Invisible In Plain Sight

We headed to the far corner of the outdoor area and I could see where we were going. Steve Gooding, our owner and tech billionaire was over here, holding court. He was talking with people who I later gathered were from some of our product suppliers. He had a calm, friendly demeanour that understated his drive and determination. He was tall, a good 6'2", dark hair, chiselled features, even a chin dimple. While casually dressed in a dark blue shirt and white shorts he looked immaculate. Even from a distance he was completely charismatic. As we approached he turned and saw us. Steve then came over to where we were standing

Lisa started talking as soon as he arrived.

"Steve this is Josh Dawson, who created the marketing plan I showed you."

Steve held out his hand and we shook.

"Hi Josh. Nice to meet you at last."

"Hi Steve. It's a pleasure to meet you... Thank you for the night out." I replied.

"No problems. Everyone is working hard and it's the least I can do. I have to say your Marketing plan was exceptional. You really grabbed the concept of how we want the business to run and created a plan to execute this effectively. I particularly liked the way you included practical ways to implement the various strategies we will be introducing."

"Umm thanks. I just wanted to show that the plan could be conducted effectively, economically and efficiently. With the in-house resources we now have, I tried to show we could revamp our Marketing efforts in line with the direction you want the business to take."

Steve and I chatted together for a few minutes. He had studied my plan in great detail and asked insightful questions. My responses seemed to reassure him that we could bring his vision for the company to life. Lisa watched on with a proud look on her face. With a broad smile Steve reached out and shook my hand again.

"Josh you've done an amazing job. I'm sure I'll be hearing your name a lot more." He then pulled me in closer and spoke in my ear. "Keep an eye on your bank account. I will be personally slipping a little bonus in there for you for doing such an amazing job."

"Th..Thank you Steve." Was all I could say.

He then released my hand and turned his attention towards Lisa, reaching for her hand.

"Hey Babe I was just talking to the boss of Samsung and he wants to do more cross promo with us. You should come and join the conversation." He said.

Lisa leant across and kissed him.

"Ok Hun. Let's go... I'll talk to you later Josh." Lisa said to me with a smile.

"Yes great to finally meet you Josh." Steve said before they turned and walked away.

I stood there with my mouth open as they walked away, his arm around her shoulders, hers around his waist. My emotions were all over the place. All I could think was my crush was walking away with the big boss, the owner of the business, a frigging billionaire. I couldn't just stand there anymore. I turned and walked away.

Moving straight to the bar, I ordered a rum and knocked that back in one, then getting another and doing the same. As I stood at the bar my eyes were still drawn to where Lisa and Steve were schmoozing with our suppliers. I was cursing myself for being so foolish to think I had a chance with her. Even from this distance away I could see that she was doing all the things with the suppliers as they were talking that she did with me; the casual hand on the shoulder, the undivided attention, putting her arm around them.

Thinking back about pour recent conversations, especially about my Marketing proposal, the penny dropped even further. Everything she said was 'we'. 'This is the way WE want the company to go.', 'Captured everything WE wanted to do with the company' 'Shows the business can be the 21^st century powerhouse WE knew it can be'. The 'we' was she and Steve, Lisa and Steve.

As I drained my drink my emotions turned more to frustration and disappointment; Frustration at my foolishness for having a crush on her and at not being able to read between the lines. My disappointment was with myself and especially at my inability to properly interact socially with women. Why did I find that so difficult?

Just then Aaron appeared next to me.

"Hey mate. What did 'Queen' Lisa want? She took you away for a while." Aaron asked.

"She wanted me to meet Steve Gooding. He liked the proposal I did." I replied somewhat absentmindedly.

"That's great. Is he as nice a guy as he seems?"

"Yes he is. He's totally charismatic... Hey did you know that Lisa was going out with Steve?"

Aaron raised his eyebrows. "I'd heard that before but thought it was just a rumour. It's obviously true. Good for them."

"Yeah, good for them." I replied with a note of resignation. "Where's Greg?"

