by Bella Baird
With that, Trent kissed her hand and continued to walk toward the stairs. He barely took his eyes off of her until he turned the corner of the stairwell and disappeared. Alice stood in the open doorway, leaning against the frame, for another few minutes. She missed him already, aching for his touch on her skin. It had all happened so quickly from the moment she opened the door, but everything felt amazing to her. Like some imbalance in the world had been corrected as soon as they said the words. Tomorrow. I’ll get to see him again tomorrow. No work discussions, no awkwardness, no guilt, no interruptions…and no holding anything back. I’m ready.
She finally closed the door and continued taking off her work clothes, thinking of him the whole time.
At 4:58 PM, Alice waited on her steps for Trent to arrive and pick her up. He’d been very elusive about their plans for the night. All she knew was that Trent would take her to his favorite place in New York. Knowing Trent, it would either be something fantastic and breathtaking or simple and sweet. Alice hoped for a mixture of both. She’d never been a hard woman to please.
Surprisingly, her mind didn’t run with doubts like it had for as long as she could remember. Alice had spent so much time doubting herself for the last few years. She asked herself a lot of tough questions. Did I go to school for the right thing? Is my artwork good enough to get me into the program? Will my designs positively affect my grades? Am I a strong enough designer to get a decent job after graduation? Am I a good girlfriend? Did my actions make me a bad person? What if I can never let myself live down hurting people?
Alice tired of doubting herself, her abilities, her motivations, and her choices. For the first time in years, things seemed to be falling into place without any qualms. She reconnected her relationship with Karen, saw her father again—who claimed to be getting better each week, worked at an amazing job, and chose to rekindle a romance with the man she had always wanted. Trent was a large component of her new attitude towards life. Despite Alice’s need to use caution for most decisions, she hadn’t regretted giving in to Trent the day before. If there were any evidence that going on a date with him was the right option, her current state of mind was it. The absence of regret brought her an astounding feeling of accomplishment. After all the hard times and stress, she finally allowed herself to be in the moment—if only for a short time.
A shiny black car with tinted windows rolled up in front of her building, and the rear door opened to reveal Trent. He stepped out and motioned for her to get into the car. As she walked down the steps, she noticed him looking much better than yesterday. He’d undergone a complete transformation. Trent’s eyes looked clearer and much less puffy around the sockets. His beard was neatly trimmed to stubble that suited his face well. Now, he wore a thick charcoal colored pea coat and a well-combed hairstyle. The biggest difference belonged to his expression though. No longer did the haunted, tired look consume his face. He absolutely beamed while she came toward him, and it looked as if nothing had ever been wrong.
Trent’s hand touched the small of her back as she slid into the back seat. Once she was situated, Trent got in as well. He had to make much more of an effort to get in; his height didn’t allow him to slide into place without scrunching down to avoid hitting his head. Once he settled, he looked over at Alice and smiled again. This time, he showed his beautiful white teeth. She had a hard time believing that she could make him smile so wonderfully, but she tried to accept it. I hope I can always make him smile that way.
“We should get going. We’re running out of daylight,” he said.
“Daylight?”
“Yeah, our plans are a little time-sensitive.”
“Oh, now I’m intrigued,” Alice told him.
“Good, then you’ll be more curious when I ask you to wear this,” Trent followed by pulling out a black blindfold. “Just until we get to our destination.”
“What? Maybe this kind of thing should happen on a later date…” Alice joked.
Trent laughed and said, “No, it’s not like that. But don’t rule it out for later.”
Alice giggled while putting on her blindfold. She felt like she was entering into some sort of mystery. Trent checked the blindfold to make sure it was on well enough, and then he told the driver to continue. Alice could feel them driving along for what seemed like hours, though she knew a peek at the time would reveal it to be only 5:30 or earlier. Every turn of the car made her more and more anxious. Just how far are we going? The whole time, Trent held her hand and caressed with his thumb when he could feel her getting stiff and anxious. Finally, the car came to a stop, and the two got out in what sounded like a parking garage. The slam of the door echoed off the walls, but Alice couldn’t hear anyone else walking or driving nearby.
Alice followed Trent’s pull, hand-in-hand, as they made their way through a series of doors and came to an elevator. Inside, she felt the lurch and upward movement, making her feel a lot more discombobulated than when she wasn’t blindfolded. They arrived on their floor much later than she thought they would. We must have gone really high up. Building the suspense even further, they made a few turns and came to a door that needed a combination entered to open. Once they stepped through, they followed a set of stairs up even further to a metal door that opened more easily than the last. As soon as the air hit her, Alice knew she was standing outdoors in the crisp autumn air. Luckily, she’d brought a very warm coat. A scent on the breeze made her stop. It smelled earthy and natural, totally out of place for what she guessed was a rooftop.
