He tried to end the call, but the caller kept the call going. He repeatedly mentioned how he had to go, and the caller even agreed with him, yet continued with the barrage of questions. Finally, desperate to end the all, he answered with a curt," yes. goodbye" and terminated the call. He pressed the 'off' button for good measure and looked up from his phone to see her walking in through the door. Tall and slim, she walked with a confident stride, and flashed a beaming smile when she saw him standing there, phone in one hand, bottle in the other.
He motioned her to his seat in the corner, and proceeded to pay for the bottle of juice he had in his hand.
She had taken her seat and made herself comfortable when he reached her. As he stooped over her shoulder to place her drink on the table, she turned to look at him, their eyes met briefly. He quickly placed the drink and looked away.
As always, she had her little notebook, purse and phone stacked neatly on top of one another at the corner of the table, and she sat with her elbows on her knees and hands clasped together. He noticed this time she hadn't had her ring on; and for a moment he wondered if it meant anything.
After their discussion, he walked her back to her office and at the ground floor resisted the temptation to follow her upstairs. He was glad to be able to see her, albeit briefly, and wished that the moment could last a little longer. As he said his goodbye, he fished out from his pocket a small package which he placed into her palm and closed her fingers over it with his hand. As he leaned forward to kiss her, the elevator door opened and people started to stream out; cursing his luck under his breath, he turned on his heel and walked away.