Thirty-one
Tori winced as she replaced the cold compress on her throbbing head, wishing desperately for the pain to subside. Her body ached from the impact of the truck, and she could feel the bruises forming on her chest and arm, not to mention the twisted ankle from her frantic attempt to stop herself.
Andre had advised her against taking anything for the headache and had also warned her against falling asleep immediately. So there she was, lying on the couch, trying to distract herself with the soothing voice of the Discovery Channel, while battling the relentless pain in her head.
As she listened to the narrator's enthusiastic commentary about a crocodile on the screen, Tori couldn't help but feel a surge of annoyance. "No," she muttered in response to the TV, "It's a freaking crocodile about to bite your ass off, you dumbass."
Her head throbbed even more fiercely at the noise, and she closed her eyes, pressing the cold compress against her forehead in a futile attempt to ease the pain.
A soft knock at the door interrupted her thoughts, and Tori groaned inwardly. "Who in the hell is knocking on my damn door at 11 p.m.?" she muttered to herself. Another hesitant tap followed, and Tori reluctantly dragged herself to her feet, trudging across the apartment to answer the door.
Peering through the security glass, Tori's frown softened into a smile as she saw Jade standing on the other side. She quickly unlocked the door and pulled it open, welcoming her boss inside with a tired grin.
"Hey," Tori greeted, her voice tinged with gratitude. "I...uh...had to go check something in the office. And I thought I'd stop by and see how you were feeling."
Tori's heart warmed at Jade's concern, and she couldn't help but feel a sense of relief at having her there. "Wow...uh...come on in," she said, stepping back to allow Jade to enter.
As Jade enveloped her in a hug, Tori couldn't help but lean into the embrace, feeling a sense of comfort wash over her. "Oh..." she murmured softly as Jade's arms wrapped around her. "That feels so good."
Jade pulled back slightly, her eyes scanning Tori's face for signs of discomfort. "Let me see," she said gently, tipping Tori's head back to examine the bruised lump. "That looks nasty...how's it feel?"
Tori shrugged sheepishly. "Up until about two minutes ago, it felt lousy," she admitted. "I'm just sore all over...Andre said it wouldn't be a good idea to go right to bed in case I have a concussion or something."
Jade's expression softened with concern as she listened to Tori's explanation. "I can't believe you're here. That's so nice of you," Tori added, feeling a surge of gratitude towards her boss.
"Shhh," Jade hushed her gently, brushing a strand of hair away from Tori's face. "Don't you be spreading rumors that I'm nice, okay?" She grinned. "You'll ruin my reputation."
Tori chuckled softly. "Oh...right...I forgot," she said with a sigh. "Well, I was just moping around, putting cold washcloths on my head...unless you have a better idea for this."
Jade pondered for a moment before suggesting, "Let me see what I can do. Mind a little company?"
"Not yours," Tori joked weakly, then quickly added, "I mean...if you can stay for a few minutes...I know you're on your way home."
"Don't worry about it...I hardly sleep anyway," Jade reassured her casually. "Where are your towels?"
Tori showed her to the kitchen, where Jade got to work. Tori watched curiously as Jade filled the blender with ice, creating a makeshift ice pack to alleviate her headache. As Jade wrapped the towel around the makeshift ice pack, Tori couldn't help but feel a sense of gratitude for her boss's kindness and compassion in her time of need.
"Come on," Jade said as she led Tori back into the living room, settling in one corner of the couch and patting the seat next to her.
"Okay," Tori agreed, sitting down and smiling as Jade leaned back and patted her chest. Tori laid back against Jade's body, stretching her legs out along the couch. Jade slid an arm around her and placed the cold compress on her head. The chill was a welcome relief from the pain, and Tori could feel the ache in the bump slowly start to ease.
"How's that?" Jade's voice came from over her shoulder.
Tori felt like she was pretty damn close to heaven, between the comfortable, warm backrest and the sheer pleasure she felt just being in Jade's presence. "It's perfect," she murmured quietly. "Thanks."
Jade propped her feet up on the coffee table and relaxed, gazing over Tori's shoulder at the television. "What are we watching?"
"Crocodile Hunter," Tori replied.
"Oh... why?" Jade asked, sounding incredulous.
