Most of the employees at Kinderkare Pharmaceuticals had left early for the day this New Year's Eve, but Henry Higgs sat in his office going over the latest online ad campaign. The building would be closed tomorrow for the Holiday, so he wanted to get in as much work as he could. He didn't intend to party like it was 1999 like much of his coworkers. Grand Park with its thousands of revelers was out of the question as were many of the raves and hot parties at Hotels and clubs. He had been there and done that in his salad days. Salad Days, he thought. Am I that old now?
He couldn't believe it was already 2015. The years had started to go by faster. He didn't feel old though. Possibly because of her.
As if on cue, Eliza burst into his office unannounced. She hadn't joined him for lunch today; he just assumed that like the others she had gone home early.
"What are you still doing here?" he asked pleasantly.
"I wanted to see what you were doing tonight," she gave him a hopeful look. "For New Year's Eve."
"I don't have any plans," he offered. But he arched a quizzical eyebrow.
"Freddy's gone to Aspen on a holiday ski trip with Garfield and Heathcliff," she said with a frown. "So hopefully, you'd want to do something?"
He had to admit he didn't like to be someone's second choice. And knowing Eliza, she'd want some hot trendy place to ring in the new year where she could stay ahead of Fit Brit.
"I don't know," he hesitated. "I'm not really..."
"It's alright, you can come to my place," she offered.
He weighed his options and the consequences. "Why don't you come to mine instead. I'll be able to make us some dinner."
"Great," she beamed. "You want me to bring anything? I could pick up some sushi or something."
"Sure," he replied. "Bring whatever you want, little bit of you, little bit of me..."
"Okay," she said with a smile then turned to leave. "See you tonight."
When the redhead was gone, he leaned back into his chair, wondering what he had gotten himself into.
Eliza appeared promptly at Henry's door around 8pm. She carried a couple of bags of goodies and knocked at his door. Henry, wore a kitchen apron along with khakis and a casual tee.
"Look at you, playing happy homemaker," she chuckled.
"I rarely entertain," he told her. "But it's new year's eve."
"I stopped by the market," she set the bags down. "Got us a california roll, some sea scallops, jumbo shrimp and of course two bottles of Cristal."
"Champagne? What's the occasion," he examined the goods with a smile.
"Duh," Eliza cast him a weird look.
"Just kidding," he smiled back warmly. "I just never got to use that line until now."
"I'm not much of a cook, but can I help you with anything?" she asked, taking off her jacket. She wore a simple LA Dodgers Jersey T-Shirt with tight matching blue yoga pants. He couldn't help but notice how nicely she fit into them and had to avert his gaze.
"You could help with the vegetables he pointed to the onions, cucumbers, and carrots laid out on a cutting board on his counter." Nearby was a Ginsu Knife set, all of them placed orderly in the block.
She washed her hands then drew out the best one for cutting veggies. Henry watched her and chuckled.
"What?" she wanted in on his in joke.
"Remember the time you pulled that Gone Girl thing on me in the breakroom?"
She did, remembering the extremely low time after he had rejected her at the karaoke night and things had been awkward between them. He had hurt her more than he knew and she had tried to make light of it by smearing herself with ketchup and pretending she had been stabbed.
Grabbing a cucumber, Eliza found the knife did all the work and she easily cut it into smaller pieces. He handed her a serving platter so she could arrange them for later.
"What are we making, chef?" she asked.
"Have you ever had Korean food before?" he asked.
She nodded no.
"Well, I'm making us Samgyeopsal. It's grilled pork belly." He opened the refrigerator and took out a large platter with neatly sliced pieces of the thick fatty meat. It looked like thicker pieces of bacon.
"Looks tasty," she remarked with a smile and regarding him with a new respect. A guy that can cook. a way to a woman's heart may also be through her stomach
"We'll set this aside for later. We'll cook the meat on a hotplate then eat the veggies and salads with it. After you cut them, could you pull apart some lettuce?"
"Oh for wraps?" she asked.
He nodded with a smile. She was a bright student. And he still had to wonder what the hell he was doing trying to mentor her. Was he trying to make her into what he wanted in a woman or what she wanted to become?
He took some cooked soybean sprouts out of the pot on the stove then into a bowl then added garlic, onion, and some spices and mixed it. Once that side dish was ready, he made a dipping sauce for them called Ssamjang, combing soybean paste, green onion, garlic, sesame oil and seeds. While he mixed ito in the bowl, she watched him with fascination.
"You really know your way around a kitchen," she observed.
"I used to enjoy helping my Mom when I was younger," he admitted. "She taught me a lot."
"My mom only taught me to make instant oatmeal or macaroni and cheese," Eliza recollected. "I almost flunked home-ec."
They brought their food over to the dining room table. He had a small portable grill with a grill plate atop it. Henry placed the slices of pork belly on it, a she could her a sizzling sound as it cooked. After turning them so both sides were done, he took a couple pieces then put them on a big lettuce leaf.
"Add some of this special sauce then some Kimchi and a little of the sprout salad," he delicately and deftly assembled the wrap for her.
Eliza took it and took a dainty bite. There were no superlatives for how good it tasted. "OMG, that is so delish," she gushed.
