Coffee in Common (16 page)

Jillian felt her fears dissolving as she laughed.

Maybe this girl isn't so bad after all, despite her looks.

"Can I ask you something, Priya?"

"Of course. Anything."

Jillian pursed her lips into a little half-grin. "How was the kiss?"

Priya lay her hand over her heart and said, "You have to promise never to tell him this and never to hold it against me."

Jillian nodded. "I promise."

"It was a wonderful kiss. He's a great kisser. When it was over, I told him I hadn't felt any spark and that was true. But Jillian, spark or not, I've not often been kissed that well. And you know what the worst part is?"

"What?"

"I don't think he was really trying. I think he was kissing me back, well, to be polite. But wow. That kiss was my fifth real temptation. I'm ashamed to say this, but if there
had
been something between us I might have broken my vow last night. I might have given myself to him and worried about the consequences later." A deep sigh punctuated the thought. "I guess it was for the best, though."

Jillian stared at Priya in amazement. "Vow? Given yourself? Are you a nun or something?"

Twice in two days. Unbelievable. What is going on with me lately?

Priya shook her head. "I guess if I can trust Paul with it, and he's falling in love with you, I can trust you, too."

"What do you mean ‘falling in love with me'?"

"Oh please girl. You know exactly what I mean. Don't you dare sit there and try to pretend you and Paul don't mean anything to each other. I know for a fact that's not the case on his part. And as for you, well, no one gets that angry and spends the night crying over someone who means nothing to her."

Jillian felt the heat rising to her cheeks and wanted to change the subject. "So are you really…?"

"A nun, no. A virgin, yes."

Jillian's eyes widened at the unexpected revelation.

After extracting a promise not to reveal her secret to anyone else, Priya shared with her an abridged version of what she confided to Paul the previous night.

"Look Jillian, if things work out between you and Paul the way I think they will, you and I are either going to have to get along or I'll have to move far away. And I don't want to move.

"Paul and I shared something incredible last night, something I don't want to lose and that I think Paul doesn't want to lose, either. But if it meant ensuring his happiness with you, I'd quit my job and move to California tomorrow. That's how much he means to me."

Jillian couldn't help letting the skepticism show. "Come on, you'd move away if I didn't like you?"

"No, but I'd move away if you made Paul choose between us.

"I don't have many real, true friends, and I've never had one, not even a girlfriend I felt as close to as I feel to Paul. But when I do make a friend, I'm fiercely loyal to them. And I used the word fiercely on purpose. I'll do almost anything for a friend.

"So yes, if it came down to him being with the woman he loves, or remaining friends with me, I'd take the decision out of his hands and move away to spare him the pain of choosing."

Is she serious? Would she really move away if it came to that?

Jillian held the woman's eyes for long seconds.

My lord, I think she really would!

She found herself envying Priya's inner strength and commitment.

"I don't want that to happen," Priya continued, "but to ensure it doesn't, it means you have to know, really know, that there will never be anything more than a very special friendship between Paul and I.

"And I suppose you also should know that he and I share an affinity for humor, especially bad puns and sexual humor and innuendo. We discovered that last night, although I'd kind of suspected it from the banter around the office. So if I kid him about Mr. Johnson when you're around, you have to know there is nothing more to it than face value."

Jillian looked puzzled. "Mr…"

"Johnson. That's what he calls his thingy."

"Really? And here I thought guys all called it Butch, or Spike or some other silly macho name."

They chatted for a while longer, getting to know each other, sharing intimacies, and laughing, mostly at Priya's anecdotes about Paul and the other guys at work, until Jillian noticed the time.

"Yikes. We've kept him standing out there for over an hour! He must be going crazy." She smiled at Priya. "Thank you for this. I feel so foolish now, but I'm really grateful you came this morning." She reached over and picked up the straightedge. "I guess I won't be using this after all."

