It was getting late and as much as Greg wanted to stay, he knew that he'd never make it to work in the morning if he didn't say his farewells and head home. He made the rounds of the table, giving hugs to the women, handshakes to the men, lingering somewhat, not putting an end to conversations, still enjoying the company. It hadn't really dawned on him that Jill was standing behind him until she touched his arm. "I'm waiting to walk you out, in case you hadn't noticed", giving him a stare that he was sure meant business.
"Oh really? Well, I guess that's my cue then!"
Waving to the rest of the group, the two of them walked out and through the lobby, clasping hands before they reached the door. It had been raining hard for the past hour, and as they got outside, under the awning that covered the door, they faced each other. "I wish you didn't have to go."
"I wish I didn't either, but I'm gonna regret it in the morning if I don't get some sleep."
"Well, I can understand that. Be careful, it's pretty nasty"
They looked at one another, and then he put his arms around her. She returned his embrace and after what seemed to him like an eternity, she leaned in with her face, and they exchanged a tender, almost innocent kiss, which neither were in a hurry to break. They drew back, and he saw in her eyes a sad resignation that she couldn't convince him to change his mind. Then she said the first thing to pop into her mind. "When will we see each other again?"
"Soon. I'll call you, if that's OK?"
"Of course it's OK. I'd like that alot."
"We'll have to continue this at another time, when I don't have to run off."
She laughed at that remark. "Yeah, make sure you have plenty of time for me before you call." With that, he gave her a peck on the cheek, and started to pull away from her. He walked a few steps down the street and then looked back at her, as she stood with her arms crossed. He waved for a final time and ran towards his car through the downpour. She gave him a wave in return and watched him go, waiting until she couldn't see him through the storm, and wondering if she was going to let this one get away, too.
Greg drove home feeling both exhilarated and scared at the same time. He hadn't expected anything like what had just occurred; the fact that he didn't really know Jill that well probably played a part in his trepidation. They were not anything more than casual acquaintances really, sharing several mutual friends. He hadn't really given her much thought, figuring that she was already taken. How could she not be? He started thinking about her. What signal was she trying to send him? She was a beauty, there was no doubting that, and she had a wonderful sense of humour and was really outgoing and fun, but what did she see in him? He couldn't imagine, but then again, he never thought much of himself anyway. It was difficult to be objective about yourself when no one else was very forthcoming to you about your short-comings. He had always heard about how great he was and how he was so nice, but it hadn't helped him through all the relationships he had gone through in the past.
The group didn't remark about Jill's return to the table, but she felt very giddy as she resumed her place next to her friend Dianne. "Did he make it to the door OK?", Dianne asked with a mischevious grin.
"Yep, sure did."
"I think someone has a crush on our boy Greg"
Jill's smile got wider "Really Dianne, why didn't you say something before? I would've put a good word in for you when we were outside."
The two laughed, as no one else was paying attention to them. Dianne hoped deep down that Jill knew what she was doing this time. She was growing tired of Jill's men trouble; she thought about Greg for a moment and wondered why no one had ever thought to fix the two of them up before. She might have to give Greg a pep-talk next time she saw him, but for now, she decided it was time to work on Jill's psyche a bit.
As soon as he arrived home, the rain stopped, and Greg found it difficult to concentrate on anything but Jill. He felt tired, ready for bed, but his mind was racing, still trying to sort things out in his head. He tried to piece together what he actually knew about her from just the casual conversations they had had in the past. She was a assistant customer service manager for a mail order company, but wanted to go back to school and that was about it. They had never really talked about anything else in their few encounters, which made Greg wonder what she knew about him. Finally, after about 30 minutes of pondering the possibilities, he felt worn out enough to lay down on his bed, and drifted off to sleep, replaying the scene over in his mind.
"He really is a great guy, are you gonna see him again?" Dianne was in an inquisitive mood the next morning at work.
"I guess that depends on whether he calls me or not."
"Did he say he would?"
Jill smiled at Dianne with a sideways glance at her friend. "He asked if he could. Isn't that sweet?"
Dianne thought it was a typical remark Greg would make. "What do you find so appealing about him?"
Jill gave the question a moment to sink in. "He's funny and bright. He makes me laugh."
"Is that it?" "I don't know, there's just something about him. I can't really put it into words at the moment, but he's different from other guys."
Dianne nodded in agreement. "I want you to remember that, Jill. He's different. Expect something from him that you haven't had before."
Jill realized that the look on Dianne's face was serious, and it made her think about what Dianne had just said. She knew what it meant, but was she sure she knew how to do it?