"Well, I was watching Too Cute and it just came on."
"I can't believe that's still on the air."
They both fell silent for a bit as Jade shifted the compress on Tori's head.
"Jade?" Tori finally said, her voice rising with curiosity.
"Yeah?" Jade inclined her head, listening.
"What on earth did you have to check at the office at 10 PM?"
There was an awkward pause, and Jade cleared her throat before speaking reluctantly. "Uh… I didn't. I just wanted to make sure you were okay."
Brown eyes widened as Tori turned her head to gaze up at Jade. "You mean… you just came all the way out here?"
"If you can tell, with a head wound… And I was kind of freaking out. So, uh… yeah," Jade replied defensively. "Peace of mind, you know? I just wanted to make sure everything was all right." A coral blush spread across her cheeks.
Tori took a moment to process that. "That makes me feel really special," she said, curling her fingers over Jade's around her waist. "Thank you… I was feeling pretty lousy before you got here. I'm really glad you came."
Jade smiled contentedly, letting her cheek rest against Tori's hair. "So am I," she murmured, a little surprised at just how good being here was making her feel.
It really was kind of crazy, if you thought about it.
So she didn't.
Tori became aware first of the strangeness of her position as she blinked her eyes open and started to lament, taking a moment before realizing where she was. She had fallen asleep on the couch with the television still on, now displaying a loud infomercial featuring Chuck Norris. She reached up to touch her forehead, where the bump had gone down a lot but was still tender. Slowly, she unwrapped her fingers from Jade's and turned, glancing up at her companion.
The dawn light peeked in through the windows, slanting over Jade and painting her still-tan skin, catching the barest hint of chestnut highlights in her dark hair. The muscles in her face were relaxed, save for the tiniest movement under the lids of her closed eyes, and Tori found herself almost holding her breath just watching the tremors and absorbing the wonderful feeling of the arm still clasped around her.
It was such a curious feeling, almost an ache in her chest when she looked at Jade, as though something was inside her, trying very hard to get out. With a sigh, Tori glanced at her watch, then patted Jade on the arm lightly.
"Jade?"
Slowly, facial muscles tensed. Then the eyelids fluttered, revealing those amazing blue eyes, which blinked, then focused on her. "Oh… uhm…" Jade shook her head a little to clear it. "Morning."
Tori smiled. "Yeah." She glanced at the window. "Looks like we dropped off there… And I know you've got an appointment."
Jade yawned and rubbed her eyes, letting her head fall back again. "Yeah… I know," she said, her voice a little muffled. "His office isn't far from here." Her blue eyes studied Tori intently. "How are you feeling?"
Tori sat up, flexing her stiff arms and legs, and took a deep breath. "Not too bad," she decided. "My head's a little sore, but other than that, I feel pretty good. How about you? God, Jade… You must be squashed."
The other woman stretched her body out, arching her back a little and stifling another yawn. "I'm fine," she replied, sounding surprised. "The couch is pretty comfortable, really."
Tori patted her chest, then impulsively leaned over and hugged her. "You're a lot more comfortable than the couch. Thanks for sticking around."
Jade hugged her back. "No problem. It made me feel a lot better knowing you were okay," she reassured Tori.
Tori smiled into the fabric over Jade's shoulder and exhaled. Then she patted her boss on the side. "Come on… Let me get us some breakfast, then you can take off. You don't want to be late."
Yes, I do.
Despite wanting to remain right where she was, Jade sighed and released Tori, waiting for the other woman to stand up before joining her, working a kink out of her back with a grimace.
"You don't need to make breakfast. I can just grab some coffee when I get there. They have a little café on the bottom floor," Jade suggested.
"Jade," Tori poked her. "You come all the way out here just to pet me, literally and figuratively, on the head, and you won't let me make you toast? Get real." She shook her head and ambled into the kitchen, putting on some coffee and taking a package of cinnamon raisin bread out of her refrigerator.
"Jade, do yo—yow!"
The dark-haired woman had come up silently behind her and was peering over her shoulder. "Damn… How do you do that?"
"Cinnamon raisin toast?" Jade inquired hopefully, her brows lifting in interest.
