Six Nights to Love

"Ten years," repeated Andy before looking over her once again. "You've changed a lot in ten years."

Julia blushed before looking down. "So have you," she said while repeating the same motion.

"So you work here now? It's your first day?"

She nodded excitedly. "Yeah, my first day. I just met my new boss a few minutes ago and my new coworkers," she said while pointing back to the other new faces who were now watching their interaction. Julia did a great job of introducing the new faces to him, yet the names never stuck. His brain was still trying to adjust to the shock of seeing her after all this time.

"You're going to like it here," said Andy. "It's a great place to work, and all the people are really nice."

She smiled. "If they're as nice as you, then I guess I won't be having any problems."

They both grinned and looked away from each other. Andy had a hard time looking back at her. It wasn't because she was hard on the eyes—the exact opposite. She was so gorgeous that he had a hard time recognizing that she was the same Julia that he'd grown up with. That effect alone, and the immediacy of the moment, jammed his brain as he struggled to think of something else to say.

"When did you come back to the city?" he spit out finally. "I heard when you moved away, you moved over to the next state. I didn't think I'd ever see you again."

"Yeah, that's right. My dad got a new job at the time and that's why we had to move. But I've always wanted to come back to where I grew up," said Julia. "I've always loved this area so when I had the opportunity to move, I just did it."

"I'm so glad you did. I think the day you moved was one of the worst days of my life," he said candidly.

"Yours and mine both," said Julia with a giggle. "There's not many memories of the early part of my life without you in it."

"And now you work here. That's so incredible," said Andy.And such awful timing. Why'd she have to come back into my life when I'm leaving in just a few short days!

"How long have you been here?" she asked.

"About four years," said Andy. "I've been in sales and my office is just right over there," he said while pointing behind him.

"Four years, that's really great. I'm glad to see I got into a good place," she said. "The job search has been particularly hard, so I was really happy to get into something that seemed like it would be a good fit."

"Especially marketing here," said Andy. "Your boss, Rachel, is really great. I really think you're going to like it here."

Julia grinned and locked eyes on him. "I had a feeling I was going to before but I know I will now. I'm still in shock right now. I can't believe you're here. I just want to hug you again!"

Andy chuckled. There was no way he'd turn down a hug from her anytime. Or anything else for that matter. He bit his tongue, trying to force that thought out of his mind. This was Julia he was thinking about. The same girl he used to bike around the neighborhood with or skip rocks in the nearby creek. To think about her like that was a foreign notion, one that still required adjustment. Despite his best efforts, it kept slipping into his brain, forcing him to acknowledge that Julia was now a woman and a beautiful one at that.

Before they had the chance to continue the conversation, they were interrupted by Julia's new boss. Rachel joined their conversation, and after a polite greeting to Andy, she rested her hand on Julia's arm. "Hey Julia, sorry to cut this short, but we're about to start the new hire orientation in a few minutes."

"Oh, yeah, no problem," said a flustered Julia as her eyes sank to the floor.

"Sorry for distracting her, Rachel," said Andy. "We just go way back and it's been forever since I've seen her."

Rachel smiled. "No problem, just join us in the conference room in about two minutes, okay?"

"Sounds good!" said Julia.

Rachel and the rest of the new hires filtered out after that, leaving the pair standing rather awkwardly by themselves.

"Well, I guess I should get to my orientation," said Julia while pointing back to the conference room.

"Good luck on your first day," he said. "Come find me when you have a break in training?"

"Sure thing! You said your office is just down that way?" She pointed in the direction of the sales area.

"Yep, exactly. Ask around if you have any trouble finding me."

"Sounds great," said Julia while pushing a stray strand of hair behind her ear. "It was really great to see you again, Andy."

His eyes flickered to her lips before going back to her eyes. There was something between them now, a tension that had never existed before. Something about it was particularly intoxicating, and it made his breathing heavier and his heart race. "Really great to see you too, Julia."

With one last wave, she turned around and walked to the conference room. He tried hard to resist the urge to check her out as she walked away and failed miserably. She had the cutest of butts, a tight, swaying derriere that looked like it was made for squeezing. Andy took a deep breath and finally pulled his eyes off of her, grabbing his coffee and starting the trek back to his office.