"He's over trying to chat up Becky from Accounts. Doubt he will get anywhere with her though. I'm going to get something to eat. You want something?"

"Uhhh no. I'm right thanks." I replied, drinking the rest of my rum. "I think I might have to go and 'use the facilities'. I'll catch you later."

"No worries."

I headed off in the direction of the bathrooms, suffering in my own, self- induced emotional pain. Looking around at everyone having a good time, I was again invisible. No one else could see the disappointment I was feeling. In my mind I began cursing Lisa for causing this pain. However in the relative quiet of the bathroom I realised she hadn't done anything to cause me pain. She had no idea I had a crush on her. She had been nothing but nice to me. No one was causing this pain I felt but myself. Taking a deep breath and washing my face with some cold water helped me fully take stock of the situation.

Leaving the bathroom my mind was a little calmer. I still didn't feel great, but I wasn't angry any more. Nor did I feel sad. I just felt deflated. I decided another drink was in order. I'm not usually a big drinker and I'd already had more than I usually would. The effects of the drinks must have been starting to have work because I wanted more.

As I made my way through the throng towards the bar, I felt a hand grab my shoulder. I went to turn around a bubbly voice spoke.

"Hi Josh. How are you?"

Turning around I saw the happiest smile looking at me. It was Amy. Her arms were open wide to give me a hug. Amy looked amazing. She had on a black dress which had a floral pattern, her red hair was out and flowed down past her shoulders, she wasn't wearing her glasses and her eyes seemed to be glowing. I opened my arms and hugged her. Her happiness and enthusiasm must have rubbed off on me as we hugged, as I felt better being in her arms.

"I was going to come over and say hello before, but you went away with your boss."

"Yes she took me to meet Steve Gooding."

"Ooooh what's he like?"

"Charismatic, intelligent... a very nice guy... I was just going to the bar. Would you like a drink?"

"Champagne please. I'll come with you so I don't lose you in the crowd."

Once we got our drinks we found a quieter spot to chat. I asked about her week out of the office and Amy enthusiastically spoke about what she had done during the week. I could tell she really liked her job as she told me in great detail all about what was going on in the project side of the business. I didn't really know much of what went on in that side of the company, apart from a list of new stores opening. To hear the details was fascinating.

Amy then asked about my work and I told her about my marketing plan and the positive reception it had received.

"You did that plan? That's great. Malcolm was talking about that as we drove between sites. It's going to be big for the business. I'm so pleased for you Josh." She ran her hand down my arm as she said this. "It must be because of your new 'cubicle buddy'." She then added while laughing at her joke.

I laughed too. "Of course. I just sat around doing nothing before you arrived."

Wanting to deflect the conversation away from me, I asked Amy about her weekend away the previous week. She just shook her head.

"Oh Josh it was a disaster. What was supposed to be a good time away with a few friends celebrating one of our friend Julia's upcoming wedding, turned out to be a massive fight, people not speaking to each other and me trying to be the peacemaker between them."

"That sounds terrible."

"Apparently one of the girls went out with Julia's fiancé well before Julia started going out with him. Words were said, harsher words returned. It all went to shit."

"Amy I'm so sorry."

"It's ok. I was just stuck in the middle of it all. I couldn't relax as I was trying to help patch things up between everyone." She said with a sigh. She then turned and looked into my eyes. With a big smile she continued "It's great to be out tonight and just be able to relax and enjoy myself."

We had finished our drinks by this stage when we realised the band had begun to play. Amy grabbed my hand.

"C'mon Josh and dance with me."

Amy might be short in stature, but she is huge in enthusiasm and good vibes. I couldn't say no. We went over in front of the band with many others party goers where we danced and sang along to the classic tunes they played. Amy and I danced with each other the rest of the night. We sang along, drank more drinks, danced and had an amazing time. That isn't something I would have normally done.

Even though I love music, I would have normally sat back and listened from a distance. But right then in that moment I was having the best time. Whether it was the drinks or something else, I was having so much fun with Amy. Amy seemed to be having a great time too, smiling laughing, dancing.

