“Bottoms up.” I pour two samples from the dispenser and hand one to him. We taste it at the same time. At first it’s the same familiar orange flavor that I’ve perfected—both sharp and creamy, like the orange you might taste in a creamsicle. But then it’s different, the flavor lightens into more citrus, lemony and bright before it fades into the basil.
It’s not perfect, but it’s well on its way. “Holy shit,” I say, beaming at Tristan. “What did you do?”
“Added lemon as the secondary flavor. You need something in the transition, otherwise the two flavors don’t connect.”
“This is really good,” I tell him. “This is something that I can work with.”
“Happy to be of service,” he laughs.
I glance at the clock, and am shocked at the time. I was going to suggest that we steal away to one of the janitor’s closets, but I’m already late. “I’d put you to a different kind of service, but I have a meeting about the Valentine’s Gala.”
“I’m assuming you’ll be attending?”
I nod. “I will be. Jill is even trying to set me up with a date.” A laugh bubbles up through me when I see him deflate. “The meeting is with her. I’m going to tell her that I already have a date arranged. That is, if you’re free that day.”
“You bet your ass I am,” he says. “I think that might be a good time. To tell people.”
It’s my turn to wince. “Maybe. I’m not sure I want that kind of public setting for it, but you’re right, it certainly makes a statement on Valentine’s Day. And believe me, you’re going to like the dress I have picked out.”
He takes a step closer. “I bet that I’m going to enjoy peeling you out of it even more.”
“You’re insatiable.”
“For you? Always.”
I blow him a kiss as I head out the door of the lab. “Thank you for the flavor. I’ll see you later?”
“Count on it.”
The meeting is in Jill’s office which is clear on the other side of the building. I’m relieved that she can take her sexy date and keep him for herself. I’ve already got the hottest date in town.
In my hurry to get out of the door, I forgot to take off my lab coat. I drape it over my arm as I knock on her door. “Sorry I’m late. Had a breakthrough.”
She smiles. “That’s great! Sit down, I’m almost ready.”
I haven’t really talked to Jill in the last week since everything happened, and my instinct is to tell her everything. But I can’t, not if I want to keep this a secret. But maybe I can hedge around who it is and tell her parts of it, because she’s my best friend and I want to brag about my boyfriend.
Besides, Jill and I, despite being close, have only known each other for a couple of years. So he doesn’t know about my history with Tristan the way some of my friend’s from high school do. It wasn’t exactly a secret in my friend group that I was into him. It was all I could think about at one point.
“I was going to tell you, Jill, I have a date for the gala so you don’t need to worry about me.”
She stops typing and stares at me. “Seriously?”
I laugh. “Seriously.”
“Is it just like a date or are you seeing someone?” It’s impossible for me not to blush, and she sees it right away. “Oh my god, Nicola, tell me everything.”
“It’s new,” I say quietly. “I don’t want to say too much yet.”
“But you have to give me something. In the time I’ve known you you’ve never been interested in anyone, so what makes it different?”
I hesitate, not wanting to give it all away. “We’ve known each other for a long time, and we kind of…reconnected.”
Jill chuckles. “If you’re blushing that much just thinking about it, then I’m sure you did.”
“Let’s please talk about the gala and not about my love life?”
“You brought it up.”
I laugh. “Just so you wouldn’t rope some soul into being miserable at the gala with me.”
“You’re round the bend. Any guy would feel fucking lucky if he got to spend the evening with you, and I won’t accept another answer because that’s the only one that will ever be true.”
There’s nothing to say to that. “How are things coming for the party?”
“Good,” she says, while giving me a look that tells me that this discussion isn’t over and will probably continue when we’re not in a work situation. “I think I’ve gotten the decorations sorted. I’ll show you the sketches in a minute. But I was thinking about the charity element.”
“Oh?”
“I know that it’s usually just a donation thing, but since it’s Valentine’s day, I thought maybe we could do something fun. Like a bachelor auction. Maybe like dinner dates but for a good cause?”
I laugh. “That’s a fun idea, who would you get to do it?”
“Well, I have a list. There’s a few hotties on the production line, and I think some of the non-employee guests who are single might go for it. It is Valentine’s Day, after all. There’s one person that I really want to get, but I’m not sure how it will go over.”
“Who?”
“That new guy. Tristan Swallows. I have to say I’m jealous that you guys get to work so closely together cause he is yummy.”
My heart pounds in my chest and I try to not blush, and I’m entirely unsuccessful. But thankfully Jill is too pre-occupied to notice this time. “Why wouldn’t it go over well?”
She smirks. “I googled him cause I’ve got a little bit of a crush. I’m just not sure we should put someone up there when that kind of scandal is the first thing that comes up on google.”
I freeze in shock. “What?”
“It doesn’t seem like it would be a problem since it happened a long time ago, but I still have to think about it. But I know that he would raise a lot of money, if you know what I mean.”
“Yeah,” I say. “That’s for sure.”
It’s taking everything in my power for me not to pull out my phone and google this right now, because what the hell happened? Is this what he meant when he said he’d been through stuff that made him want to leave? I can already feel the questions brewing inside me, itching, grating under my skin. “Do what you think is best.”
“Do you think he’d say yes?”
I do think about it, and I think he would. Especially if I promised to buy him, or at least try. Having a date with him that everyone knows about would be amazing and fantastic, and could potentially be the gateway for us coming out as a couple. “Yeah, I think he’d be game.”
Jill smiles. “You know him that well already?”
“Oh, he’s my dad’s best friend,” I say. “They’ve known each other for years, and Tristan just moved back to town.”
My friend’s head snaps up so fast that it makes my head spin. Shit. “He’s your date, isn’t he?”
I could lie and deny it, but the words dry up on my tongue. God, I wish that I could ask Tristan before I do this, but she’s already made the connection. I just nod.