"Glad you like it," he said assembling his own and taking a healthy bite.
"Why didn't you ever bring these to work? They'd sell like hotcakes, Henry? You've been holding out," the tall red head accused.
He smiled back. "I didn't know if my cooking was that good."
"Well make sure to give me this recipe because I will totes have this at least once a week," she chewed with gusto. And as she looked across at him she realized this was the first meal they shared together where they weren't standing up eating over a garbage can. It felt good and nice and he had been the first one to ever want to eat with her. And a lengthy silence persisted as if they were both considering things but could not say what they wanted.
After dinner, they moved to the living room. He joined her on the couch and set out the scallops and jumbo shrimp with plenty of cocktail sauce. The Korean feast had filled her, so she only had a few shrimp.
"I'm sorry you didn't get to spend New Year's Eve in style," he said, afraid of the awkward silence.
"I've had my share of them already and I've always woken up with a killer hangover," she shrugged. "It's okay."
"But I wouldn't have blown you off for my buddies," he found himself saying, then wished he could have taken it back. He was venturing into dangerous territory, having never advised her on her relationship with Freddy.
"He had those plans for months," she stated. "I could have gone, but his friends weren't bringing their girlfriends either. Didn't want to be a third wheel"
Three young guys on an alpine adventure in Aspen partying at the New Year's Winter Wonderland among numerous ski bunnies? Henry wondered how faithful Freddy was.
She considered his words. He wouldn't have blown her off for his buddies. Why was he talking like this when he had essentially blown her off that painful karaoke night.
"Want to watch a movie?" he asked. "I have Harold and Kumar's Christmas or Guardian's of the Galaxy."
She ignored the movie request. "So if we were celebrating New Year's eve and not blowing me off, what would we be doing?"
He was taken aback by her query. "I don't know, probably something that both of us would enjoy."
"Like what?"
He fidgeted. She had him backed into a corner. "I don't know, I'd want us somewhere safe, where we wouldn't be at risk of getting killed by a drunk driver. Maybe somewhere warm with a nice view. We could discuss our resolutions and watch the ball drop from Time's Square on TV, a champagne toast and kiss at midnight."
Henry swallowed hard, wondering if he said too much.
"That sounds perfect," Eliza said softly.
"Well, Guardians or Harold and Kumar?" he quickly killed the mood.
She opted for the latter and they spend the next hour and a half enjoying the screwball comedy. She made a joke that Kumar reminded her of Raj.
He went into the kitchen to get something. She switched on the TV to local programming that would show the ball drop in LA.
Eliza gazed over his living room, remembering the time she had been evicted and the night he had let her stay here. She had gone through his DVD and music collection to keep herself entertained but had enough etiquette not to pry into his personal had slept in his nice kingsize bed and in spite of herself privately cried more over him. The hurt of the karaoke night hasn't dulled especially when she had to stay at his place plus Julia had shown up to return his things. He was lying to her, still lying to himself.
Eliza went back into the kitchen. "Henry, it's almost midnight," she told him, eyeing him take some pound cake out of the oven.
"Pop the cork and pour us some Cristal," he smiled at her while setting dessert on the counter.
She opened the champagne and poured it into two flute glasses he had set up. She thought back to when Freddy and her had shared the stuff in the hot tub at the ritzy hotel. geez, Henry would never drink champagne from my mouth.
She went to hand him his flute but clumsily tripped over an imaginary gnome. At the same time, he was taking a bag of confectionary sugar out of the cupboard then opening it. She knocked into him, sending a shower of the white powder into the air. Champagne spilled onto his chest and a lot of the sugar ended up in her hair and face.
"Omg, I'm sorry," she said sheepishly.
He moved his hand to her face as if by reflex and gently wiped some sugar from her lips. Their eyes met and neither looked away.
Women like it when you find an excuse to touch them, she had once told him.
He had come to the moment of truth. It was either nut up or spend more lonely nights beating himself up.
Then he finally did what he had wanted to do when she had first come to his house and had pushed him into the rain. He did what he wanted to do the night he rode a white horse out to say he was sorry. He did what he should have done in an elevator when she had taken his coat off.
Henry Higgs kissed the sugary lips of Eliza Dooley, and it felt good and right.
"Henry..." She stared at him, her eyes full of shock.
"Happy New year," he whispered.
"Happy new year?" she eyed him warily.
He suddenly felt unsure of himself.
But he had underestimated her. She was as sharp as a Ginsu knife.
"You fiend!" She backed him into the refrigerator.
But she didn't hit him. Instead she leaned in and kissed him passionately, knowing full well he had set her up. Henry Higgs was nothing if not devious. He was getting her back for the Gone Girl stunt she had pulled by re enacting one of his own. That sneaky bastard. That sexy..
Eliza kissed him and held him. They were laughing and crying and happy.
"That was perfect, Bae," she whispered.
She had called him that when she had been drunk. Again that sad night.
"Now where the devil are my slippers, Eliza?" He deadpanned.
She punched him in the arm then kissed him again. "That's not the last line, mister."
"Hastag, Team Henry?"