Friday morning alarm rings loudly on his bedside table,  waking Mikey from a tortured sleep. The dream was a mess, a true reflection of his life. He remembers mainly being torn in half by two clamps that secured each wrist like a vice grip, each of which controlled by Chrissy and Cheyenne. He remembers the burning pain in his chest and he remembers seeing his father standing on  the sidelines, watching it all and shaking his head. What a dream  he thinks, rubbing his chest as he sits up. He checks the time. Its 6:30. OH NO! His phone must have alarmed and snoozed several times as he was now a half an hour late for work. 

Within 20 minutes, he is showered and ready. He didn't bother to even drink a cup of tea. The morning rush catches him as he waits for the bus to arrive. When it finally arrives 15 minutes late, people start to push and tug in order to get a seat on the bus. Though he was at the front, persons continue to force their way in, pushing him so that he was out of the crowd completely. When he finally gets on, the bus is packed with barely any standing room. His black shirt that was neatly tucked into his khaki pants, is now uprooted. His once shiny shoes are now scuffed by persons continuously stepping on his toes. The bus ride dragged on and on as the driver seemed to stop at every bus stop to cram more people into the bus.

He gets to work at 9:30. He is met by a stack of papers on his desk, and a stern email from his mentor about his "behaviour". The morning isn't going so well. As he sits at his desk, trying to gather his thoughts and his tasks for the day. His mind flashes back to the happenings of the night before. He hasn't heard from Chrissy since morning. He hadn't bothered to call or check in. He needed space, nothing wrong with that. I'm sure if she was in trouble she would call. Cheyenne walks into their shared office space , in a Caribbean blue, pencil dress with a low v-cut neckline. She is wearing those black pumps again that made her legs look lean, and fit. She smiles at him. That instantly brightens his mood. 

"Hey" she says walking to his desk and hoisting herself atop it. She crosses her legs, which shows off 3-4 more inches of her  thighs.

"Hey you, good morning"

"Doesn't look so good on you" she says taking notice of his crumpled shirt.

"Ugh yea... rough bus ride"

" Maybe I should give you a ride sometime" she says leaning forward just a little to accentuate her cleavage. Mikey takes notice of her full breasts but averts his eyes.

"I would but I got an email about how we have been behaving, apparently we haven't been as sneaky as we thought. And I quote The office of Mills Architecture upholds itself in being professional in every way, including the relations we have with our fellow colleagues. We frown upon company interrelations that may compromise the integrity  of our Junior Architect program" 

" Oh shii.. so we are in trouble" she says easing off his desk to stand next to him

" I guess we should stop" he says standing to face her. She looks away.

" No I mean, stop at work" Even though the thought of them stopping, hurts Mikey, he couldn't help feeling that going any further, wouldn't be good for either of them.

" Oh so are we going to go out?"

"Yes. We are."

"When?" she asks stepping a few centimeters closer.

"Um. Let me get back to you on that one".

She steps back and turns to walk away. "You better be careful Michael Brooks, I won't be waiting here forever" she says as she waltzes out the way she came.

She is every woman He thinks as he pulls out his phone to text Johny.

Mikey: I don't know if I can come tonight.

It takes him a few minutes to reply, so Mikey continues to go through his emails. There are a few office updates and one from the client he is currently working with. They are asking when they will be able to see the design. 

Johny: You better be joking. And if you are, its not funny

Mikey: I'm not. But I don't think I can face Chrissy.

Johny: Trouble in paradise? 

Mikey could practically  feel the sarcasm.

Mikey: Let me guess. Chrissy told Raquel, she was staying with me and she told you.

Johny: Right. And one question ran through my mind...

Mikey: What is that?

Johny: WHAT IN GOD'S NAME WERE YOU THINKING?!

Mikey: I do not know but she left and I don't think I am ready to see her again.

Johny: No worries. She told Raquel she can't see you so she isn't coming.

Mikey: Are you sure?

Johny: Yes I am. So you better be there! And leave your drama at home. Tonight is about fun!

Mikey: I could use some fun.

With that, Mikey starts to go through the sketches he had done, and decides which one to develop on the computer for the client. Though he went through about 7 different designs, being convinced that the first ones weren't good enough; he decided to go with very first one. It was simple, and to the point, it had everything they said they wanted in  a home. He spends  the remainder of his morning at his desk. Neither Jamaal nor Cheyenne came back into the office until around 2 p.m. 