We danced and sang for what felt like a short time, but it was the rest of the night. When the band finished their last number Steve Gooding took to the mike to thank everyone for the hard work we had done and wished us all a good night. Looking at the time it was after 1am. The night had just flown by. Once the music had stopped and the adrenaline started to dwindle in my system, I could really feel the effects of all I had to drink. Amy was still with me and she didn't seem to be feeling the effects as much as I was.

She had her arm linked in mine as we exited the hotel with the people who had remained till the very end of the night. There were plenty of cabs waiting out the front of the hotel to take people home. We stood their together and waited our turn. Amy asked me to get my phone out and I did as she said. She took it off me and entered her number into it.

"Josh I want you message me when you get home ok?" she said to me as my turn to catch a cab came around.

"Of course Amy. I've had a great time."

"Me too." She replied with a big smile.

I made my way into the cab and gave Amy a wave as we drove away. She smiled and waved back. The trip home was thankfully quicker than the drive out there. I was feeling pretty terrible by the time I arrived back at my apartment. Once inside I pulled out my phone and saw there was a message from Amy.

'I just got home. I had a great time with you Josh.'

Fumbling with my fingers I managed to reply back.

'I'm home now. Had a great night too Amy. Thank you.'

Putting the phone on my bedside table, I sat on my bed and kicked my shoes off. I lay back before they hit the floor and I was out to it.

*********

The next morning my mouth was dry and my head was pounding. Rolling across I looked at my clock and could see it was 10 am. Nature was calling and I had to get up, even though I didn't want to. It was then I realised I was still in my clothes from the night before. What had I done? I headed to the bathroom and inspected the damage. Apart from appearing a little dishevelled and tired I looked ok. I drank a few glasses of water and decided to hit the shower.

I felt much better after the shower and I put on my clothes for the day. Seeing my phone on my bedside table I picked it up and looked at it. There waiting for me was a message from Amy. Looking at it I realised it was from last night, after I had sent my reply back to her.

'Goodnight x'

As I read this memories of last night came flooding back. I had such a great time with Amy. Thinking back over the night I had a grin on my face remembering being in her presence. I just hoped I hadn't made a fool of myself drinking too much. I felt like I had to speak to her.

It was now 10:30am. I pressed the phone and dialled Amy's number, hoping she was awake and that she would want to speak to me. To my great surprise she answered the phone on the second ring.

"Hi Josh. How are you feeling this morning?" she answered sounding typically bubbly.

"Hi Amy. Not too bad all things considered. How are you?"

"I'm great... I had a really good time last night with you."

"Oh I'm glad. I had a great time with you too. I was worried as I thought I may have made a fool of myself drinking so much. I was ringing to make sure I hadn't upset or embarrassed you..."

"Absolutely not. You were great fun Josh and I really enjoyed being with you."

"From what I can remember I had a great time too..." I paused slightly before my mouth raced ahead of my thoughts. "Amy are you doing anything today?"

"Only stuff at home. Why?"

"I... I was wondering if you'd like to go out to lunch with me. I really what to thank you for being so nice last night and...."

"Yes Josh I'd love to." She replied even before I could finish asking. I could almost hear the smile on her face in her voice.

We then discussed where we both lived, as somehow we had never discussed this before. Thankfully she didn't live too far away from me and we worked out where we would meet. The suburb we decided upon was about halfway between where we both lived. Amy knew of a good little café there and we organised to have lunch. We signed off pretty quickly after that as we both had to get ready. I quickly had a coffee and rummaged through my clothes to find something nice to wear. I made sure I was looking as best as I could.

The day outside was sunny and warm, with wispy clouds high in the bright blue sky. I drove across town, arriving at the café just before the time we had arranged. After parking the car I walked towards the café. Getting closer I noticed Amy was already there, sitting at one of the outside tables. She had her head down looking at her phone. I stopped for a second and just looked at her.

Her long red hair was out and was moving in the breeze. Shen was wearing a summer dress, light blue with a floral pattern. It was cut in a very flattering way, showing a little of her very attractive cleavage. The dress was sitting in such a way that her legs were showing. My goodness Amy was so attractive. I had noticed her before of course, but now she was mind blowing.

