On Wednesday, Kevin was on his way to Uncle Dean's office for lunch when he crossed paths with David in the Atrium. David looked like he was returning from a meeting elsewhere, as he still had his coat on and briefcase in hand. Luckily, David completely ignored Kevin, so he took the elevator up to the office.
Nancy was on the phone when Kevin arrived, so he took a seat on the couch and pulled out his phone. When she hung up, he went over to talk to her.
"Hi Kevin! He's just on the phone, and I need him to sign something for me before you guys have lunch so I can get it in the courier."
"No worries. I'm in no rush today." The main office door opened, but neither turned towards it. "Are those new glasses?"
"They are! I can't believe you noticed. My Mom said they were too bright for an office, but I think a pop of colour is fun. What do you think?"
"I think they suit you." He smiled at her while she blushed. Suddenly, there was a large presence behind him, so Kevin turned around and saw David standing there.
"He thinks what suits you?"
Nancy's blush deepened. "Oh, my new glasses!"
He seemed to look her over for a moment, "I think they are as bright as you try to make your personality."
"Oh stop, David." She giggled. "This came for you while you were out. I signed for it." She handed him a slim package and he took it without thanking her.
At that moment, Uncle Dean opened his office door looking frazzled.
"Nancy, if that guy calls back this afternoon, tell him I am NOT here!"
"Yes, sir!"
"Oh, David, did you need me for something? No, I didn't think we had a meeting. Kevin, goodness, is it lunchtime already?" He glanced at his watch, looking shocked that it showed past noon already. "Well, you may as well come in. Nancy, send lunch in as soon as it arrives."
"Yes sir, I will. Should be here any minute now." Dean had already turned back into his office and Kevin was slowly following.
"Oh wait! I need you to sign this first, sir!" Nancy scurried after them, waving a sheaf of papers in front of her. He grabbed them and marked them all quickly, slowly looking more composed as he did so. Nancy retreated once they were all done, and Dean settled back into his chair.
"Oh, look, here comes lunch! Today, we've got pasta with slow roasted duck confit."
"Wow, that smells incredible. Thanks Uncle Dean"
They dug into their lunch and were quiet for a few minutes. Kevin figured now was as good a time as any to bring up David.
"So, your new employee, David, who was out there earlier, what's his story?"
"Oh, I don't know much about his story, all I know is Josh, he's our COO, met him at some convention, and they hit it off so he asked him to come in for an interview. We had an opening with the sales team, and I swear David could sell water to a fish. He's got a gift. So, he's managing sales and acquisitions. And he has brought in a lot of business in the past few weeks. Mostly female clients, but I can't fault him on that." He peered at Kevin then, "Why do you ask?"
"Oh, I've seen him around a few places recently. My uh, friend, keeps running into him and she thinks it's weird."
"Friend, eh? By that look you've got, I'd say this woman is more than just a friend."
"I'd like her to be." Kevin could feel his ears reddening.
"You taken her out on a date yet? Or are you competing with David for her and that's why you're asking?"
Kevin grimaced at that, "I don't think I'm competing with David for her, but it's complicated." He realized he would have to tell Stephanie sooner rather than later that David works in her building. His stomach filled with lead at the thought. "She actually works in this building."
"Your girl works here? Well, maybe when I get back from my trip next month, she can join us. I'd like to meet her."
"We'll see." Kevin took a big bite of the pasta, eager to change the subject.
*
Kevin spent more time in the gym in three days than he had in the last month combined. Determined to think of Stephanie as little as possible, he had thrown himself into his work and exhausting workouts.
He dug out an old, slightly freezer burned pizza, and threw it in the oven. He'd worked off more than enough calories in the past three days to earn a night of pizza and beers.
As he bit into the hot pizza and burned the roof of his mouth, his mind flashed back to Stephanie doing the same thing with pizza rolls. He still hadn't heard from her; he'd been too afraid to call her back once she stopped trying. He spent the entire first night waiting for her to call one more time so he could pick up and explain himself, but she never did. Knowing what he did about David, he knew they needed to talk sooner rather than later; she may hate Kevin for what he did, but she deserved to know about David working in her building.
He put the pizza down with a sigh and hit the call button on her name. It rang once before going to voicemail, so he took a deep breath and laid his heart out.
"Hey Stephanie. It's me. I know I screwed up. I did so many things wrong that day, and I would take them all back if I could. If it's not too late, I'm not ready to let you go. I want to fight for you. I want you to choose me, just let me prove myself worthy. Please just call me or text me if there is any chance between us, or even just to put me out of the misery of not knowing. I just want to know where I stand. I know I deserve to suffer, but I really need to talk to you. I have something important to tell you. It's not about us, so please call me back."
He hung up, and smacked his phone against his forehead a few times, wincing at how pathetic he sounded. Then he texted Denise.
Kevin: I finally called her. Left her a voicemail asking for a second chance. Just thought you should know.
Her reply came as he was finishing his pizza.
Denise: So, I literally have no idea where you stand with her right now, but I can tell you what I know about Stephanie. She doesn't do second chances. It's always been her thing. No second chances when it comes to her heart.
Denise: I'm not trying to be mean when I say that, I just want you to be prepared.
His heart fell. Part of him had known that all along, but it hurt to see it in writing anyways.
Kevin: Thanks. Appreciate the heads up. If you hear from her, please let me know. I really need to talk to her about something.
He debated whether to tell Denise about David; she would definitely tell Stephanie. Not willing to give up his one remaining card to actually talk to Stephanie again, he held back.
He changed into some sweats and headed out the door. He hoped another run would help him clear his head. He collapsed into bed before eleven o'clock, unable to stay awake thinking about her, just as he planned.