"Well… yeah. You didn't think I was going to give you, like… white bread, did you?" Tori laughed. "I mean, Jade, let's be honest here. You're many things, but white bread…" Her boss smiled charmingly at her. "I'll take that as a compliment." Her eyes twinkled. "I love raisin bread. You know, it's literally strange how alike our tastes are, Tori."
Feeling sleepy, Tori placed the bread in her toaster, then settled in, tucking herself against Jade's left side and wrapping an arm around her waist.
"Yeah… it is," she acknowledged with a stifled yawn. "I have more in common with you than I do with my own twin sister… Weird."
She considered. "She hates computers… She hates reading… She hates shockingly graphic, but curiously satisfying, violent movies."
Jade threaded her fingers into Tori's disheveled hair and tilted her face up, bending her head down and kissing her gently.
Tori exhaled softly as they parted. "She'd hate to see that," her voice tinged with wistful sorrow.
"Does she know?" Jade asked seriously. "I know your parents don't, but do your sisters?"
A single shake of Tori's head. "No… They have no idea… They don't even suspect," she said, swallowing a little. "I wouldn't even know where to start telling them."
Jade hesitated, the scent of toasted cinnamon filling the air along with that of the fresh coffee.
"I was damn glad my father figured it out himself. I… Well, I'm not sure if I'd have known where to start either."
The toast popped up, and Tori reluctantly let go of her companion and removed it, spreading some butter on each piece, and pouring Jade a cup of coffee. "He wasn't mad?" she finally asked hesitantly.
Jade took a bite and chewed. "No… It was almost… What he told me was…" She cleared her throat. "Let me see if I can imitate him. 'Look here, Jade. Just 'cause the generals yap about that don't-ask-don't-tell crap, don't mean there ain't lots of boys that don't like to share a foxhole, if you know what I mean."
Tori took a sip of her coffee and muffled a chuckle. "Oh… I always wondered about that. I saw a special about aircraft carriers once, and they have all those tiny bunks all on top of each other."
"Yeah… Well – we had a long talk about it. Then we went over to the bar and spent the afternoon comparing tastes in women." Jade shook her head. "That was strange." She studied Tori seriously. "You really worried about it?"
Tori sighed, her expression reflecting the sadness in her eyes. "Yeah… I…" She paused pensively. "I've never really had good luck with defying them."
Jade's brow creased as she considered the sad look on her friend's face. "Tori?"
"Yeah?" The Latina glanced up. "It's just… You're so lucky, Jade. I can't imagine sitting down with… God, she'd kill me." Tori gave her head a little shake and glanced at the window. "It's getting late. I guess we better get going. I know I have to… What?"
Jade had set her coffee down and put a hand on either side of Tori's face.
"If you need to talk, you can," the dark-haired woman said quietly. "I'll listen."
Tori's breath caught short and fast. She sucked in air nervously, her eyes hunting through Jade's expression and searching the blue eyes intently. "I don't… I don't know what you mean, Jade."
Her boss's face reflected a quiet hurt. "All right." Jade dropped her hands. "Anyway, the offer's out there." She picked up her cup and took a swallow, half turning away. "Guess I better get going."
She glanced over her shoulder at the feather-light touch on her arm and saw pain and confusion reflected in Tori's brown eyes staring back at her.
"We don't have time right now," Tori got out, as though the words were dragged from her. "But I'll take you up on that offer later."
Jade put an arm around her neck and pulled her closer, kissing the top of her head. "That's a deal."
She felt the Latina snuggle, almost huddling against her. Who would hurt Tori? It was obvious to Jade that someone had, and a dark, bubbling anger erupted in her at the thought.
"Let me go get poked and prodded. Meet you back at the office, okay? I'm going to stop by my place on the way back to change."
Tori plucked at the cut-off sweatshirt and faded jeans. "I think you look just fine." She broke out of her funk with a deep breath and gave Jade a smile. "Guess the office would be scandalized, though, huh? They're used to your fashion plate taste."
Jade snorted. "I'd never hear the end of it." She caught Tori's lips again, and this time she took her time, feeling the other woman collapse against her. She let her hands run down Tori's back, touching and rubbing gently, until she felt the other woman's ribs expand sharply as she breathed rough and ragged, and her touch started sliding down across Jade's belly, searching for a path to her skin. They both broke off, breathing hard, and still exploring, until Tori let her forehead rest against Jade's collar.
