"Hello?"

His voice makes me close my eyes and take a deep breath.

"Helloooo? Is anyone there?"

"Yes. Hi Travis. It's Vivian."

There is a sudden loud noise in the background and I wince, pulling the phone away from my ear.

"Who? Hold on, please." The noise recedes gradually until there's some silence. "I'm sorry, I'm on site. Who am I speaking with?"

"Vivian Padmore." I think about it and add, "'s office. Miss Padmore's office."

"Oh. Okay. Hi. What can I do for Miss Padmore?"

I relax in my chair, the pressure is off a little bit. "She asked me to call you and schedule a lunch date at your earliest convenience. Are you available today?"

"Today is terrible, actually. I have to be here, at work. Can't leave."

My heart sinks and I hold back a sigh. "Oh. Alright, I'll let her know."

"However, I have a functioning office here. It's clean and the noise isn't too much. We could get some food here and still have lunch, right? What do you say, Vivian?"

I sit up and squeeze my eyes shut, a huge smile on my face. "I...uh. That sounds really nice. How'd you know it was me?"

"I know your voice well, Viv. If you were a secretary, your boss' clients wouldn't be able to get past your soft, alluring voice to state their business."

Oh my.

"Oh...I see."

He chuckles. "Yeah. Listen, I want you to know that I wouldn't normally do this. Invite a lady down here. There's a lot of dust and noise, even if it's just on the way in. But I'd really like to see you. We can reschedule if you want though."

"No, it's okay. It sounds fun. I'd really like to...meet you too."

"Great. One last thing. What are you wearing?"

The question and the voice that says the question both takes her mind to a different place for a few seconds. "Huh?"

"What I meant was, this is a construction site. I don't want you to get dust on anything expensive. Is it possible to get some sneakers along with normal clothes? Just a precaution."

"Oh yeah. Yes, definitely.  I can do that."

"Alright. I'll text you the address. See you soon, Viv."

I wait for a few seconds then end the call. My heart is going crazy in my chest, every thump serves as a reminder of what I just did. I called. And now I have a lunch date. Seconds later, Siri reads out the address and I squeal a little.

I call Phoebe to come to the office. In a few minutes, I hear the door close.

"Yes?"

"I need clothes. Normal clothes. And sneakers." I stand up and grab my bag. "I have a lunch date."

"And you're wearing that? What kind of date is this?"

"The kind you have at a construction site." I close my eyes tight when she gasps. "I called Travis. He can't leave work but he really wants me to meet him there. I've never been to a construction site so it sounds funn!"

"Okay. I'm glad you were brave enough to do this but boss, this is a construction site. Are you sure you're ready for it?"

"How bad can it be?"

"Loud noises all the time. Dirt. Sand. Some shirtless men. Okay, the last part is a pro but still. Can you at least take a mask along? I don't want you wheezing when you come back."

"Fine. Just get my clothes, please? I need to leave."

I am ready in a few minutes. She keeps clothes on hand in my closet at the office for situations like this. Fortunately, I never really needed them.

The material of the jeans against my skin and the sneakers on my feet feel foreign. I can't remember the last time I wore casual clothes to go anywhere. Phoebe made me wear a face cap for the sun.

"Please don't do anything crazy. Please, Vivian. Tell Travis that if anything so much as a scratch appears on you, he's dead. When can I expect you back?"

I laugh at her words, adjusting the tee shirt over my shoulders for the third time. "I'm not sure. If I don't have anything else to do here today, I don't think I'm coming back. But I'll call you when I get home."

"Okay. Have fun."

I nod and leave my office with her at my side. I try practicing what I would say when I see him when the car leaves the parking lot but all my words have disappeared.

Maybe it's because I know him from my past or because I had a crush on him, but I'm more flustered than ever. Michael has never had this effect on me. It's crazy.

The drive takes about forty minutes, because of the traffic that is building up. We get to the address he sent and the noise greets me head-on.

The driver parks and I sit , not knowing what to do. The nerves are beginning to set in. What am I even doing here? I am wayy out of my comfort zone.

My phone rings and I answer immediately, not knowing who it is.

"Yes?"

"Are you in a black Lexus SUV?"

