
Him? He was expecting a guy? What if he had a thing against women interns? He already didn't sound thrilled with the idea. Maybe since it was her he would feel differently. He obviously had some sort of feelings for her based on the restaurant incident.
Mrs. Ivanov opened the door and waved Gia in. The moment Gia locked eyes with Nick, his mouth dropped, and his eyes hardened.
Nick shook his head. "No." He said flatly.
"No? What do you mean?" Mrs. Ivanov questioned.
"I mean no, I'm not going to mentor her."
"Nick, come on. Don't be so ridiculous. Gia Hoffman is top in her class and has excellent recommendations from both her school and previous employer. And apparently you've already-"
"I said no, and I meant it." Nick stood up and his voice became louder. He pointed at Gia without looking her way. "Get her out!"
Gia turned and quickly left the office, before Mrs. Ivanov even had a chance to respond. Leaning against the wall, she fought back tears. What just happened? Was this the same man who had been watching her all through dinner, then bought her meal? The door shut and she looked up to see Mrs. Ivanov standing there with a worried look.
"I'm so sorry. I don't know what came over him. He can be difficult, but that was beyond his usual curtness. I think it would be best if we went with my second choice for mentoring. His name is Ben Nakamura. Follow me."
Gia looked down at the floor and nodded, feeling overcome with shame and embarrassment. She felt a hand pat her shoulder.
"Don't let it bother you. I'm sure whatever his problem is, has nothing to do with you. I'll leave you at your desk for a few minutes while I get things straight with Ben. I don't anticipate any issues." Mrs. Ivanov seemed truly worried about Gia as she led her back to her desk.
~~~
"I must say, Gia, I'm thrilled to have the opportunity to have you working with me. Jennifer had only the best things to say about you." Mr. Nakamura leaned back into his chair, and pressed his hands together on his desk casually, while he smiled sincerely at Gia. It was a much different reception than she had with Nick.
He was a middle aged man, clearly of Japanese heritage. He had the manners she had heard the Japanese were known for. He had stood upon her entrance, then quickly offered her a seat and something to drink. This was something Gia could get used to. Before long, Mrs. Ivanov left them, and Mr. Nakamura was busy showing Gia the ropes.
Her mind drifted to Nick, and she chastised herself, deciding she would have to start referring to him as Mr. Bellanti. It was clear from his reaction to her, that he wanted to keep his distance, and she was doubtful he would accept her calling him Nick.
~~~
A/N: If you have ever started you first job, what do you remember about that first day? It's exciting, but nerve wracking getting to know new people and learn how things work.
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