A Trip to the Beach

First, it should be explained that, in general, he and I didn't (and still don't) communicate well. Even now, after it is all done, I can't exactly put my finger on why. But there you have it - when things were great, when we were still "together," we were preteen-awkward at getting our points across to each other. There weren't too many complaints beyond that issue, but, well, that's a pretty big issue...

Secondly, you need to know that he and I work together.
And, yes, I know what you are thinking, "relationships in the work environment never have a good chance." I know, I know. And there are all sorts of good stories surrounding that detail, but I'll save that for another blog.

It was Wednesday. The day that we were moving our office from one location to another. And ironically, we were moving from one upstairs office suite to another upstairs office suite. I think my Boss wanted to hint at a health initiative, but I think that the ridiculous amounts of pizza that were delivered to the new office location more than probably compensated for any calories lost hauling down-then-up-again all the boxes, computer equipment and furniture.

I didn't have the kid on this particular evening. His dad had taken him to spend the week with his grandparents in Eastern, NC. I missed him, but with the packing and hauling drama aplenty at the office, I was pretty much tapped. I knew that a trip to the grands was never better timed, and I appreciated having the opportunity to just focus on the extended workdays of first client engagement and then packing and moving. As I've already said, it was on the late side of the day- my energy pretty much gone, my muscles jello; I was on auto-pilot barely smiling when I passed people, even him, on my trips up and down.

My mind was honed on cheering my body onward, so I was shocked-snapped back into reality when he found me in the loft area, came close behind me and grabbed my hips.

"Hey, come just a bit this way," he said as he steered my body by pushing my hips a little to the left and towards the front of the building. "Look through the window," he said low into my ear.

Just so you know, there are two small square windows on the front of the office building. They are very easy to see through from the open loft area that is just outside my private office.

"Pretend the trees are ocean waves. And let's say that the power lines are sand. Isn't it a beautiful day to watch the sunset on the beach?"

The sun was low on the horizon, already dipping just a bit behind the treeline. It was a vibrant mix of pink, purple and orange. It was bright, but not unpleasantly so. It was perfect.

I was 100% in this moment and melted like some sappy character in a romance novel. He wrapped his arms around my waist and rested his chin on my shoulder. We shared a deep and happy sigh. I was stunned at his ability in this moment to reach across our typical awkwardness and land a solid romantic moment that had me breathless (and honestly, ready to call it a day and take him to bed). The entire exchange was no more than 5 minutes.

When it was done, I knew that I could love him for a lifetime of 5 minutes at a time.