Priya laughed and gave Jillian a hug. "Thank you for understanding and for giving Paul another chance. I hope we can be friends regardless of how things work out between you two. Now, I'm going back to work. I'll send him in. Please be nice to him."

Priya opened the door to find Paul pacing back and forth between the break room and the manager's office. He'd been heading away when he heard the door and whipped around so fast he almost lost his balance. Worry and expectation contorted his face.

A wave of relief coursed through him when he saw her smile. Still rooted to the spot where he turned, he waited for her to approach him.

"She's a nice girl, Paul. You treat her well or you'll answer to me. I'm heading back to the office. Don't be long. We have lots of work to do today if you want to get out in time for your date tonight."

"Thank you, Priya." He kissed her on the cheek before she disappeared into the hall.

Jillian was standing next to the table when Paul appeared in the doorway. The corners of his mouth turned up into a tentative smile. "Hi," he said softly.

Jillian felt tears welling up in her eyes, but fought them back. This wasn't the time to be crying.

"I'm sorry." Her voice trembled. "I'm so, so sorry. I completely misjudged you and treated you like…" Her head drooped and shook slightly. "I don't know why I acted like that. It's not…" She sighed and raised her eyes to meet his. "Look, I'll understand if you're…if you'd rather not keep our date tonight."

"Rather not… Are you crazy? Do you think I dragged Priya down here and grew three ulcers outside there pacing because I don't want to see you anymore?" His head tilted before an amused smile reached out to reassure her. "Jillian, tonight will be the best first date you've ever been on. That I've ever been on. You think I'd pass that up because you did something I probably would have done myself?"

He took a step toward her, arms outstretched, and she moved into them. His arms closed around her and he pressed her close. She couldn't stop the tears now, and they ran silently down her cheeks. She squeezed him tighter, mashing the softness of her breasts into his chest. She felt a stirring against her thigh, then it was gone as Paul broke the embrace.

He gazed at her intently, his cheeks slightly flushed, and she knew he was searching her face for signs she had noticed his arousal. She realized he was embarrassed and did not allow her eyes to betray the elation she felt inside. For right then, she knew with absolute certainty that she had no reason to fear Priya or be jealous in any way. Merely hugging her had started to arouse him while the long kiss he'd shared with Priya had not.

"I really am sorry," she whispered, still not sure what else to say to him.

"Forget it." His tone let her know he meant it. "I told you, if the situation had been reversed, and I'd seen what you saw, I would have reacted the same way. Maybe worse."

Jillian smiled weakly, his sincerity reassuring her. "Paul, do you realize we've only just met, and so much has happened. I wonder if this is a sign of some sort."

"Maybe it is. Maybe the fates are testing us, trying us to see what we're made of, to see if we're really supposed to be together. I don't know. I guess only time will tell.

"And speaking of time, I have to get back to the office. As it is, I'll need to work straight through lunch to finish everything I have sitting on my desk. You see, I have a really big date tonight, and I absolutely do not want to be late."

She hugged him again. This time, there were no tears, only whispered plans for him to call around 4:30 to let her know what time he'd pick her up.

She felt warm and optimistic for the coming night as she walked with him to the double doors and watched as he headed for the elevator.

Cathy appeared beside her. "Everything okay?"

Jillian nodded, still watching Paul.

Cathy followed her gaze for a moment, then whistled softly. "Nice butt!"

10:10 AM

Jillian was dropping shadows behind the graphics of suits she was using in the ad for a local clothing store when her phone rang.

Earlier, as the elevator doors closed behind Paul, Shandra, Marie, and a few others gathered around, anxious to know what happened between her and Priya, and with her and Paul. She had given them a capsule review, leaving out the personal details Priya confided, but soon had enough and told them all she had to get back to work so she could get home in time to prepare for the date.

"Where the hell have you been?" Liz's voice was shaking with anxiety.