"Well, did you see her?" asked Maggie as soon as he walked back to his office. "What did you think?"

"Maggie, you're never going to believe this," said Andy with a laugh as he filled her in on the whole story. He spared no detail and spent the next fifteen minutes telling her about his early life and the role that Julia played in it.

"Oh my goodness," said Maggie with a laugh. "Someone up above really likes you! To bring someone important like her back into your life after all these years is a great opportunity."

"Or they have a cruel sense of humor. I leave on Sunday!"

Maggie cringed. "That is bad timing. Maybe you can at least spend time together before you leave?"

"And then what? There's no time to do anything before I leave."

Andy ran a few scenarios through his mind and none of them had a great outcome. For one, he had no idea if Julia was even single, and that was the underlying condition that he needed for the rest of them to work. Andy felt his heart sink. There was no way someone who looked like that was single. Those beautiful blue eyes, that smile with the dimples, and her thick, dark hair. Julia had grown into a gorgeous woman. He was sure even if shemight have been single, there was a line of men a mile long who wanted to change that.

And say that she was single and able to go out on a few dates with him? He was leaving soon. Only relationships that were stable could survive long distance, and you couldn't even build a foundation on a few dates. Andy wanted to sit at his desk and bang his head against the table. What awful, awful timing.

Seeing Julia again had allowed him to hope for a very brief moment until reality brought him crumbling back. Even throughout the day, he tried to shake the thoughts out of his mind but they never really left. In quiet moments, he found himself reminiscing about their conversation. When he closed his eyes, he saw hers, bright and lovely. What was worse was that he groaned every time he looked at the folder on his desk that was labeled "Italy" on the tab.

For that reason, it was a haggard and slightly demoralized Andy that was finishing up the last quote of the day right before five o'clock. He was so engrossed in writing the quote that he almost didn't hear the knock on his door.

"Come on in," said Andy, expecting to see Maggie right before she left for the day.

"So this is your office," said another voice, causing Andy to look up from his computer. It was Julia. She was wearing a friendly smile that instantly raised his heart and made the woes of the entire day not seem so bad in comparison. "It's really nice."'

"Did you find me okay? I know this office is kind of tucked in the corner."

Julia pointed back out the door. "I almost walked by it, but this really nice lady right here on the end cube directed me to the right spot."

"Really nice lady?" asked Andy with a laugh. "Is she an older lady about this high?" He held his hand right across his chest.

Julia started to giggle. "Yep, that's her!"

"That would be Maggie, my assistant," said Andy. In the next moment, Maggie must have heard her name being used because she stood up and appeared in front of the window of his office. She flashed a cheesy thumbs-up to them both before ducking back down into her cube. That move in itself helped to remove some of the tension that was between them as they both laughed at her actions.

"She seems like a great person," said Julia finally, taking a seat near his desk.

"Oh, she's the best. She's been my assistant for years now," said Andy. "As you can see, she's also a riot to hang out with."

"I'm beginning to see that," said Julia with a laugh. "So how was your day?"

It was spent thinking about you, what about yours? Andy caught himself before saying the words out loud and went with a much safer route. "Not too bad, and I got a lot done today. But enough about that, what did you think about your first day? Tell me about it?"

"It was so nice! Gosh, I'm so glad that I'm here. Everyone was so nice and I think the work will be interesting enough."

"That's great to hear—"

"But there's one more thing," interrupted Julia with a coy smile. "I'm still on cloud nine from seeing you here though. Don't get me wrong, it was a good day. But seeing you here made it a great day."

Andy couldn't help but smile at that. "I really feel the same way. I'll be honest—I didn't think I'd ever see you again."

"I know! It was so terrible," said Julia with pursed lips. "I think I went a week without talking to my dad for moving us away. In the end, I felt just as bad doing that though."

Andy laughed. "I can see that. You had such a temper growing up, especially when you didn't get your way."

Julia giggled. "Who said anything changed?"

