Unplanned
Chapter 3
Lee couldn't believe how excited he was as he stepped out of the elevator and entered the Agency's busy hallway.
It was the craziest idea he ever had.
The thought of spending Valentine's Day with Amanda had never entered his mind, but after speaking to the Matchmaker, he couldn't STOP thinking about it.
He relished the idea that he would be finally in-the-know and she wasn't! He would not be the one giving the confused expressions! He gleefully thought.
It'll be like experiencing April's Fool and Valentine's, all in one day!
And Amanda would surely think it was funny, too, he convinced himself, After all, they both knew they were so ill-suited for one another. No romantic inclinations whatsoever! What a great laugh they would have afterwards at such a preposterous match-up!
Still deep in thought, Lee was approaching the bullpen when he spotted a preoccupied Amanda leaving it. She hadn't caught sight of him yet, as she made a left turn down the hallway towards the administrative offices, a big stack of files in her hands.
Perfect timing! he thought with a self-satisfied grin, picking up his pace.
In no time he was upon her, "Here, let me get those files for you!" he cheerfully volunteered.
"Oh!" Amanda was wide-eyed surprised as she gratefully handed the files over to him, "Thank you, Lee! And a good morning to you! "
"Same to you," Lee greeted, as he finished adjusting the files in his arms" where are you headed with all these files?"
"I'm on my way to drop these off at the steno pool."
"That's a lot of typing for them to do! Good thing I came along like I did to help you carry them over there!"
Amanda gave him a sideways glance, "You certainly seem in a helpful and good mood this morning!"
"Why not? It's a grand morning today, isn't it?"
Amanda did a double-take, "Did you say grand morning?"
"I did. Why?"
Amanda thought the word 'grand' was a strange word choice for him. Or perhaps she had spoken to Mary O'Donnell too often.
"No reason, really...so why are you accompanying me?" she wondered.
"Is that so strange?"
"Yes, actually. Usually, you don't want to be seen with me, in case Mr. Melrose sees us together and gets the idea to partner us up again!"
Lee looked incredulous, "Nooo! I'm not like that! Really?" He gave an awkward chuckle, "Okay, maybe I do come off that way at times, but on the other hand, being seen with you can really brighten up my day!"
And suddenly, Lee realized that he had just spoken the truth.
Meanwhile, Amanda looked astonished, "Well, that was certainly unexpected! I'll need to make sure to walk down the hallway carrying a stack of files in the mornings more often!"
Before long, they had reached their destination. It was an all-glass room, filled with rows of seated typists, their typewriters making clackety-clack sounds.
Lee couldn't believe how short the walk seemed.
"Here..." Amanda suggested, reaching out, "I'll just take those files back..."
"Careful..." Lee warned, handing them back carefully to her.
"Ooof..." she fumbled and then adjusted them, "Thank you, Lee."
"You're welcome."
Amanda waited. Strangely, Lee continued standing there.
"Uh, Lee?"
"Yeah?"
"Aren't you going to….you know…." her head nudged behind her.
"No, I don't know. What?"
"You know….leave?" she blushed, hoping she wasn't sounding rude.
Lee bit his lip to keep from grinning, "If you don't mind, Amanda, I'd like to stay here and wait for you so I could escort you back to the office."
Her mouth dropped, "Really?" she quickly recovered, "Alriiiiight...so... I'll be right back..."
As he opened the door and Amanda moved forward, she turned once to give him a look of bafflement while he gave her a smile of encouragement.
Lee couldn't remember the last time he enjoyed himself so much.
She went inside, dropped the files off and accepted back a pile of completed typed reports.
As she made her way out, she could see one of the typist, Beatrice, talking with Lee, outside the front glass pane. Beatrice was definitely flirting with him, as she laughed too loud and made exaggerated hand movements.
All Beatrice needed to do was bat her eyes to complete the picture, Amanda sardonically thought.
Amanda now watched Lee smiling and nodding back. But his movements seemed politely stilted. Then before too long, Beatrice opened the door and walked into the room. But not before she flashed a big farewell smile to Lee.
Oh brother!
Meanwhile, the rest of the typists were in a tither over Lee's presence. They were either sighing, giving yearning looks or whispering to one another.
She could hear wistful comments such as; "Wished he could be MY Valentine!"/What I wouldn't give to capture HIS heart!/"I'd sure like to share with him some of MY secrets!"
Amanda rolled her eyes at the effect Lee had on the ladies.
But it was understandable, she supposed. What could be more desirable than a mysterious, charming and handsome spy?
Pretending she hadn't noticed all the attention towards Lee, Amanda passed the rows of typists to join him at the front, the new files piled high in her arms again.