"It's gonna be a long day," Jade sighed.
"Oh yeah,"
Tori agreed. "Did you have to do that?"
A soft chuckle. "Don't forget to set up that staff meeting for Friday. If I don't go over all this fourth-quarter stuff with everyone, Cat's going to have a cow."
Tori reluctantly let her go and watched her leave in silence.
Jade waited quietly as an efficient and far too cheerful nurse poked her arm with a needle, roughly the size of an Olympic javelin. "Just a moment, it won't hurt a bit," she chirped.
"You shouldn't lie to patients," Jade growled, feeling the piercing pain as the needle found its mark. "It's not nice."
"Now now… We don't want our patients worrying unless they need to. It's nothing but a prick."
"That's what she said," Jade remarked, trying not to look at the vial of rich, red blood coming out of her arm.
"Pardon?" the nurse queried.
The dark-haired woman rolled her eyes. "Never mind."
The door pushed open, and Dr. Dodie poked his head in. "Hey, sweet pea."
Jade glared daggers at him, receiving a charming smile in return. The nurse finished removing the tube and swapped the seeping needle hole with an alcohol swab.
"There you go… All done," she buzzed out, leaving Jade with her doctor.
"Come on… Stop with the sour look, Jade," Dr. Dodie said as he came over and leaned on the exam table that she was sitting on. "I hear you had a moment of terror at the heart institute."
Blue eyes regarded him dourly. "I got over it."
"Oh… Aren't we tough," he laughed, patting her knee. "You can play that corporate killing machine with other people, Jade, but I've known you since you weren't tall enough to lick my knees, so don't you try it with me."
Jade scowled. "Did you leave any blood in there? She must've taken six quarts."
"Two vials, you big baby," he waved her off. "How are you feeling?"
"Better," his reluctant patient admitted. "Took a few days off… Went up to Orlando and just played tourist for a couple days." She paused. "Haven't had a headache since I was here last." This was a touch of triumph.
He nodded. "Good… Good…" His hands lifted and turned her face to the light as he peered at her intently. "Interesting."
"What?" Jade queried, feeling nervous.
"Nothing… I just love looking at those baby blues," he answered mischievously as his patient rolled her eyes.
"Seriously, Jade, you do look more relaxed," he said, patting her shoulder. "Glad to hear about the headaches. We'll just check your blood, see how you're doing. I want to look at your white cell count. That was very low last time."
Something else occurred to her. "While I'm here… I've been running into some… I don't know… I guess I've been forgetting things lately," Jade muttered. "And I've been having trouble concentrating. It's starting to bug me a little."
Now her doctor's face was serious. "All right… I'll check to see if there's anything strange in your blood, but it probably won't show up there. You haven't had dizzy spells or problems with your vision? I was worried about your pressure last time." He put his stethoscope on and listened to her chest.
"No… Well… Not dizzy, exactly," Jade struggled to explain. "Just… I'll be doing something, and I'll just go blank… Like my attention gets distracted."
Dr. Dodie pushed her shoulder. "Lie down."
They did, letting her eyes close and feeling the pressure cuff tighten against her bicep. Her mind drifted, thinking of the coming day. Or, to be more precise, the coming night, and she found herself smiling until a hand shook her shoulder. She opened her eyes to see the doctor regarding her with puzzled concern.
"Sorry," she rubbed her eyes. "That's what I mean. I've just been drifting out."
Dodie leaned against the table, his gray hair dropping down over his forehead. "I don't understand. Your pressure is fine… Your heart sounds fine… Maybe I should schedule you for a CAT scan."
Jade rubbed her eyes. "Maybe," she murmured. "It's getting pretty bad. I forgot twice yesterday where my damn meetings were. I had to call back Mariela and ask her. She must think I'm going nuts."
He shook his head. "Well, let me go run a quick scan on the blood and see if I see anything. I'm going to my office. I think I have a new Wired in there."
"Cool," Jade grumbled. "Just what I need… To read all about the new bugs and AI things." She hopped off the table and made her way to Dr. Dodie's comfortable office, slouching in an armchair and picking up the Wired magazine. She read through over half of it before she heard steady footsteps on the carpet and looked up as Dr. Dodie ambled in with a folder under his arm and a peculiar look on his face.
