The fact that I have no idea if he feels the same way about me?
Holly
For all you know, he’s sitting there thinking the exact same thing
I’m torn between laughing my ass off and bursting into flames of embarrassment by the time I put my phone away.
Still, Holly’s final words stick with me. Somehow I doubt that wherever he is, Miller is thinking about me.
But a girl can dream, right?
two
“OWNER OF A LONELY HEART” — YES
Miller
People give going to work a bad name. All those memes about hating Mondays? About how working in an office is soul-sucking? Yeah, I’ve never understood those.
You know what actually sucks? Leaving work and going home to an empty house. Leaving the office on a Friday and knowing no one will notice or even care if you live or die between now and when you clock back in on Monday morning.
What about friends? What about family? What about hobbies?
That’s what you’re thinking, right?
Well, I’m not exactly a sociable person. I don’t like crowds. I fucking hate small talk. I hate loud music even more. Sure, I have buddies that I served with, butthey’re either still serving or have scattered. So, yeah, we chat sometimes, but it’s not like I’m going to fly to the Caribbean to hangout with them for the weekend.
Which means if I’m not at work, I’m alone. Don’t get me wrong. I don’t mind being alone.
But if I am at work, there’s at least a chanceshe’llbe there.
Theshein question is Tavey Ramsey.
Her desk is across from mine. She’s too young for me. A bubbling ray of sunshine and joy wrapped in the package of a human. She’s so fucking smart that every project we work on together comes together like magic. Her mind works in rapid, careening bursts that are the perfect complement to my relentless attention to detail. She brings a kind of energy and enthusiasm to everything that makes just showing up at the office a goddamn delight.
Also, she’s fucking adorable. She’s a tiny bundle of curves with the biggest smile I’ve ever seen and wavy brown hair she occasionally dyes some outrageous color.
Being around her makes me hard as granite. And it makes me feel about a thousand years old.
In years, I’ve only got about a decade on her. In life experience, I’ve got eons.
Which doesn’t keep me from wanting her.
She’s too young. She’s too sweet. And the last thing she needs is an old dude like me creeping after her.
Which is why I have every intention of staying away from her.
That is personally. Professionally, staying away from her isn’t exactly an option since our desks are four feet apart. Besides, like I said, working with her is magic. We’re both more productive together than we ever would be apart. And I owe FMJ way too much to sabotage my career just because I can’t keep my dick in my pants.
We’ve worked together for nearly three years. I’ve made it this long without asking her out. Except…
All my big plans and noble intentions come to a screeching halt when I walk into work on Monday and find her chatting with Devon by the coffeemaker.
Devon is an asshole.
Yeah, I know. Most people would say I’m an asshole, too.
But he’s an asshole in all the ways I’m not an asshole. Devon is a friendly neighborhood asshole. The kind of guy who is everyone’s friend but is also always stirring up office gossip. Maybe itmakes me the asshole, but I instinctively don’t trust anyone that affable.
