*Jenny*
"JENNY!", A shout of my name got me out of my trance. I turned to where it came from and it was Ebony pouting her lips at me. "What's up with you? Ever since you came back from the restroom after running out of the manager's office, you've been all over the place!". She blurted on my face, "And then there's that note.".
"Note? What note?". Honestly, my mind's been floating around after that incident, I can't even remember how long I was staring at my computer. Ebony rolled her eyes and then pointed at my desk. I looked down and saw a note from Noel; he said he was sorry.
"Did something happen between you and Noel?".
"That-".
"Don't you lie to me, Jen. Or I swear I'll-".
"NOTHING! Nothing happened, okay.". She then eyed me so intensely that I spilled, "He just... He sniffed my hair...", I unconsciously touched the lock of hair that he sniffed, "And told me that I smell good...". I flushed whenever I remember that scene. Though it was weird in a way, I kind of liked it...? Urgh, what is happening to me? He just sniffed my hair like it was a normal thing to do. Not to mention that we were alone in a closed room. I was in the middle of my frustration when I heard a muffled giggle. I looked and saw Ebony trying to contain her laughter. I could tell, she always looks like that whenever she holds her laughter in. I felt my cheeks burn in embarrassment and annoyance. "What the heck? Why're you laughing?!" I frustratedly asked her.
"Pfft, Oh Jenny. I can see what's happening here." She grinned while leaning forward at my cubicle. I innocently looked at her. What could she possibly mean by that? "You're attracted to Noel, aren't you?".
"What?! What made you say that? And since when did you call him 'Noel'?" I panicked and spilled whatever it is on my mind. I'm such a wreck and I'm confused as to why.
"Well, he did come and visit us VERY often back in the hospital, of course, I had gotten to know him a little bit more. We practically are 'friends' by now." She then eyed me, "Hey, stop changing the subject.". I forced out a chuckle while she straighten up and crossed her arms in front of her chest. "C'mon Jen, what's wrong with liking him? He's considerate, charming, a little bit rich but that doesn't really matter, and more importantly he's single... And so are you. So what's the hold-up?".
I asked myself the same question. I admit I like Noel, not because he is the one in my recurring dream but with the things that he has done not only for me but also for the people around me. He had saved me twice and is helping me with the kids. He's so kind to me that I sometimes feel overwhelmed. And I'm afraid I'm reading his gestures differently than they should be. How can a person be this kind? What if this was all assumptions? What if I'm the only one getting the message wrong? I guess I'm afraid it'll be one-sided again... And I don't want to feel that way ever again.
"This is about Louie, isn't it?" That name gave me a jolt and then I looked up to Ebony, "Noel ain't him, girl. I know he's not a jerk.". She looked at me with assurance, "Well, I'm going to beat the crap out of him if he will be too." She joked that somehow cheered me up a bit. And then she quickly went back to her cubicle while saying, "Crap! laters Jen. Manager is staring at me!". Haha, this friend of mine. I sighed then lightly pat my cheeks, I got to focus on working for a while. I'll just sort out this thing later then.
After work, I got myself a very surprising moment. Ebony and I got out of our office building when we saw a very familiar figure near our building entrance. The figure was male and is leaning against his motorbike. Some people passing him by often glance back at him, especially women. Why wouldn't they? That wavy red-head together with his bright blue eyes has always been a head-turner. I was unconsciously staring at him until he spotted us. I felt a thump in my chest when he looked straight at me and gave me a small smile.
"Noel?", Ebony greeted him, "It is you, what are you doing out here?".
"Hey... I, um, just wanted to see how you girls are doing.".
"Oh...? Well, I loved to chat but I really need to go somewhere. Why don't you two chat instead?". What? I tried to protest but Ebony just waved me goodbye and walked away so fast that I wasn't able to say a single thing. I bit my lower lip and slowly turned back to Noel who was already looking at me.
"I would love to chat. If it's alright with you...?". Noel asked to which I just slowly nodded. He briefly smiled and then awkwardly approached me. This is the first time I saw him a bit hesitating and a bit shy too. "Great, I, um... I just wanted to apologize about what happened earlier. You know, the sniff...?" The mention of it made me look straight at him. He looked so embarrassed and started scratching his head. "It's kind of a mannerism that I sometimes cannot control." He paused a bit and then glanced away before resuming, "Though I only do that to someone I really like.".
My eyes grew big. I didn't expect him to say that. Does this mean that he likes me too? Well, that had put a smile on my face. There may be a chance for us, after all. I cheered up a bit and told him, "It's fine, there's no need to apologize. I just got really, really surprised.".
"You... you aren't weirded out?" He looked so cute with that lit on his face. I swung my head slowly and replied, "It WAS weird... but it's not bad. It kind of actually... felt good.". I unconsciously touched the lock of hair that he sniffed and looked at him with a smile on my face.
A look of relief was evident on his face. He then straighten up and asked, "Then, would you like to have dinner with me?".
"Sure." I answered, making both of us smile at each other, "I would love that.".