"Finished?"
The stocky, gray-haired man put the folder down and dropped into a seat, folding his hands over his belly and gazing at her. "Well, my friend, your stress indications are down, that's for sure."
Jade let a small smile tug at her lips. "That's good."
He nodded. "Yes… I was glad to see that. I also ran an analysis for hormones and other abnormalities and I think I may have figured out what your little forgetfulness problem is."
Jade sat up and cocked her head. "What is it?"
He solemnly continued, "Yes… I'm afraid you have elevated levels of endorphins in your bloodstream, my friend… Especially oxytocin."
The dark-haired woman was taken aback. "Oh…" She paused, a little alarmed. "What causes it?"
Dr. Dodie rubbed his nose. "Well… It's a naturally occurring hormone… It basically is one of the things responsible for feeling good. Your body releases it under certain circumstances, and it's known to produce the symptoms you described a moment ago."
Jade considered that. "What circumstances?" she inquired.
"In some cases, exercise – especially long-distance running," Dr. Dodie mentioned. "Do you do that?"
She shrugged. "…8 miles in the morning."
"Did you run this morning?" Dr. Dodie asked.
Jade shook her head. "…No. Not this morning." She hesitated. "Not this morning."
"It's not that then," the doctor said, steepling his fingers. "Do you take any opiates?"
"What?" Jade's brow contracted sharply. "You know better."
He raised a hand. "Okay, just asking." A tiny grin chased itself around his lips. "That eliminates two of the three most common causes."
"What's the third?" Jade chuckled. "Eating chocolate?"
"Falling in love," he quietly replied. "Oxytocin is the hormone that stimulates the need for touching."
Jade simply stared at him, her jaw sagging slightly as her eyes blinked. "That's… No, Steve, I don't…" She ran a hand through her hair. "That's not…"
"Jade… Relax," the doctor leaned forward. "Breathe, okay? I don't want you keeling over in my office. It upsets the nurses." He regarded her with fond affection. "My God, you think I just said you were pregnant or something. There's nothing wrong with being in love, my friend." He smiled. "It's good for you."
"But I'm not…" Jade tried to force the words out, but they weren't coming. Oh my God… This can't be happening. Her mind fled back to her own words spoken to Tori what seemed like forever ago. "It's like your body knows."
"How are you… Is that all, Dr. Dodie?"
"Sure," he gave her a quiet compassionate look. "Go take a walk, Jade. It's a major. You're as white as a sheet."
She nodded, absolutely, and walked out, not really sure where she was going until she was outside, where she mechanically found her car and opened the door, collapsing in the seat and leaning against the steering wheel. "He's crazy… He doesn't know what he's… I'm not in love, for crying out loud. I…" She stared at the instrument panel, thinking about the past few days.
Thinking about how she felt. Thinking about how Tori made her feel, and how the mere impact of those brown eyes on hers made her dizzy. About how hugging the brunette woman made her happier than just about anything else ever had. About how she had driven out in the middle of the night just to check on a little bump on the head. About how she had jeopardized a major account to spend some time with Tori.
Slowly, she leaned back, letting her arms fall to her thighs as the inescapable realization hit her.
Fuck me… I am… I think. a laugh forced its way out of her chest. Then she gripped the steering wheel and stared out through the tinted windows.
Now, what do I do?
"OK, what do you want me to do? I don't run the slack," Tori stated, gazing patiently at the short, upset woman sitting across from her desk. "I know it's something everyone likes, but Slack is run by an outside entity. The fact that it's down means it's just down, and you have to wait until it comes back up."
She'd been dealing with issues like this all day. Slack had gone down, and people had not been able to communicate departmentally.
"But you don't understand… We had important messages on there," the woman said in agitation.
Tori cocked her head. "It's Slack… We post things for sale, company notices, that kind of thing."
"No… No…" The woman looked frustrated. "It's more than that. We've got all our social stuff on there… And Jill puts out these little poems; they really make everyone's day. It's like a community. We're helpless without it… No one knows what's going on!"
Tori folded her hands together. "Helen, what exactly is it that you want me to do?"
"Can it get fixed faster?"
