Office Affair (English Version)

Chapter 11

Francesca POV

I entered New York airport with quick steps.
I was nervous.
Six hours trapped on a plane with Manuel. Almost three days travelling.
How would it be?
The atmosphere between us was full of tension.
I couldn't believe that he had agreed to come to LA with me. I would have managed perfectly well without him.

I smoothed out my blouse and trousers before looking for Manuel in the entrance hall.
There were lots of people milling around, but I couldn't recognise Manuel's head.
Damn. Now I had to call him, or worse, write him.

I had to laugh briefly when I finally found Mr Sunshine in my contact list. Should I change the name? It certainly wasn't appropriate.
This generation was really something else. I would never have dared to do something like that. But it was so playful and frivolous that I just wrote to him with a grin and left the name saved as it was. How had he saved me in his contacts?

Me:
Hey, it's Francesca. I'm already at the airport. Where are you?

Less than 5 minutes later there was already an answer.

Mr Sunshine:
Medusa. Give me 5 minutes. I'll be right there.

Would I ever manage to get rid of this nickname? It was this dress that got me into this whole mess. Would the evening have been different if I'd worn something else?

I looked up from my mobile phone, lost in thought, and Manuel and I looked at each other in shock as he came towards me with a small suitcase.

"You call that casual chic?" I asked him sceptically and couldn't help but grin in amazement as my gaze glided over his body.

Manuel was wearing black jogging trousers with a tight muscle shirt, a college jacket and white trainers.
He looked like a different person.
Young and sporty. But just as tempting.

As I let my eyes glide over his body, I realised with a little ping that he was, young and sporty.

Whereas I had always seen him in a suit or shirt in the past few weeks, today he was dressed for his age for a change.
When my eyes returned to his face, there it was again. That gleam in his eyes, the broad grin.

"I could say the same to you. This is my flying outfit, don't worry I have other things with me. I always fly in a jogging suit. Where are you going today, dressed so smartly? These shoes must be terribly uncomfortable," he grinned all over his face and his sympathetic dimples stood out. The way he glanced over my body made me shudder.

I quickly looked down at myself and nervously stroked my black trousers and white blouse.

"I always fly like this. It's super cosy and you never know who you'll meet at the airport or on the plane," I countered honestly. My teenage self was still hoping to meet a celebrity while flying and then I wanted to look good in the photo.
Manuel nodded slightly in agreement, as if he agreed with my argument.

"Shall we?" he asked in a deep, raspy voice.

His voice, calm and gentle, flowed through me and hit a spot that I didn't realise was dormant in my body.

Manuel was the complete opposite of me.
Young and athletic.
Calm and gentle.
Light-hearted and cheerful.

I just nodded sheepishly as my thoughts raced through my head. As if he could hear or read her, he raised an eyebrow questioningly. His gaze literally asked What's wrong?

What had the newspaper article said this morning?

You should keep a close eye on the person opposite you. If he raises his eyebrows in conversation, it shows that he is listening to you attentively and intently.