They locked eyes and started to laugh together. In a matter of minutes, it was just like old times again. Joking and laughing together but there was now an added element to it. Andy couldn't be quite sure but the tone of Julia's voice and the look in her eyes made it seem like she was flirting. And just the thought that she could be flirting when he considered how much she had been on his brain the entire time was thrilling.

"You know, the thing I miss the most was just spending all that time with you," said Andy candidly. "I spent so much of my life and my summers with you that once you were gone, there was no way to fill that hole back up."

"Believe me, I've spent a lot of time obsessing about that too," said Julia. "I almost picked up the phone to call you so many times."

"Why didn't you?"

She shrugged. "I felt awkward at the time. I thought you might think I was weird. You know better than anyone that my teenage years were awkward."

Andy started to laugh. "I think you just described most people in total honesty but I understand. It would have been a little weird."

"I think I'm past that awkward teenage stage though, Andy," said Julia with a certain look in her eye. "And we have a lot of lost time to make up for!"

He grinned. "Well, what are you suggesting? Do you want to hang out together? We have so much to talk about."

"Of course I do! When are you free? Tomorrow or another day?"

It's worth taking a chance. "I'm free tonight actually. If you are?"

Julia tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear. "I'd love to do tonight. Maybe grab a coffee or something?"

"As long as it's decaf," said Andy with a chuckle.

"That sounds great! Where do you live? Are you close by?"

"Close enough, I'm only about ten minutes from the office."

"Me too!" said Julia. "Another reason why I took this job. Can't beat the commute!"

"Here, let me show where there's a good coffee shop. This place is great, it's cozy and it's quiet," said Andy as he wrote down an address. "Meet me here in about an hour?" He handed the sticky note with the address over to her.

Julia grabbed it and smiled. "That's perfect. I'm so excited! We have so much to talk about and so much to catch up on."

"Me too," said Andy before gesturing to his computer. "I really should get this quote sent out before I leave for the day. See you in an hour?"

"Of course. I can't wait. See you soon, Andy," said Julia with a sultry smile. Even the way she said his name had him a little hot under the collar. She quickly left his office and once she was gone, Andy let out a deep breath. His heart was racing. Was that from Julia?

He had barely pressed send on the email with the quote when Maggie slipped her head inside his office. "How'd it go?" she whispered.

Andy chuckled. "We're going out for coffee after work."

Maggie bounced excitedly at his door. "Yes!" She started to do her own happy dance around his door frame.

"It's just coffee, though, Maggie," said Andy with a laugh. "Not a marriage proposal!"

"Not yet, maybe," said Maggie. "But maybe in enough time!"

Andy shook his head playfully. "You're crazy."

"Yeah, I might be, but this is the cutest thing I've ever seen. This is just like out of a Lifetime movie!"

Andy was still rolling his eyes as he shut the light off and walked out of the office that night. Regardless of what Maggie thought, he would still have to talk to Julia about leaving. It wasn't something that he relished.

-------

Just over an hour later, Andy parked right outside the coffee shop and turned off his car. He had to remember to take a deep breath before he opened the door. Yes, it was just coffee with his childhood friend but in a way, it was so much more than that. As much as he disliked getting ahead of himself, there was a possibility that something could come from this. Especially if he pushed the thought of leaving down far enough.

Finally ready, he left the car and entered the small coffee shop. It was one of his favorite places, not only because the brew was excellent but mostly because of the atmosphere. It was comfortable, quiescent, and a great place to get work done after hours or get to know someone on a more personal level. Tonight, he was hoping for the latter.

Not to be disappointed, she was already waiting for him as soon as he got inside. Julia gave him a quick wave from a secluded table by the corner, quickly getting up as soon as he approached.

"Right on time," she said with a smile. "Long time, no see!"

Andy chuckled. "I wouldn't dream of being late for our date!"

Julia's eyebrow raised at the suggestion but her smile grew wider, if that was possible. Was it a date? Despite them still being in their work attire, itfelt like a date. She didn't correct him so he decided to keep talking.

"Hey, let me know what you want for coffee? I'm about to grab us some," he said while pointing back to the counter.