As I approached Amy looked up from her phone and saw me. In that split instant her face beamed her full smile right at me. I could feel myself grinning too. Amy stood up from her chair.

"Hi Josh. It looks like you recovered ok from last night."

"Well looks can be deceiving." I replied with a grin. I paused for a second taking her in. "You look great Amy."

She smiled again and dropped her gaze from mine just for a moment. "Thank you."

Amy moved close to me and I opened my arms on sheer instinct. She immediately wrapped her arms around me and we hugged. Her head rested on my shoulder as we embraced. I almost held my breath in that moment as it felt so good.

As we moved apart Amy's hands slid right down my arms and over my hands. She held my hand for the briefest of moments. I went and held her chair for her as she sat back down, before I took my seat next to her. The waiter approached and gave us menus and some water. After some small talk about the food and the venue I felt I wanted to say something.

"Amy... I hope I didn't embarrass you or make you feel awkward last night. I don't usually drink that much. I don't think I've drunk that much since... Well since university actually... And..."

Amy reached across and took my hand.

"Josh you did not embarrass yourself and you definitely did not make me feel awkward. You were perfect company and I had an amazing time with you. I really did." As she said this she squeezed my hand. I did the same, with my thumb gently running over her fingers.

"Well I had an amazing time with you too." I replied looking into her eyes. Amy's face was so expressive. I could tell she had an amazing time and she looked very pleased to be here with me. The little moment between us was broken by the waiter bringing our drinks to the table.

We then chatted about the night before. Amy told me she had been talking with people from the Projects team she worked with when she saw me talking with my colleagues. She was going to come and say hello when she saw me head away with my boss. Until that moment I hadn't thought of Lisa. Funnily enough, even though she came into my head, it did not affect me. Being in Amy's presence had erased the disappointed feelings I had been experiencing last night and replaced them with other, much more pleasant feelings.

I told her all about meeting Steve Gooding and how impressed he had been with my work. I felt awkward talking about how people liked the work I did. I never liked to big note myself, but telling this to Amy didn't feel like I was doing that. She commented about how my work was being so well received throughout the company. I smiled at her, before deflecting the compliments away a little asking her how she was settling in with her new job.

Amy told me all about her work and the team she worked with. She also mentioned the fact that she was the youngest on the team. Everyone was very friendly and they all got along, but she didn't have a lot in common with them socially.

"Well no wonder you were trying to find me last night." I quipped.

She dropped her gaze from mine. At that moment I swore she blushed a little and bit her lip. When she looked back at me the look on her face was different. Her eyes caught mine and my heart skipped a beat. As poor as I am at reading signals from women, something inside me switched at that moment. All of this happened in mere seconds. Amy then spoke again.

"Yes... Something like that." She smiled demurely.

Our lunch had arrived by this stage and we ate chatting about everything. I felt so comfortable with Amy. I didn't feel any of my usual reticence to share things about myself. Our conversation organically turned to both our childhoods and where we grew up. She was from the country, where her family had a farm half an hour outside Wagga Wagga. She spoke with great affection about her childhood on the farm, her younger sister, and her parents who were still there.

It was here that she caught the project management bug. Her family built a new home on the farm when Amy was in her teens. She always liked helping her father, and she created a fairly rudimentary spreadsheet on her computer detailing all the jobs needed in building the house and when the different trades could come in and do their jobs. Her father liked what she had done and it made his life easier. He told her she had a flair for this work.

After high school she went to university where she completed her Business degree majoring in Project Management. While she loved the country life, she wanted to move to the city and try life out here. Her first job was with a major construction company. While the job was fine at first it wasn't the role she really wanted.

"That's when I landed the job here and dropped into your cubicle." Amy finished saying with a grin.

"Well I'm certainly glad you landed in there." I replied looking into her eyes.

"What was your childhood like Josh?"

Just from her intonation and the look on her face I could see Amy was truly interested in knowing more about me.

"Well there's not much to say really." I started.