Finally, Trent took off the blindfold extra slowly, making her antsy while she waited. It came off and fell to the ground. Alice looked around in amazement, letting the wind whip her hair around freely. Before them stood a tall trellis covered in ivy and surrounded by 4-foot hedges. Beyond the entrance lay a large grassy area framed by greenery. She walked through without speaking and reached the center of the space, where there stood a white wooden table and two chairs. Two baskets had been set on the table, along with two sets of dinnerware and wine. Taking in more of the scenery, Alice noticed that they were in what looked like a formal English garden. Box shrubs, hedges, juniper bushes, dwarf cypresses, and other plants framed the roughly rectangular lawn. The highest tree, which Alice couldn’t identify, stood about five feet tall. The small stature of the garden allowed them to see the skyline all around the building.
She gasped as she looked over the edge. Trent walked over and put his arms around her from behind, just holding her while they gazed over the city and the orange glow of the sky.
“It’s not the tallest building, but the view is fantastic anyway,” he said casually.
“Anyway? This is the best view of the city I’ve seen. I feel like I can see almost everything! How did you find out about this place?”
“I designed it. I wanted somewhere to go when I need to think or de-stress. There are precious few places like that around here,” Trent said. “Anytime I get angry, sad, or overwhelmed, I come here and start to feel better immediately. This is an area where I don’t take any work with me. I just sit and enjoy it. I want this to be your place, too. You can come here anytime you feel the need to escape. I’ll give you the key card and the combination.”
“But where are we?” Alice asked.
“You don’t recognize the buildings around you?”
“Not really.”
“We’re right above Jitter headquarters,” he revealed.
“No way! I never thought anything this beautiful could be right above my head,” she said.
“That’s why I blindfolded you. I didn’t want to ruin the surprise by having you walk through the place we work all week,” Trent said.
“So I can come here whenever I want?”
“Whenever you want. I have to admit that I came here a lot more often after I hired you. I couldn’t stop thinking about you while I should have been working. Now that we’re letting ourselves have another try, I hope I won’t need it as much. Who knows,
though? We might end up here at the same time one day. Then we could just sit together and watch the rest of the city work while we enjoy ourselves,” he replied, his voice coming softly from right behind her ear.
“I’d really like that,” Alice said in a low voice, turning around to face him. “I think you’ve earned what I promised yesterday.”
A look of confusion came over him, and he asked, “What’s that?”
Then she draped her arms over his neck and brought his face close. They exploded into a fiery kiss, hands traveling all over each other’s bodies. They were eager to discover what they’d been missing for a long time. Alice’s eyes opened from time to time just to catch a glimpse of the man she was falling for all over again. Trent combined all of the traits she loved in a guy: thoughtful, kind, passionate, handsome, and romantic. He planned one hell of a “first” date too. She began to wonder how she had ever walked away from him. With a lot of guilt and doubt, but it all feels better now. Like I can begin living again.
They separated to watch the sun continue setting for a few minutes. After it had dipped below the horizon, a series of Christmas lights Alice hadn’t noticed turned on. They were hung across the trellis and all over the hedges around them. Trent probably had them set to a timer.
Trent examined her awe-filled expression and said, “I guess that means it’s time for dinner.”
She sat at the table while Trent served her eggplant ravioli from one of the baskets, which turned out to be insulated. He poured wine for both of them before sitting down to eat with her. Bashfully, he placed his arm across the table with his palm facing up, and she put her hand in his. They ate dinner just like that while they talked about this or that. Trent filled her in about more of his college and post-grad life. It sounded to Alice like he didn’t have time for much of anything while he built up the website and company. She secretly hoped he would have time for her in the future. After that, she updated him about the improved status of her relationship with Karen, her father’s cancer reveal, and his seemingly imminent recovery. Trent expressed a bit of jealousy that Alice had both parents in her life now, especially because they were technically “dating” again.
“I forgot to ask you. The week we stopped seeing each other, what where you doing at that club by yourself?” Alice questioned.
“Don’t repeat this to anyone, because no one else knows,” he responded.
“Okay, I won’t.”
“I own that nightclub. I bought it a few months ago, and it’s made a lot more money than I expected it to,” Trent emphasized his own surprise.
“How do you have time for everything?” she asked.
“I don’t. There’s no way I could put enough time into that venture to make it successful. I pay someone to manage it, and I occasionally stop in to make sure it’s operating to my standards. What did you think of it?”
“I liked it a lot, but that was also the first club I’ve ever been to. I’ve never gone out dancing before. I’m used to staying in, going to a gallery, or walking in the park.”
“That explains your dancing,” Trent said with artificial indifference.
“What?” Alice cried. “I thought I did very well for a first timer!”
He burst into laughter and said, “Calm down, I was only kidding. You looked fine! Although you practically sprinted out of there when I was trying to reach you.”
“Oh…yeah, I wasn’t ready for a conversation with you yet. I got scared, and running out seemed like the best choice. I really thought about staying, but I couldn’t.”
“I’m glad one of us was smart. I could’ve botched our second chance before we even got it.”
After a small period of silence, Alice said, “Thank you for taking me out tonight. I’m glad you understand my wish to get to know you again. This was a big step in the right direction. I couldn’t have asked for a more beautiful date, especially because we went somewhere that means so much to you. This can definitely be our new spot.”
“I hoped you’d enjoy it here. Our old spot will always have a larger place in my heart though.”