Julia glanced back at the menu and then turned back to him. "Small decaf is fine."

"Cream and sugar?"

"Please!"

Andy grabbed the coffees after a few moments and brought them back to the table. Surprisingly, right as he set them down, Julia stood up.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"It would have been a little weird at work, but I was hoping I'd be able to get another hug from you," she said with an embarrassed smile. "It's been so long after all."

Andy chuckled. "Of course. You're right, it has been so long."

Slowly, she pushed her way into his arms and he wrapped them tightly around her. As her hands rested against his back, he took in the sweet smell of her perfume, loving the scent as her body pressed in tightly against his own. It brought a rush of feelings as well—old feelings of missing having Julia around but a new one of attraction as well. Either way, he didn't want to let her go.

Apparently, neither did she. "I'm sorry," she whispered against his ear, her hot breath sending a shiver down his back. "It's been too long that I just can't let go yet."

"It's okay," he whispered with a laugh. "It feels so good to see you again."

Julia finally pulled away. "Yes, it does."

After the hug was finally over, Andy slid into the open seat across from her. "I still can't believe you're back. Part of me wondered if I'd ever get to see you again."

"It still hasn't hit me yet either! It seems so surreal just to see your face and how grown-up you look. I mean that in a good way, of course," she said with a giggle. "You just look so manly now. The little boy I remembered turned into a man."

"What about you? You've definitely grown yourself." Andy began to turn red at the inflection, but thankfully she thought nothing of it. "I mean, you've grown beautiful. More so than when we were kids."

She gave him a coy look before lowering her eyes. "Thank you, Andy," she said sweetly. "The best part about this is that I'm back now. We have a long time to make up for all these lost years. It might take us a year or so to fully catch up on everything so we might be getting coffee for the next few weeks!"

Even though she was making a joke, Andy's stomach sank. Her words brought back the ever present reminder of leaving and that their time was limited. He hated to think about it but he knew he'd have to tell her sooner or later. It was only fair that she knew what she was getting herself into.

"Listen, Julia, about that," started Andy, watching the smile on her face soon disappear. "We may not have as much time as you think."

She gave him a confused look. "Why's that?"

"There's really no easy way to say this but I'm moving to Italy on Sunday."

The look of disappointment on her face nearly broke his heart. "Oh, I see."

"It's all part of the job actually," he said while trying to explain. "I don't know if it might have come up as part of your orientation today, but we're opening a brand new sales office in Rome. I've been with the company long enough that I put myself into the running for the job, and I got it about a month ago."

"So going there will be a promotion for you then?"

"Yeah, it is. I get to run the office and eventually pick my team. It's a big step up from what I currently have."

Finally, her smile returned but a small one at that. "Well, I suppose a congratulations are in order," she said. "Congratulations on your promotion!"

Andy gave a light chuckle. "Thanks, I guess. Honestly, I was a lot more excited about it until this morning."

"I know that feeling," said Julia with a knowing smile. "This really is terrible timing then, isn't it?"

"You can say that again. I'm sorry, I wanted to tell you upfront as soon as possible. Believe me, I think god has a cruel sense of fate or irony for bringing you back into my life as soon as I was about to leave for another continent."

"Definitely cruel," said Julia while nodding her head. "But you leave on Sunday, right?"

"Yeah, I fly out early morning."

Julia's smile got a little bigger. "Look at the bright side though, Andy. We have all this time between now and then. I mean, we basically have as many as six days that we can spend together before you leave. Obviously, I don't mean we spent every waking hour of the six together, but there's still time for us to reminiscence about life and get to know each other."

Andy grinned. "You don't have to sell me on that. I'd gladly spend every evening with you after work even just to make best use of our limited time." In all honesty, he was being completely truthful. Being in Julia's presence again was incredible, and he found himself wanting to spend every moment finding out what happened since the last time they saw each other. Yet, he never expected her to take his offer literally.

"I'm not doing anything the next week," she said while she considered his proposal. "I can easily spend every evening after work with you until you leave. Think of how much fun that would be! So much lost time for us to catch up."