AUTHOR'S NOTE: This story takes place in an office setting but all the people in the story are my own original characters. Please read, review and ENJOY!

Chapter 1

Lynn lazily walked across the parking lot, pausing for a moment to tilt her chin toward the sky and let the sun hit her face. All around her, seagulls were squawking and probably getting ready to enjoy another warm, July day.

Lynn sighed, jealous of the freedom the birds possessed, and focused on the large, white building in front of her. In a few minutes she'd be inside, setting up camp at her desk for the day.

Just another day in paradise Lynn thought to herself.

She entered Roland University through one of its back entrances and made her way to R108. As she neared the department where she worked, the pace of Lynn's heart began to increase. She was getting closer now, and she swore she could smell his cologne hanging in the air from when he'd arrived a few minutes before.

Lynn swiped her security pass with sweating hands and entered into the front lobby of the office.

"Lynn? Is that you?" He called from inside his executive-sized office.

"Hey! Yeah it's me!" She replied enthusiastically, appearing in his doorway.

"Morning, cutie," he said as he flashed her a smile. She felt the flutter in her stomach as he said it and tried desperately to will the redness in her cheeks away.

"Morning…Rich," she answered. She'd wanted to reply with something equally as endearing as 'cutie' but all she could come up with was his name.

She lingered awkwardly for another moment, and then realized he'd already continued with his work. Feeling lame, Lynn rushed to her cubicle down the hall where she could think about him in private.

Rich Palmer was the Head of Registrarial Services at Roland. Lynn had been in love with him since the first time she'd taken a swim in the depths of his blue eyes. In less romantic words, since her first day working in R108. One other important detail: Rich was married.

Lynn slumped down into her desk chair and waited for the ancient computer to warm up and turn on. Everyone in the department who had real offices seemed to get computer updates monthly. The peasants at the cubicles, however, were using Flinstone-aged systems.

Lynn rested her elbows on her knees and put her face down in her hands. She let her wavy, reddish brown hair hang over her hands, and wondered if she could just hide in the hair cocoon for the rest of the day.

She opened a crack between her fingers to look through and checked the clock on the wall outside her cubicle. 8:32am. Beautiful. She now had a half hour before she was actually supposed to start working. She hated being there early, but still managed to do it every morning just to have her few, brief moments alone with Rich upon entering the office. If she waited until 9am to stroll in like everyone else, she'd have to share his attention with them.

And this morning, he'd called her 'cutie'. A smile overcame her as she recalled the recent memory and she tried to think of an excuse to go back to his office.

"Good morning, sunshine!" A voice bounced happily from down the hall. Lynn looked up just as Ali, her best friend, entered her cubicle.

"Hey you…stop being so bubbly. It's early," Lynn mumbled.

"Oh whatever, grumps! It's not my fault you're here early!" Ali answered, knowing exactly why she was there.

"Okay, okay. I'm happy from now on. See?" Lynn plastered the fakest smile she possibly could on her face. Ali giggled and rolled her eyes.

"Wanna do lunch today?" She asked, changing the subject.

"Sure. Mention it to Nora when she gets in too."

"Sounds good! I'm going up to my glass-enclosed Executive office on the top floor now to boss people around while I lounge at my desk pretending to do work," Ali said with her nose stuck up in the air.

"Yeah, yeah…the day that happens I'm becoming your assistant!" Lynn responded. Ali stuck her tongue out and walked back to her cubicle down the hall.

Lynn was always amazed at how Ali could lift her spirits, even if it were only a little. But as she glanced out the window behind her, Lynn couldn't help but feel overwhelmed by confinement.

Today's gonna be a long one she thought.

Just as she was about to re-enter her thinking-about-Rick trance, the university's Program Advisor, Reba, came bustling down the hall, pausing in front of her cubicle.

"Hello dear. Good morning!" She chimed.

"Morning, Reba. How was your date with Charles last night?"

"It was just divine!" She answered, smiling sweetly. Lynn grinned back and Reba continued down the hall.

She was an older woman, probably in her 70s. She lived alone and Charles, her Pomeranian, kept her company. Reba often spoke about Charles as if the little dog were her husband. It was sweet, actually.

Reba had been a Program Advisor at the school since it opened nearly twenty years before. Lynn wondered if in twenty years, she'd still be sitting at the same desk, answering calls from distressed students needing help. The thought made shudder involuntarily.

It wasn't that she hated her job; she liked helping students. It was just…a little tedious. She got so many phone calls about the same things, she sometimes wondered if she should just record herself saying all the standard answers and place it on her voicemail. Of course if she did that, the university would probably have no reason to keep her job…which meant no way for her to see Rich every day.

Yikes she thought, and pushed the voicemail idea out of her mind. Endless phone calls it is then.

Lynn signed in to her MSN Messenger account as she opened the other necessary programs and databases she'd need throughout the morning. Immediately a box popped up in the corner of her screen indicating that Rich had just instant messaged her.

Rich says: hey doll…can you come to my office for a minute? it's important…

Without even replying, Lynn jumped up from her desk and walked straight to Rich's office as if she were on a mission. As she approached the doorway, she smoothed down her pink and white flowered skirt and tousled her hair a bit to give it that "natural" look.

"Hey, Rich! You wanted to see me?" She asked, her eyes lit up with anticipation.

"Yeah, have a seat. I need you to do something REALLY important for me," he told her with a worried tone in his voice.

"Rich, whatever it is, I'll do it."