Sorry this is late and it's just a short chapter. Having laptop problems at the moment so not sure when I'll get the next chapter up. Thank you everyone who reviewed the first chapter, glad you liked it :)
Hanssen silently berated himself for losing his courage in tackling Ms Campbell about the card. But when she'd suggested going to her office he had realised he would feel much more confident dealing with the matter in his own office. As he stepped into the lift he noticed a young couple inside and glanced at the lift buttons. The button for the ground floor was lit up and he sighed quietly, that meant the lift would most likely travel to the ground floor before going to the 5th floor which was his destination. He should have taken the stairs but the lift doors had closed and it was too late now.
The couple suddenly hugged eachother, the woman seemingly upset. Hanssen began to feel awkward.
'Don't worry. Whatever happens, we've got each other and we'll deal with everything together.' The man said softly, kissing his partner on the forehead.
Hanssen stared stonily ahead wishing for the lift to go faster.
'I know. I'm not sure I could cope without you.' The woman replied.
'Well you'll never have to!' the man smiled. 'Together forever you and me.'
Hanssen almost snorted. Everyone ended up alone in the end, that's simply how life was. Relying too heavily on others, no matter how well intentioned, would only ever lead to heartache.
'Now, lets push this all aside for one day.' The man continued. 'For the rest of today it's just a regular Valentines' day.'
'Oh? So you've forgotten to get me a gift then have you?' the woman teased.
'What? No –' the man protested.
'Well you said it was a "regular Valentines day"…'
'One time I fogot! One time! Anyway, I gave you the greatest gift of all years ago – my heart!' the man said and the woman giggled as the lift reached the ground floor and they exited, still holding onto each other.
Hanssen pressed the button for the 5th floor again. He reached into his pocket and took out the heartshaped chocolate Ms Campbell had given him. He looked at it and wondered once again what on earth had prompted the woman to send him that card. She must have known she was crossing a line. What did she hope to achieve? Perhaps it was a joke? But then wouldn't she have said something by now if that was the case? She hadn't batted an eyelid when he went to Keller and she didn't seem the type to play pranks.
He thought back over Ms Campbell's recent behaviour trying to pinpoint if there had been anything out of the ordinary but he couldn't recall anything. 'Thinking of you' she had written in the card. What could she mean by that? She couldn't possibly want… there was no way Ms Campbell might be attempting to… Suddenly he felt warm and wished the lift would hurry up.
If she did indeed for whatever reason suddenly want to pursue some kind of relationship with him, what was he going to do? For a moment he allowed himself to wonder what a relationship with Ms Campbell might be like… In practical terms they were probably well suited and if he were looking for a relationship it would make sense for him to persue her. She was intelligent, witty, ambitious and understood the constraints of his job. She was attractive. And tall which would mean he wouldn't need to crouch too much when… kissing her. He swallowed. Did he want to kiss her? He supposed he wouldn't be averse to it.
The lift reached its destination and he hurriedly exited it, taking a deep breath and made his way along the hallway to his office. He glanced at his watch. He had just over twenty minutes to decide how he was going to deal with this situation.