Lunch Dates

8

It was a few days later and the government was fully up and running again which meant that everyone was back in the department. Although it was stressful, Natalie got to see Ben a lot more as he practically never left the area due to how many ideas and discussions Leslie needed to have with him. Every time he came in, he would make sure to talk to her first before he went to see Leslie which made her feel special because no one in the department, minus Tom and his friends Jean Ralphio who would both flirt with her relentlessly, would talk to her all that much. She didn't mind it but  sure did appreciate the time Ben would take to spend with her even if they did always go and sit upstairs for lunch. Every so often, Natalie would spin round in her chair to get a glimpse of Ben who would already be looking out at her and she would make a face which caused him to smile before she turned back round and continued to do her work. After a few minutes she looked up to see the familiar face of Jean Ralphio walking in.
"N to the A to the talie, you're the prettiest girl I ever did see, with my eyes" he rapped and she couldn't help but giggle at his lack of being able to finish on a rhyme.
"Hey Jean Ralphio, are you here to see Tom?" She asked him.
"Yeah I am, but it's always a pleasure seeing my favourite girl" he winks before he walks off.
"Nat, he is so clearly into you, why don't you date him?" Donna asks from behind her and she spins around half in shock that someone spoke to her.
She quickly glanced at Leslies office before turning back to Donna.
"I guess he's just not really my type"
"And what is your type?"
Ben.
"I'm not sure, but it's not Jean Ralphio" she laughs before turning back around.
After a few minutes, Ben walked out of the office and over to Natalie where he picked her up for lunch and started to walk upstairs arm in arm. They sat down at the familiar painting and began to eat their lunches, enjoying the private company of each other. No worrying about either of them being whisked away by work, just simply them sat there together.
Ben hadn't stopped thinking about Natalie since he had gotten back from her parents and wanted to ask her about it all. He wanted to know if he had heard the couples at the dance right when they spoke about Natalie finally finding someone and he wanted to know so badly what those letters were, because try as she might, he knew exactly who they were for and he wanted to read them. He wanted to know what she had to say to him that she felt she couldn't but he never asked. Natalie was also in the same position. She couldn't stop thinking about Ben and more so, she couldn't help but imagine what it would be like for them to be together. They both knew it couldn't happen though because they weren't ever sure they felt the same towards each other and were well aware that Chris was skeptical about colleagues dating who worked together and the last thing either of them wanted was for the other to lose their job over this.
"Hey so I made a copy of that CD you liked so much" Natalie mutters as she pulls the 'Benjamin Wyatt' CD out of her bag and handed it to him.
Ben felt lucky getting to hold it in his hands, these songs were sacred to her and not only had she let him hear the songs but she was giving them to him to keep. He didn't realise of course that Natalie had spent the past few days listening to the CD and dancing around her house happily as her mom had sent her the article from the paper they had been pictured for. On the page had been the photo of the two of them with their names underneath and the headline, 'Dance Success after darling Natalie finds love'. The whole town could see them together and yet everyday, the pair sat next to each other on that bench or watched a movie or went out for dinner and had never even attempted to make a move on the other person. It worried Natalie that she was wasting her time and that ultimately he would end up with someone else and she would be forced to move on without him. Ben also worried he was leading himself to eventual heartbreak and held back until he got a bigger sign that she felt the same, maybe even a kiss on the cheek or overhearing it in a conversation. He was going mad over not knowing but he wouldn't know if he didn't ask and that was where both of their issues lay, in the sense that neither was confident enough. They continued to eat lunch before Ben got a phone call from Leslie telling him she had to speak to him immediately.
"I'm sorry, I'll have to go early, but we're still on for a movie night tonight right?" He asks and Natalie nods.
"Alright see you later Addie" he smiles and she waves him goodbye as she watches him walk away.
She finished up with her sandwich before she started to make her way back to the department, saying a quick hello to Andy when she walked past him in the halls. They may not have been the closest, but Natalie knew that if she needed, Andy would definitely be there for her. She got back to her desk and continued to do her work, watching as he colleagues slowly started to leave the building to go home. She was usually the second last one out, followed by Leslie but tonight she was the only one left in the building when she finished. She left to get into her car and drove back to the house where Ben was sat outside. She laughed quietly to herself as she got out of the car and walked towards him.
"Hey honey, how was work" she jokes and he smiles as he stands up.
"It was alright although my best friend took ages to finish up for the day" he moans and she shakes her head.
"Well I'm here now come on" she says taking his hand and dragging him inside.
And if anyone had seen the pair, they would've known how they felt about each other. People would know that they should be together.