After he opened the door for her, he offered, "Here, give those files to me, Amanda,"
He reached out to take her files from her while a collective Awwww! was heard coming from inside the steno pool, regarding his gallantry.
Lee and Amanda continued on their way back down the hallway.
"What was that about?" Lee innocently asked, referring to the typists' loud sighs.
"As if YOU didn't know!" she told him, intent on not letting his ego get any bigger, and also hoping she didn't sound jealous, "I'm thinking that some of those typists wouldn't mind being on your long list for Valentine's Day!"
"Valentine's Day, eh?" he asked, "Is that coming up again... already?"
"Lee Stetson, you know good and well it's coming up!" she scolded him, "After all, it's the one day of the year you can stockpile on chocolates, to hand out to your gaggle of lady friends!"
Lee chuckled.
Amanda King would never let him get away with anything, and he actually appreciated her candidness.
"I actually do think Valentine's Day is a very special day, Amanda, especially this year," he cryptically stated.
She whipped her head around, "What do you mean by that?"
He had to suppress a giddy grin, "I'm just saying that I think this Valentine's will be memorable for me. What about you?"
"What about me?"
"How do you feel about Valentine's Day?"
Amanda shrugged, "I don't particularly care for getting flowers or chocolates on the day, to be honest."
Lee stopped walking, so Amanda did, too, "Why not?" he asked, with a total look of sincerity.
She hadn't expected to be this honest with Lee, but at last she revealed, "I just think getting flowers and chocolates on Valentine's day is so...expected...and meaningless. Joe was always out of the country during that time so he used to ship both items to me every year and well, I wished he had shipped himself out, instead," she miserably explained.
Lee's heart dropped at the thought of Amanda spending a lonely Valentine's by herself.
They continued walking.
"You deserved better that that," he quietly stated.
Oh, why did I reveal so much, and why am I such a downer? she wondered.
"I think I gave you the wrong impression, Lee! I actually LOVE Valentine's Day! It's so nice that so many people can look forward to that day! Seeing everyone so happy makes ME happy! It really does!"
Her face had brightened once again.
Leave it to Amanda to care about other people more than herself, Lee thought.
They had reached the doorway of the bullpen, so Amanda stopped and held out her hands to take the files back.
"Thank you, Lee."
"You don't have to thank me yet, Amanda! And I'll be more than happy to take these files to your desk!"
He held onto the files.
"Actually, I wasn't thanking you for carrying the files," Amanda explained, "It's for ALL the gentlemanly things you do for me… like opening doors, pushing my chair in at restaurants, making sure I'm safe above your own safety, and even listening to me when I ramble on too much...like I just did now about Joe! I want you to know that although I don't say it enough, I appreciate your thoughtfulness with me!"
Her lovely almond-shaped eyes looked at him with admiration and gratitude.
Lee was speechless.
He couldn't explain why his gentlemanly gestures were so instinctive... when it came to HER.
"Oh, it's really not a big deal, Amanda. I, uh, do things like that for women all the time."
When Amanda leaned in to emphasize her words, Lee instantly caught her light floral scent, sending his head spinning.
"You didn't open the door for Beatrice earlier," she pointedly noted, "she had to open the door herself."
"Then... I suppose it depends on the situation," he quickly answered and then changed the subject, "Come on...let's go put these files on your desk."
They entered and Lee plopped the files on Amanda's desk. Unbeknowest to him, however, the stack had managed to push aside a piece of paper that had been laying on top of Amanda's desk.
The lone paper flew loose, sailing through the air and then Lee and Amanda watched as it slowly drifted down and landed on the floor.
"Let me get that!" Lee instantly stated.
"No, I've got it!" Amanda strongly insisted.
Squatting down, they both reached down for the sheet and unintentionally, their hands touched.
And simultaneously, an electric sensation sizzled down their spines at their initial contact.
Their heads shot up and they eyed one another, dazed. Slowly getting up at the same instant, they became mesmerized at the effect the one had on the other.
There was barely a whisk of air between them as their gazes continued to lock, their cheeks blazing hot, yet they couldn't look away.
Lee felt numb as a strong feeling of yearning tugged at his heart. It was almost as if he cared about her.
Amanda was fighting against the thrumming of her heartbeat as she looked at the man she knew every woman wanted.
Hesitantly he handed the sheet of paper back to her and stated the obvious, "Uh...this fell..."
She nodded and accepted the sheet back with a shaky hand.
"T-Thanks." she responded back, her eyes large, her lips slightly parted.
"Yeah...so..."Lee's throat felt so dry he could barely speak. He cleared his throat, "Uh, there's an expense report I gotta go talk to Billy about..."
Amanda felt just as awkward, "Of course, and... I've got some typing to do..."
Lee abruptly turned and walked away, wondering what the hell just happened between them.
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