He sees them walking in from the corner of his eyes. 

" Hey man, working harder than the rest of us?" this is when Mikey takes his eyes away from the screen. He realizes he hasn't moved from the spot in over 4 hours.

" Well someone has to do the job right" he is talking to Jamaal but his eyes are on Cheyenne. They are both standing side by side in front of his desk. She shifts under his gaze. Her cheeks reddening. Is she blushing?

Jamaal continues to talk " hey I do plenty of work here, especially when you decide to walk in whenever you feel like"

" hey it was one time" he says finally taking his eyes from her. 

" Whatever man, I'm gonna go take the receptionist out to lunch. Since certain people turned me down again. You don't know what you're missing baby" he says looking at Cheyenne who was smiling ear to ear at Jamaal. 

" Yea I think I know" she teases. Jamaal walks out and they are left alone again.

" File room? Lunch?" she asks leaning over his desk again. This time her cleavage was even more exposed.

"Lunch. Remember the email" he says getting up from his desk and picking up his wallet and phone.

"Oh right. No more closet making out. It was fun while it lasted" she says walking out behind him.

....

" You look amazing today" Mikey says as he pulls out a chair for Cheyenne. They are at a new restaurant this time. The place was sparsely packed. Only two other couples were seated at the far end of the restaurant, and a woman with a book sat by the window, two tables over. They had passed the place several times on their way to Roscoe's Yard but Mikey never gave it a second glance. Until today when Cheyenne said she was in the mood for something new. They decided on their way out of the office lobby that the first restaurant they see, that's where they would eat. And sure enough 5 minutes later they happened upon The Flour Shop. The place had a modern pink and gold theme with their tables decorated with a single  pink flower. Their slogan on their menu read "Planting a flour in every meal" which, to Mikey, meant that everything they made would have flour in it somehow. 

Cheyenne smiles as she takes her seat "thank you, I try"

" Trust me you don't have to" she blushes again.

"What is with the blushing today?" he teases, his smile growing wider by the second.

" I don't know. I just feel like a little girl again when I'm with you. It's nice."

"Oh thank goodness its nice. Dont want to be a child molester"

She laughs. "I hope you aren't"

" Don't worry I am only attracted to beautiful women over the age of 21"

"Good to know"

The conversation was light and pleasant between them. They talked and laughed until Cheyenne asked him out again for tonight. He thought about it a second. He did want to see her. Maybe tonight could be the night he finally comes out with the truth. No it's too soon. Things are too complicated. His thoughts must have been reflecting on his face because Cheyenne suddenly gets up and walks toward where the bathrooms must be. Mikey gets up to walk after her.

"Cheyenne wait.."

"Wait? wait? for what? You sure aren't doing anything or saying anything even though there clearly is something holding you back and I can't be that girl who..." she stops a beat to swallow the lump that was quickly forming in her throat. They were now in the middle of the restaurant and the everyone was staring.

" The girl who waits and waits and waits for nothing"

" No no no... not for nothing I like you I have told you this" he whispered softly, taking her hand in his. 

"Yea you like me enough to kiss in the file room  but not enough to tell me what is going on?" at this point the tears are welled up in her eyes. One drop threatened to fall from the corner of her right eye but Mikey reaches out and catches it.

"Please don't cry. Not over me" Mikey was tired of having women in his life crying, because of him. 

" I can't help it. I'm on my period" she says turning away. Mikey chuckles slightly. Only she could make a joke when she is all teary eyed in the middle of a restaurant. 

" I'm sorry." he says touching her shoulder.

"You shouldn't apologize. You aren't doing anything wrong. I just want to know where this is going. So tell me Michael. Where is this going?"

Mikey wasn't ready for this question. Like most things in his life. He knows how he feels around her. He just feels better. The pain and anxiety vanishes and he can enjoy a little bit of life again. But it doesn't eliminate the darkness in his life. The dimness that is ever looming in the back of his mind. The troubles that possibly lay ahead. Was it fair to her? To wrap her up in his bubble of confusion? One thing was clear. He didn't want to lose her. Not yet. He sighs heavily and takes a deep breath. 

" I will pick you up at 8 pm tonight. We are going on a date."