Peek-A-Boo (i see you) part 11

"You should go home and change," Marie said, leaning on the open door of my office. I turned quickly, narrowing my eyes at her, "Why is that?"

"For your date." My eyes widened, and she laughed, "News travels fast around these parts." I rolled my eyes and turn back to the work I was occupied with when she interrupted me. "I don't need to change. I'm not sure it's even a date. I barely know the guy."

"He seemed to think it was a date." I sighed and waved her off with a flick of my palm, and she grinned before heading back to her own desk.

I did change. I wasn't planning on it, but at the last minute I spilled coffee on my shirt and caved in, driving quickly to my house and changing into tight jeans and a loose light blue blouse. I slipped silver bangles onto my left wrist and headed back to my office, where Marie was waiting to mock. "So," she said, "you changed." I glared at her, "I spilled coffee on my shirt." She smiled and walked back to her desk, and I rolled my eyes and headed back to my office.

Mika came into my office and smiled at me. "You look nice," he said. I didn't know how to respond. I felt like I should be happy, excited, even, to be going out with a sweet, good-looking guy. But really, every time I looked at him, all I saw were those green eyes: the memory of the four-year old version looking at me with those same eyes in an expression of horror, how he had tugged on my hand, trying desperately to get away from the car, from the woman. From me. But then, at the same time, he wanted to take me with him... away from myself. But somehow, with a single glance at the woman, at me, I managed to convince him to stay. "Thank you," I managed. He smiled warmly, offering me his arm. I took it reluctantly, and he moved his hand down to link it with mine. It was the same hand as the hand in my dream. The same hand that had tugged on my own-

"So," he said, interrupting my thoughts, "I was going to take you to a nice restaurant somewhere." I nodded, distracted. "But then I thought that was too boring. So. How'd you like to go to the circus?" I glanced at him, my eyes widening. "The circus?" He smiled, pressing the button on the elevator for the bottom floor. "Not just any circus," he said now, his voice deep and excited, "Cirque Du Soleil." I gasped. "Oh, um, wow. Thank you, that's really nice, but it's so expens-"

"Don't even worry about it. I have two tickets. They were a gift. I don't have anyone else to take." He smiled at me now, and I managed a weak smile back. The circus. Mika and I, two grown up versions of the four-year olds in my dream, in his book. Going to the circus.

© 2010