"We don't run Slack. We can't force another company to work faster," Tori explained patiently. "That is not up to us."
It had been the first thing Sinjin hit her with when she got there, bad news about the entire Slack going down. Yes, Slack was a critical application, but it was out of her jurisdiction.
"We'll figure it out."
She got an immediate guilty look from the woman, who stood hastily. "Well… I hope they hurry. I have a lot of things on there that I need." She gave Tori a distinctly unfriendly look. "I'm sure Miss West would have resolved it by now if you were here." She walked out, leaving a musing Tori, who shook her head in mild disbelief.
"No… She would've told you to get your gardenia-smelling butt out of our office," she informed the closed door. Then she glanced at the clock.
"Speaking of which… Where the hell is she?" It was close to noon, and there was no sign of her boss. Tori had set up a monitor which checked periodically for Jane's login, and so far, the CEO had been conspicuous by her absence. Tori drummed her fingers on the desk, then picked up the phone and dialed.
"Hi, Mari."
"Hello, Victoria."
"Any word from the boss?" Tori tried to keep the concern out of her voice, making it only sound vaguely interested. "I have some documents I need to go over with her."
Maria sighed. "No, honey… You and everyone else in the world is looking for her. I tried her cell phone, nothing. I hope she's all right."
Tori felt deep worry grab her guts. "Yeah, me too… That's not like her," she murmured, as if she were an expert after all of less than a month.
"You're right… wait… I hear her voice coming this way." Maria sounded relieved.
"OK… Great… Thanks, Mari." Tori hung up, feeling a mixed sensation of relief and anticipation. You can't just rush in there, Tori. Give the woman a chance to settle down and get things going. She decided to get herself a cup of tea instead. She opened her drawer and took out a blackberry teabag, then grabbed her cup, and headed for the door.
The kitchen was relatively quiet. She gave the two other women inside a smile as she put some sugar into a cup, then added boiling water from the dispenser over the teabag.
"Hey, Tori," one of the women sitting at a small table looked up. "I heard you signed up for the gym… You going tonight?"
The brunette nodded. "Yeah, I sure did… I'm really looking forward to it. I put my name down for some light aerobics and that self-defense class." She leaned against the wall casually, dunking her teabag up and down.
"Are you going?" the woman, Candy, asked. It was a uniquely inappropriate tag for the usually snippy administrative assistant.
Candy leaned back to the side and nodded. "Yeah," she patted her thigh and made a face. "I thought I could get away with just some treadmill plodding at home… But I don't do it enough, and it's showing. I put on 10 pounds in the last two months, and it's either go to the goddamn gym, or spring for new clothes." She glanced at Tori. "Self-defense, huh? That's pretty funny coming from Jade Roberts' assistant… And what the hell happened to your head?"
Tori sighed. "Close encounter with a parked truck. I was bike riding last night," she explained. "Another reason to pick the gym instead… Not many obstacles," she added wryly. "And it's air-conditioned, has a sauna…"
"Oh, yeah… And nice-looking bodies running around," Candy added with a smirk. "My boyfriend refuses to go in there. Says his little Tommy makes him blush." The other woman, someone from marketing, Tori remembered – snickered.
"Well, that's self-defeating," Tori protested. "If you go in there a while, he wouldn't have to worry about it!" She disposed of her teabag and took a sip of the sweetened beverage. "But I know how he feels. I've put on a few pounds myself since I started working here… All those visits downstairs," she commented casually, referring to the five-star cafeteria on the bottom floor.
Candy snorted. "Tori, you'd have to double yourself before anyone would notice, let me tell you… But…" She glanced around then up at the Latina. "I hear through the grapevine your boss is joining the gym gang… True?"
Tori hesitated and picked her words carefully. "As a matter of fact… I think I heard her saying that the other day… So I guess she is. Why?"
"Interesting… That's all… She participates in Global Day, now this. Is she trying to change her image or something?" Candy asked slyly.
Sensing dangerous waters, Tori merely shrugged. "She said it was her turn to do Global… And as for this… Who knows? I sure don't. She said she wanted to use some climbing thing or that they have… Maybe that's it?"