"Yeah."

"I'm coming."

I put my phone in my bag and clasp my hands to keep them from shaking. I open the door and step out of the car. A warm hand closes over one of mine and steadies me.

"Hi..."

"Hey. Are you okay?" He leads me away from the car a little and closes the door.

"A little nervous but I'll be fine." He links my arm in his. "I didn't order anything."

"Good. Because I did. Come on."

We walk forward slowly, and soon I'm surrounded by noise. Men are shouting and machines are whirring and grinding. The sun is high overhead and the heat is a lot.

We climb some stairs and pretty soon, the noise is behind us. He unlocks a door and I walk in first. It smells a little of new wood and paint.

"I don't know what I was thinking, inviting you down here." He sounds nervous. "It won't happen again, I promise."

"Phoebe called you, didn't she?"

"And told me of all the dangers this place holds. I wasn't thinking at all."

"I was surprised at the invitation but I really like this. It's not my usual style but it's cool." The fragrance of the food wafts to my nose as I take the cap off. "That smells amazing. What is it?"

"It's a surprise." He takes my hand in his and leads me further into the room. "I thought sitting on the floor would be better than chairs. Is that okay?"

"It's fine, Travis. Relax. I'm on your turf, what ever you say goes." I squeeze his hand and he laughs.

"Okay then."

I sit down on the soft blanket beneath my feet and I feel him as he sits too. We don't say anything for a little while. I can feel him staring at me.

"I'm really nervous and your stares are not helping."

"I'm sorry. I didn't ask you here so I could stare at you all day, I promise. You just look different, like the Vivian I remember. Not CEO Vivian, just Vivian. Tiny, beautiful Vivian."

"Hardly tiny but yeah." I giggle. "Thanks for...the compliment."

"Compared to me, you're tiny Viv. Just saying." I feel him hold my hand then a bottle of water is placed in it.

"You see with your eyes, I do with my hands. Shall we find out the truth?"

When the words leave my lips, I don't think about it. Until I do. I just asked Travis Jones if I could feel him up.

"Be my guest."

"Oh. No, I didn't mean it like that really. You don't have to listen to me, I'm just being silly."

"I think it's a good idea. I want to give you a fair chance. I get to look at you as much as I want, right?" He helps me to my feet. "And I really want you to see me with your hands, Vivian."

I exhale through my mouth and let out a nervous laugh. Travis' words are simple but their effect is anything but.

"Okay... let's see."

Reluctantly, I touch his shoulders. He's wearing a tee shirt. My fingers travel down to his arms. His muscles tense up when I reach them and I pull away quickly. "I'm sorry."

"Hey, it's okay. It's fine, I promise."

I take a deep breath and touch his face as softly as I can. The act is an intimate one, especially for me. The only other person I've done this to is Michael. We made love after, for the first time. But I can't stop myself. All through high school, I wanted to know what CJ looked like. It doesn't give a clear picture but it's better than nothing.

My fingers trail over his cheekbones, his nose, his full lips. I stop myself and pull away, putting my hands behind my back before they cause further trouble.

"Tiny Vivian stands corrected."

He laughs and I laugh along with him. "I think we should eat before the food gets cold."

"Yeah..let's do that." I hear plates and foil crinkling as he removes them from the containers they are covering. "You're  still not telling me, are you?"

"I want it to be a surprise. If you keep asking, I'd have to tell you."

"Okayy, I'll wait."

"Here. Be careful, the sauce is a little spicy. It's on the right."

I hold the plate and take a little bit of what it is in a spoon and put it in my mouth. My taste buds are excited and the groan comes out without my permission.

"Oh my God! I haven't had this in forever. Is it from Ma Mary? Across the road? It tastes so familiar."

"Yep. She has a restaurant now. I knew you'd like it. Her attieke is to die for."

"I dooo, thank you Travis. I missed this too much." I keep eating, as if the food is about to disappear. The taste brings back so many memories of high school.

"You're welcome, Viv. I still ask that you let me make up for today. I want to take you to an actual restaurant. Is that okay?"

"I'd really like that." I smile and resume eating. The voice in the back of my mind keeps repeating one phrase over and over.

See? I told you so.