"Oh Lizzie, I'm sorry. I know you asked me to call this morning but I was feeling so terrible and I way overslept and I just wanted to get to work and not have to think about anything. But…"

"Well I've been dialing your house and your cell all morning and you didn't answer. I was really worried about you." She paused for a second and Jillian could hear her friend take a deep breath. When she continued her voice had softened. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Lizzie. I…"

"Yah, sure you are. After what he did to you? I'm gonna find that asshole and…"

"Liz, stop. Please. I was wrong, all wrong. I should have listened to you last night." Jillian chronicled everything that happened that morning. "I planned to call you at lunchtime to tell you. I figured you'd be busy."

"I am busy, but how could I concentrate not knowing where you were or if you were okay." She sighed. "Are you sure this was all on the level? It sounds so strange, the two of them showing up like that."

"I thought so too, at first. But really, Liz, Priya is nothing like what I imagined someone who…who looks like that would be. She's like this regular person. And she was really upset that her kissing Paul made me think the wrong thing."

"Which wouldn't have happened if you had listened to your best friend."

"I know, I know. But I tell you Liz, this whole thing with Paul has been so strange right from the start. Maybe it
is
fated to happen. Think about it. If I hadn't said that silly ‘whatever you're giving away for free' thing, which just sort of came to me, Paul and I would never have met. And if I hadn't rushed out to follow them last night, against the better judgment of my best friend, I might never have gotten to know Priya.

"I feel like I should hate her for kissing him and for looking so good but I don't. Well, maybe I do a little for being so damn pretty, but I really do like her, Liz. And once I didn't despise her anymore, I kind of sensed she liked me, too. I don't think she has many friends here and she seems so smart and funny and really nice. I can't wait for you and Jenna to meet her. I think you guys'll like her, too."

"Sure, that's exactly what we need, a friggin' Playboy model hanging around to make us look worse than we already do."

"Oh stop it. What are you talking about? You're beautiful."

"Yah, right. Compared to her we're all flat-chested, dog-faced skanks. Who needs to compete with someone like her? And the way she was all over Paul last night? She's probably like that with every guy."

"Come on, Lizzie."

Hearing the venom in Liz's voice, she found herself growing a little frustrated with her old friend at the same time she wanted to defend her new friend.

"I'm sure she's not like that. She spent over an hour with me this morning and I think she would have spent all day if that's what it took to convince me she wasn't interested in him. Do you know anyone else who'd do something like that? Or who'd tell a guy's girlfriend that she'd move away rather than jeopardize her friend's relationship?"

"Oh, so you're already his girlfriend?"

"No. Of course not. Not yet anyway. But you know what I mean. You have to respect someone who'd do that for a friend. And aren't you the one who's always going on and on about not judging people by their looks?"

Liz didn't respond right away and Jillian let the silence drag on. After almost a minute, she heard her friend sigh.

"I guess you're right. I don't know why I'm being like this. It's probably just leftover from hating her all night for you."

Jillian laughed softly. "That's okay. It took me almost half an hour to get over it. You've only had five minutes."

"Do you know where he's taking you?"

"Not yet. He's calling me this afternoon. Maybe I'll get a hint then. But he told me this morning it would be the best first date I ever had."

"Well that sounds promising! What are you going to wear?"

‘I don't know. I sort of stopped thinking about it last night and I haven't had time this morning."

The two spent the next ten minutes trying to figure out what she could wear, but nothing seemed right for the best first date of a lifetime.

"Maybe I'll try to get out a little early and hit some shops. And I guess I should call Jenna and tell her what happened."

"You can't. She's in the lab all day running some big experiment. She won't take any calls until it's finished this afternoon. Don't worry, I'll call her and tell her."

They talked for a few more minutes, speculating about where he might take her. And before they said goodbye, Liz told Jillian she'd call her cell tonight around eight-thirty, just in case the date wasn't going well.

11:50 AM

On the walk back, Paul had vowed to keep his promise. Tonight's date had to be beyond exceptional. He plotted and planned as he worked, but found himself so distracted he had to go back and re-edit things three times after realizing he had no memory of what he'd seen, read, or done.