"Hmm," Candy purred, then got up and sauntered out. "Guess we'll find out tonight, eh? Come on Drusy… Break is over. Let's go feed the press." She glanced back. "See ya."
"See ya," Tori mouthed after her, making a face. She sighed and sipped her tea, then slipped back out of the kitchen and down the hall, opening the door to her office and stepping inside. She was several paces into the room before she realized something was sitting on her desk.
She stopped, one hand raised with a cup in it, and the other at her side, and just looked.
Squirreled in the center of her desk, a small crystal vase rested, containing one single crimson rose. Tori let out a tiny gasp and moved closer, putting the cup down and circling the furniture, sitting down in her chair and resting both arms on either side of the vase.
The flower was beautiful – large and full with thick petals that gave off a wonderful scent, and the vase was slim and faceted, glittering in the light from the window. "Oh, my God… That's gorgeous," Tori breathed, touching the flower lightly with a shaking finger.
"Did you do this, Jade?" she whispered. The unexpected romantic gesture touched her deeply, and she sat, resting her chin on her fist, letting the tiny flame of happiness ignite inside her as she absorbed the delicate scent.
Finally, she sat up and gently positioned the vase at the front of her desk, centered neatly, before she stood and ran her hands through her hair. "I think I need to go say thank you," she told her computer screen before ducking out the back door and down the utility hallway.
"So what, exactly is the problem?" Jade leaned her chin on her fist and regarded Sinjin with a tolerant eye. "I thought you had designed the backup bulletin board or something."
"I did," the slim, light-haired man said, rubbing his eyes. "But they won't give up Slack. The employees won't allow us to replace it."
"OK," Jade agreed. "Then they're just gonna have to wait. I don't have time for this today."
Green eyes blinked at her. "What?" Sinjin asked. "What part of that didn't you understand?" He shot back. "I don't need this. And browbeating Slack is not my place, so I am just going to sit back and let this play out."
"Jade… It's not a critical function, but they're driving me insane," he answered.
"Mari tells me that Tori spent at least half the morning listening to people tell her just how critical Slack is. I'm not gonna waste my time entertaining that any longer, so the next time somebody comes to you bitching about it, tell them to come to me and see if they want to know if I will fire them or not."
"All right…" Sinjin said, jumping out of his chair and backing off. "But when they start bothering you, don't come back at me."
Sinjin left her office and Jade regarded her desktop, a smile turning up her lips as she flipped over a pair of tickets in her hands. She glanced up as the inner door of her office opened and Trey peeked in.
She didn't deny the jolt of emotion this time. She just accepted it and watched as Tori pushed the door open and moved across the carpet, enjoying the brunette woman's intriguing walk. "Hi."
Tori looked down at her, a hand on her knee. "Hi." Her voice was slightly husky. "Was that surprise from you?"
Jade nodded, no excuses, no explanations.
A delicate blush colored Tori's face. "I've never gotten anything like that before. It's amazing," she exhaled. "Thank you so much."
Jade gazed at her, reaching out to move a bit of brown hair out of her face. "You've never gotten flowers, Tori? I find that hard to believe."
Tori shook her head hesitantly. "No… No, I never have." Her eyes flicked across the room, aware of their intimate position, but she took Jade's hand anyway and pressed her lips. "Thank you."
Jade blinked at her, a smile edging its way across her face. "You're welcome."
They gazed into each other's eyes until Tori swallowed and cleared her throat.
"I was kind of concerned. You didn't think your appointment would take long. Maria was worried too."
Jade gracefully accepted the change of subject. "I had a few things to take care of. And I left my phone in the car. I should've called in."
Tori shrugged. "No, I've been busy listening to everyone complaining about stupid Slack."
"Come on," Jade stood and offered her hand. "I hear a cheeseburger calling my name." She hauled Tori up and unexpectedly gave her a brief hug. "Let's go."
Tori returned the hug, then backed off, but then released her. "So… What did I do to deserve a rose anyway?"
Jade smiled. "Nothing special… you were just yourself." She watched the rosy blush rise and tint Tori's skin an appealing shade of pink. Jade leaned forward and gently brushed her lips against the Latina's, feeling the trembling in them as she did so.
"Come on," she held out her hand, and Tori clasped it with a happy grin.
They walked out, only releasing each other as they cleared the door.