Alice laughed and wiped her mouth with a napkin. “I went there a month ago.”
“You drove all the way out there?” asked Trent incredulously.
“Yeah. Around the time when I was deciding what my choice would be. I needed to think, and nature’s always had a way of bringing out my reflective side.”
“God, I haven’t been there since the last time you and I went. It was such a beautiful area, but I always saw it as our place. I would’ve felt strange being there alone. Did going out there make your thought process any easier?” Trent inquired.
“It did help me, in the long run. I think…I’m sure…I wouldn’t change the decision I made for anything,” Alice contemplated.
Trent’s face crumpled, and he asked, “Why’s that?”
“Because I know I did the best I could to be the good person I believe I am. Even though it didn’t matter in the end whether I chose you or chose to be alone, that choice made it so that I can be with you now, guilt-free. I’m not worrying about what’s going to happen or what people will think of me. All I can think about is you and what it means for us to be exploring each other a second time,” she answered.
“It’s good to hear you say that,” Trent smiled, his composure returning. “I would’ve also felt terrible if I’d influenced you to leave Daniel directly for me. It worked out the way it did for a reason. Our consciences don’t have to suffer, and we can enjoy each other’s company without hurting someone else’s feelings. I still feel bad for him, but I’m happier than anything to have you in my life again.”
Below the warm, golden lights on the hedges, high above the city, their hearts rose and fell while they alternated between conversing and casting prolonged looks at each other. Once they felt up to it, they enjoyed raspberry crepes for dessert, still hot from their storage in the second picnic basket. As much as Alice loved the atmosphere there and Trent’s company, it got somewhat late. They still had the drive home ahead of them, and both would need to wake up for work in the morning. Also, her fingers felt like icicles after a few hours of being outside. She wished they could stay there all night, but there would be other times to come back.
They took the plates and glasses in the baskets to deposit inside, and they walked hand-in-hand to the car waiting for them below.
In the car, Alice thought of something. “Does this mean we continue working with each other?”
“Only if you want it to,” he said. “Someone in my position usually doesn’t deal directly with graphic designers. I only made that a part of the job because I hoped to spend some time with you. Otherwise, we probably never would have talked after you got hired.”
“I knew it,” she reacted with large eyes.
“Sorry, I couldn’t help it. I just had to keep seeing you. So, what do you think we should do?”
“I think we should keep it the way it is for now. We’ll end up being a distraction for each other if we have private meetings.”
“True. I can tell you’re the responsible one in this relationship,” Trent declared with feigned bitterness.
“Thatttt’s right!”
After the ride back to Alice’s apartment, Trent walked her up to her door and waited as she fumbled for her keys. Once she got the door open, he looked at her expectantly.
“Can I come inside? Maybe spend the night with you?” he asked.
“I’d love to have you over soon, but I think we should wait for now. But don’t worry, it’ll happen,” she finished her sentence seductively.
“You’re right,” Trent sighed. “We should wait for a while.”
“Responsible…remember?”
Alice gave him a slow kiss on the lips followed by a playful nibble, and then she wished him a good night. Even at that, he seemed very content to her. She watched him amble toward the stairs and disappear. As soon as he left the building, she closed the door and leaned against it, wondering
at the positive turn her life had taken since a few weeks before.
Plowing through loads of work took almost no effort for Alice, considering that she usually lagged on Mondays. She chalked it up to the weight of her past relationship lifting off her shoulders and Trent’s elegant date the night before. Her thoughts landed on him now more than ever, but she was also more determined to impress him with her vision. Alice felt very accomplished by the time her shift came to an end, and picked up her things to head upstairs for a surprise meeting with Veronica. Now that they were on great terms, Alice didn’t want her newly continued relationship with Trent to come as a surprise to her.
She had troubling thoughts about Veronica’s possible reaction to the news. Will she be mad at me for giving in to my feelings for him? Will she think we’re being unprofessional? Whatever the case, Vee had to find out from her own mouth, not from potential rumors or another walk-in incident like the last time. Alice refused to hide anything from her friends.
“Hey, where are you headed so fast?” Melanie caught her before she reached the door.
“I’m just going to break some news to Vee really quick before I leave. I’ll call you later to let you know,” Alice said while walking backward.
“Oh, I think I know what it is already,” Melanie said with a smirk. “Talk to you later.”
Alice laughed and continued her schlep to the office upstairs. She reached the door and tapped on the glass. Veronica looked up from her work and smiled, waving Alice in enthusiastically. Once again, the office had turned into a complete disaster of papers, printouts, folders, binders, and even some things you wouldn’t find in an office. A beach ball, presumably from the night of the party, lay in the far corner behind the desk. How does she keep track of anything?
“Whoa. It’s gotten a lot worse in here,” Alice voiced her concern with a snigger.
“Yeah, it looks terrible now. You know what? Organization is for the non-creative thinker,” Veronica placed a finger on her temple. “I work best in chaos and disarray. The only reason my office was clean before was to conduct interviews, and that responsibility is done for the moment, thankfully. Though it had its fun moments. I think I scared a few people with my high energy.”