A gentleman and a lady

A Mistake

As the work day came to an end, I had high hopes. I felt that Evelyn and I really needed to talk about what happened, and being outside of work seemed to make that much easier.

"Well that's 6PM," I sighed, stretching in my chair. I looked over at Evelyn who was gathering her things and neatly filing them into her briefcase as she always did. I stared at her, hoping she would say something - anything - but she simply slung her case over her shoulder and proceeded to walk out.

I got up, leaving all of my things at my desk, and followed her out. She was already halfway to the stairwell when I caught up to her.

"Evelyn, why aren't you talking to me?" I asked.

"Mr. Cavill, I'm just trying to go home," she grumbled, keeping a steady pace.

"Is this about last night?"

"I don't want to talk about last night."

"Evelyn, did I do something to upset you?"

"No - yes - I don't know. I need to go home."

Evelyn picked up her pace as she continued down the stairs with me trailing after her.

"We need to talk about it," I panted, trying to get ahead of her.

"I don't want to talk about it," she replied curtly.

I finally passed her on the stairs and stood in front of the door.

"No Evelyn, we need to talk about it."

She stopped in her tracks and looked at me with exasperation.

"Henry, last night was a mistake."

Those words cut through me like a knife.

"Last night," I said angrily, "was one of the best nights of my life."

"Well that's your problem, not mine," Evelyn scoffed as she tried to get around me. I shifted either way so she couldn't walk away.

"Seriously, did I do something wrong?" I pleaded. "I know we said we'd keep things professional, but I didn't think that would mean you'd freeze me out like this."

"Get out of my way," she barked, still trying to find a way to the exit behind me. After a moment she gave up on getting through the door and turned on her heels heading back up the stairs.

"Where are you going?" I called to her.

"I'm going home," she snapped.

"Evelyn - please - let's talk about this," I yelled, following her back up the stairs.

"Stop following me."

"Then stop running away!"

Evelyn stopped in her tracks, placing a hand across her forehead. I caught up to her and grabbed her shoulder, and she shrugged my hand off.

"Please Evelyn," I begged. "Please tell me if I did something wrong."

She took a deep breath.

"You didn't do anything wrong. It just wasn't something I should have encouraged. It was a mistake - nothing more."

"I-" I stopped myself from trying to argue with her. I didn't think it was a mistake, but she was adamant that it was. "I'm sorry, Evelyn. If you'd like I can take you home. I won't press the issue anymore."

She looked into my eyes for the first time all day, a pained look on her face.

"Henry, I don't think you should offer me a ride anymore."

"Okay," I sighed. "Whatever happened between us can stay in the past. But if you ever need a ride home, you're always welcome to ask." Evelyn nodded, and turned to go back down the stairs. I waited for her to reach the door before I followed.

I walked quietly to the parking garage and got into my car. As I pulled out onto the main road I saw Evelyn walking down the street, rounding a corner, and disappearing from view.

Last night was a mistake. The words echoed through my head, leaving an empty feeling in their place. Am I really so bad that a night with me can only be considered a mistake? I sighed as I pulled into my driveway.

It felt like a normal night - I showered, ate dinner, brushed my teeth, got ready for bed - but the lingering scent of wildflowers in my bedroom made it feel lonelier than ever before.