L + S

Chapter 6

        "You're sorry?"

        I couldn't believe the words I had just heard. They had been barely more than a whisper, but they had come from someone who had only been an icy cold b***h to me for the better part of the last week. Not knowing what to do, I sat back down.

        "You're apologizing now? You've done nothing but berate and belittle me since we first started talking, and I get that I did something inexcusable, but I'm over it. And I'm over you. So unless you have something else to add, I'm going back to the office."

        Sarah didn't respond, and after a few seconds I tried to stand back up, only to feel delicate fingers wrap around my wrist. I looked down at Sarah, who stared down at her phone that was on the table. Looking closer, I could see that the video was open on the screen. 

        "Seriously, you need to-"

        She deleted the video as I spoke, and I felt compelled to sit back down. 

        "I'm not stupid, I know it's on your cloud."

        Sarah held her phone in front me. She had deleted it from her cloud as well.

        We sat there silently for several minutes, until finally, Sarah looked up at me. The edges of her eyes were moist, almost like she was about to cry.

        "I was actually kind of flattered." She mumbled uncharacteristically.

        "You were flattered?" I couldn't believe what I was hearing. I wouldn't believe it. This was clearly another test.

        She nodded solemnly. None of this made sense. I didn't know what had come over her, but this couldn't be THE Sarah Nyman from my office. 

        "Can you meet me at this address after work?" Sarah asked as she handed a business card across the table to me.

        I hesitated before deciding to take the card. It wasn't anything fancy, just the name of some place called "Bonnibel's" with an address and some contact info.

        "Fine."

        It was the only word I could think of as I put the card in my coat pocket and made my way out of the restaurant.

---

M.Carson: wait, so you went to lunch with Sarah and she just told you to meet her at this place after work?

E.Speckle: yea, there was a lot of stuff that happened at lunch, but I didn't expect her to not come back. Do                     you think I should go or should I just email her and say I can't make it?

M.Carson: idk, girl. On the one hand it seems super sketch to me, but on the other hand, maybe you can                           learn something about the robot lady.

E.Speckle: lol, yea maybe you're right. worse case I get murdered. if I do, you better catch that bitch

M.Carson: you know I will! aint nobody finna touch my baby girl lol

E.Speckle: anyways, I think I'm going to head out early since everyone is distracted and my "mentor" is mia.

M.Carson: you do you girl. just text me when you head to the place so I can tell the cops

E.Speckle: I will if i remember

---

        The building that my GPS took me to was even more creepy in the evening as it looked when I had searched it online. It was several blocks from the nearest bus stop, and the area appeared to be a bunch of abandoned warehouses. There was a train depot across the street, and the only thing I could hope was that it was one of the gentrified hipster areas that had been popping up around the outskirts of the city.

        There was no sign for Bonnibel's outside of the building, only the address number outside of the thick wooden double doors. Like the rest of the area, the doors were antiquated, and if I was assuming the hipster vibe, it was almost appealing. It took a bit of effort for me to open the heavy door, but once inside my hypothesis about the area proved right. 

        Inside I was greeted by a dimly lit, old fashioned looking bar. The lights were hanging edison style light bulbs sans any coverings, and there were only a few tables. The focus seemed to be on the bar itself, which looked like it had been made from refurbished wood. The bar and lit glass shelves of liquor stood out against the worn brick walls, as did the bartender himself, who wore a black dress shirt with rolled sleeves and a stylish vest. 

        "Welcome to Bonnibel's!" he greeted loudly. "Take a seat wherever. If you need a drink just come up to the bar."

        "Thanks. Actually, I'm here to meet someone."

        "Oh, are you here to meet Sarah?"

        "Err, yea. Is she here yet?"

        "For sure, she's just in the restroom right now. She's sitting at that table over there."

        The bartender pointed at a table with a coat and tumbler. I made my way to the table, passing an old man drinking a beer, who happened to be the only other patron in the building. I considered removing my coat, but refrained in case this was a short visit. I didn't know why Sarah had asked me here, and I wanted to be ready to walk out if she tried any more bullshit.

        It was several minutes before Sarah returned from the restroom. Her face was sullen and her eyes were puffy. It was a huge contrast to the Sarah I had always known from work, and I wondered if I had been the cause of this. It seemed hard to believe that someone like me could affect someone like Sarah so easily, but maybe her personal life was vastly different than her work life.

        "Thanks for coming." Sarah said softly as she sat down.

        "It's no problem. It seemed like the right thing to do after you didn't come back to work."

        Sarah nodded. Her expression was melancholy, something that didn't suit her. 

        "I know I've been hard on you this last week. The truth is, I haven't known how to act around you and I just defaulted to how I treat everyone in the office."

        It seemed reasonable, but to me it didn't change how I felt about the situation. I wasn't one to cause conflict, but everyone has a breaking point and I had hit mine. 

        "So what is this all about?"

        There was a brief silence before Sarah downed the tumbler in front of her.

        "I wanted to tell you… I wanted to tell you that I really meant what I said about being flattered by the bathroom incident and I'm sorry that I reacted the way I did afterwards."

        She was sorry? And sincerely flattered? 

        "The truth is, I've always wanted to get to know you better."

        Know me better? This was seriously the strangest conversation I could have ever imagined.

        "Why would you want to know me better? We've been working together for a year and you've never shown any personal interest in me."

        Sarah's cheeks flushed as she looked down at her empty glass. Almost like she was embarrassed to answer the question. 

        "I think I'm in love with you."