Part 5 - Malcolm

I got home after I had lunch with Eve and took a long bubble bath. I wanted to treat myself good after all that I've been through lately. I don't want to get my hopes up for nothing but I'm pretty sure and optimistic about the outcome of the presentation. Even if it doesn't work out as well as I hope it will I still believe I did good work and deserve to relax and not think about work for once. At least that's what I tried to do.

It seems like getting Downey out of my head is impossible. I can't stop thinking about that particular moment in the conference room. How close he was to me. How we almost kissed. How badly I wanted to kiss him. I never had this kind of thoughts about him in the past. It didn't even cross my mind doing something like that. It all started when I saw him with the intern. That cursed moment is what I'm blaming for this.

Although, I have plans for tonight which means I have to forget about him and start getting ready. I haven't thought about what I should wear but it's okay because I still have time ahead of me. I open my closet and take a look at my clothes without being satisfied by anything. It's one of those days when I simply hate every single piece of clothing I own. I try many outfits on and after rejecting them I come up with one that feels nice for the night.

I take my time and apply as much make up as I feel is nice and then continue with my accessories. I choose a pair of silver earrings, medium size, and I spay myself with one of my favourite perfumes. I wear my classic heels everyday at work so this is an opportunity for my higher ones. I haven't tried them on for a while but I'm sure I'll be fine.

I was ready on time, with a few minutes to spare actually. I waited for these few minutes and finally I heard the door phone buzzing. Just as I expected it was Malcolm and after locking the door I took the elevator and met him outside my apartment building.

"Hey" he says smiling just when he sees me.

"Hi, don't you look great!" I compliment him and I mean it.

I see him dressed in suits everyday but his outfit now is different. It's formal but it's not office kind. He looks so good.

"I was about to say the same thing. And also that you look taller" he jokes about my high heels.

"Well, I can't really wear these at work" I shug and he gives me his elbow.

"Let me walk you to my car" he says and we start walking over.

He opens the door for me first and then takes a seat next to me, on the driver's seat. I've never been inside his car before but I see it almost everyday. It's nice and clean on the inside just like it is on the outside. It smells fresh and it's very comfortable.

We spent a few minutes discussing where we should go and after we agreed we drove us there. It's a place we both like and been to before. We both enjoy the kind of music it plays and like the atmosphere. We found a spot to settle down and order our drinks.

"Enough about work, don't you think? We're here to celebrate your success" he says after we discussed how the meeting went for a while.

"Yes, absolutely!" we raise our glasses and then we both take a sip.

"So, what's new with you? I can't recall the last time you told me anything other than work"

"That's because there's nothing new about me. My life's boring" I shake my head in embarrassment.

"That's not true. I can remember a lot of interesting stories you've shared with me" he laughs.

"None of them are recent" I laugh with him.

There have been a few times when I was being more adventurous and had more fun but all these stories had to do with alcohol and I'm not such a heavy drinker anymore.

"I still laugh about the one you lost your clothes in the night club" he's so amused by this.

"Hey! I didn't lose them, someone took them when I was changing. It's not my fault someone spilled a drink on me" I try to defend myself but end up laughing about it when I recall it clearly.

"It doesn't matter, it's still funny" he exhales.

"It wasn't funny then, that's for sure. But that's in the past. What about you? Tell me about your news"

"Oh God, I don't have anything interesting to say. This job is really making out lives boring, isn't it?" he says desperately after he thinks for a couple of seconds.

"Don't lie to me. How about that date you had last week? I just realized I never asked you about it"

"It was a disaster" he replies immediately.

"What happened?"

"It was the first date I had in a while and maybe I was out of practice but it was the most awkward date I've ever been to. We ran out of things to talk about, it was just terrible"

"I've been to a few bad dates myself. You'll laugh over it eventually"

"Did any of them take place recently? I'd love to hear another story"

"Unfortunately, no. My last date feels like ages ago" I take another sip.

"Let's count this as a date. It surely won't be a disaster and it sounds like we both need to have a good date to get back on track" he suggests excitingly.

"Okay, sure. But I want to see your tricks. What does Malcolm Collins do on dates?" I ask smiling.

"I don't have any tricks. I'm myself and if the date is going well I start thinking of ways to make it more fun"

"How about our date? Is it going well?" I ask smiling.

"It's perfect" he nods.

"Does that mean you're now thinking of fun things to do later?"

"I guess you'll have to wait and see" he smiles and takes a sip from his own drink.

We stayed there until we finished our drinks and during the whole time we had much fun. I really needed that, it helped me clear my head and relax. Then we got in the car and Malcolm said he has an idea for later. I agreed and he started driving. I had no idea where he was taking us and when he parked the car again it was outside a small place. We got in and I saw a lot of people laughing and drinking. I know exactly where we were.

"Come with me" he says and I follow him.

We take a turn in the place and see a few pools around and many people playing and having fun. Malcolm looks at me like he's trying to read me.

"What do you think?" he seems anxious.

"I love it!" I say smiling and he exhales in relief.

"Really? We could leave if you're not in the mood for a game"

"No, I want to play. But I'm not very good at it, I've only played a few times" I warn him.

"That won't be a problem, I'll teach you" he smiles at me and we take a seat while waiting for a table to get empty.

"Do you want a beer?" he asks me.

"You do remember you have to drive us back, right?" I ask laughing.

"It's just a beer! So do you want one or not?" he hits my arm playfully.

"Of course I do!" I say and he immediately goes over to the bar to order two beers.

He comes back a few minutes later with the beers in his hands. We look at the other people playing and Malcolm keeps giving me tips and explaining what's going on in the game. Eventually there is a free table and we get it. We take the sticks and start playing. He lets me have the first hit and I do my best but it doesn't turn out good. We both laugh and then continue. He positions his body correctly and then hits the makes a great hit.

"Wow, you have to teach me how to do that" I say impressed.

"We have to take slow steps but with some practice you can reach that level" he smiles.

"Maybe it's better if just watch you play instead" I say after his second hit.

"Come here" he nods me to go over to him and I do."Let's start with this one" he points at a ball.

I position my body how I think it's right and then hit the ball miserably. I throw my hands in the air showing that I have no idea what I'm doing wrong and then he comes behind me. He leans his body weight softly on mine and then stretches his arm over mine to help me.

"You have to focus on the ball you want to hit" he says in my ear and we both look at it closely.

He moves his arm over mine making me follow his movements and then we hit the ball together. It goes in and I turn to look at him smiling.

"Let's do one more and then you'll try to do it alone, alright?" he asks and I nod.

We take the same position as before and do the same drill. The ball goes in again but this time he helped me less. I try again all by myself and it turns out better than the last time I tried by myself but of course worse without any of his help.

"I'm actually getting better" I say realizing it.

"Yes, you are. I'm proud of you" he replies jokingly and we continue.

We played a lot of games together and he beat me every single time. I asked him not too play worse intentionally so I could win and he did as I said. Even if he tried to let me win I wouldn't be able to do it. But it doesn't matter because we had fun and that's the important thing. It was getting late so we left and got back in the car.

"I had such a great time tonight, thank you so much" I say smiling when we drive back to my house.

"Me too, maybe we can do it again sometime" he smiles back looking at me.

"Sure thing. Goodnight"

"Goodnight" we share a hug and we waits until I'm in the building before leaving.

A/NThank you for your support with your votes and comments! It makes me very happy to see more people are reading this story😊