Taken By Surprise
Page 4
Chapter Three – The Guy
Friday, March 30th
As I arrive at work on Friday, I try unsuccessfully to close my umbrella, but it takes only one strong gust of wind to turn it inside out. It’s the end of March, although in Boston, it might as well still be December. It’s freezing and even though it’s generally always cold around my birthday, it isn’t usually this cold. The weather all around the country is doing strange things, however at least it’s staying cold. Last thing I want is for us to have some unusual heat wave. Now that would be horrible. I’ll take a below zero storm any day over a sweltering one. I struggle to get my umbrella folded back when a pair of strong hands unexpectedly helps pull it back into shape. I’m soaking wet by now and bringing the umbrella has ended up being pointless, but I’m grateful for the help. That is, until I see who is helping me.
Joel.
I don’t know what to say and, before I can think of something, he is already walking inside. He doesn’t bother to hold the door open for me and, when I walk in, he’s already past the blonde fakes, heading to our office. What is his problem?
“Zoe!” blonde fake on the far right calls out to me. I step up to her, wondering what she could possibly have to say to me as I stand in front of their desk, shaking off my jacket, which is dripping wet. I don’t even care that I’m creating a puddle of water under me.
“Yes?”
“I went and saw Tim yesterday! You were right; very yummy. Are you sure that he’s single, though? I bought four books and had a long talk with him and… nothing.” She looks dumbfounded, as though the idea of a guy not asking her out straight away doesn’t make sense to her.
“I think he’s just shy. Keep trying!” I struggle to hold in a laugh. Dana is going to find this hilarious. I’m sure on some level it’s wrong to lead these girls on like this, but maybe buying books will mean they’ll read something and become more than superficial, blonde fakes.
I walk into my office and notice Joel standing stiffly in front of his chair, eyeing me carefully.
“What?” I ask him hesitantly. I irrationally fear my skirt is sticking up at the back and I pat down on it, trying to appear casual.
“Who’s Tim?” He lets me pass him and I notice he quickly grabs a file like he’s trying to not appear too interested in my answer, yet his tense body and anxious look say otherwise.
“A guy.” Vague and short is the best response to this line of enquiry, I think. Why does he care?
“That’s all you’re going to give me?”
“What else do you want?” I sit down heavily in my chair, looking over the files I left on my desk from yesterday.
“Is he your boyfriend?”
“What? No.” I look away from the files and over to Joel. “Why do you care, anyway?”
“I don’t. I just didn’t think he would be your type.”
I’m about to retort that it’s not his business who my type is or isn’t, when I realize what his comment actually means. “Wait, you went to A Novel Idea?”
He hesitates and I think I see panic in his eyes and I swear his cheeks redden slightly. “Well, it was on my way home and I heard you talking to the girls last night.” He shrugs and his poker face is back in place as he appears uninterested.
“Okay…” I feel a flutter in my stomach knowing he has checked Tim out. He sits down and turns his chair around, obviously indicating that this conversation is now over. I don’t want it to be over just yet, though, and decide to probe. “Why don’t you think he is my type?”
He doesn’t turn around to look at me, but I see his shoulders go rigid.
“Joel?” The warm feeling starts to fade away now. I’ve been reading into things.
“I just didn’t think you would go for such a pretty boy.” Joel grabs a file from his own pile and starts flipping through it. I know what he really means, though. He doesn’t think a pretty boy will go for me. Plain, boring Zoe.