"Paul! Hey!"
I ran after him just as he entered our office building. He stopped walking and turned around, smiling wickedly as he saw me approaching.
"Hi Kitty!"
"Stop calling me that, damn it," I groaned as soon as I got near enough to whisper.
"Why? It suits you."
"Fine. Whatever. Anyway, I just wanted to ask if you want to join us for lunch later?"
His jaw practically fell to the floor in surprise.
"Did you just ask me out?"
"Dude, it's just lunch. And it's in the cafeteria inside the building. So technically we're not going to go out."
"Call it whatever you want. I say this is you asking me out. I'll be telling this story to my children and their children!"
I take a deep breath to stop myself from reacting. Patience, Elisse, I reminded myself. If your plan works, he won't be bugging you anymore.
The thought of peaceful days working at my desk gave me the energy to push through with my plan.
"Do you want to join us or not?"
"Us?"
Didn't he hear me say that the first time?
"Yeah, me and Cristy. I thought I should introduce you two."
"Why?"
"Because I think you two could be good friends. She's like the girl version of you, only nicer."
He stared at me silently for a long time, his whole frame going rigid that I began to wonder if this wasn't such a good idea after all.
It's the first time I've seen turn serious, almost angry even. WhatdidIdo? I was about to withdraw my offer when he suddenly broke our eye contact and stared at the distance instead.
"Not interested," he simply said then briskly walked away.
Woah. What had just happened? It was then that I first realized that there was more to Paul than I thought. There were layers to him that he hasn't shown me, one I got a brief glimpse of that day.
I did get my wish, though. The next few days were very peaceful with no Paul dropping by anymore.
But being left to myself was not as fun as I thought it would be. It was boring even. I guess having Paul as a friend did have its perks. And since I'm the one who caused this rift between us - even though I still don't understand why - it was only fair that I do something to fix it.
I didn't have his number so I decided to send him a private chat message through the local office network.
"Hey stranger. Want to have lunch later? My treat."
I stare at the chat window, willing him to reply. I knew he was cureently connected because there was a small green dot next to his name.
The screen lit up and I saw that he was typing something.
"Who else is coming?"
"No one."
"Just us?"
"Yes."
"Okay."
What that a yes? I wasn't sure.
"Is that a yes?"
"Yes."
Then he signed off. For someone who was so talkative in person, he seems to be conserving his words. But anyway he said yes, hopefully it means he's not angry anymore.
I felt someone staring at me from behind so I whipped around to check. Paul was standing at the door, quietly observing me.
I just smiled at him, waiting for him to say something as I took this chance to watch him closely.
Like the girls keep telling me, he was quite hot. He's the type who would turn heads in the crowd with his height and posture, his square jaw complimenting this strong masculine vibe that he gives off, his lone dimple lighting up his face when he smiles.
He's oblivious to the effect he had on women, though. Or at least he hides it well. He may be a big tease, but I already knew by then that he wasn't a jerk. If I didn't have an ideal partner in mind, I probably would have fallen for him too.
But I've always thought that the guy I'd want to marry is someone mature and responsible, someone I can always depend on. Like my father. Childish guys like Paul were nice to have a friends, but were horrible at things that require stability, like relationships.
He started to walk towards my desk and I smiled wider to show him that he's welcome.
"Lunch?"
"Yup," he replied tentatively.
I hurriedly turned off my computer and took out my wallet from my bag, eager to leave before he changed his mind.
I stood up and he suddenly chuckled, flashing a big grin that made me realize I did miss his company.
"You should know that I have a really big appetite," he teased. "Don't say I didn't warn you."
And just like that, the friendship was back.