A Toast to Tonight

Sensing my hesitation, Z did not press the issue.

"It's okay. If you're not ready, we can wait a little longer," he said. "We can take it slow, darling."

I felt a wave of warmth wash over me, followed by a surge of courage.

Bracing myself, I replied, "Let's meet up, sweetie. How about we catch a movie this Saturday?"

Today was Tuesday. I still had three days to be properly prepared.

There was a pause, followed by a soft chuckle. "We're just meeting up, babe. No need to brace yourself like it's certain death."

I was speechless. This was Z's second flaw—he'd occasionally channel Zack's ruthlessness, always catching me off guard with his dark humor.

"What else do you want to do apart from the movie? What kind of food do you prefer?" asked Z.

Perhaps sensing my nervousness, Z chatted with me about a lot of things, mostly involving the details for our meeting.

In the end, we hadn't decided on a restaurant, but we narrowed down what we wanted to eat.

For some reason, I suddenly felt less nervous. I even found myself looking forward to this.

The next day, I went to work, humming a tune.

I couldn't resist texting Z while I was out. "We're meeting up in two days! I'm excited! I wish it were Saturday already!

"It's a great day, too! I don't need to see my boss' stupid face, and we get to cuddle!"

After exiting the subway, I still had to cross the road to get to the office.

I'd just reached the crossing when I spotted Zack waiting for the red light in his red Ferrari convertible.

I was just about to feign ignorance when he happened to look over.

I had no choice. I forced out a smile, prepared to greet him. Before I could speak, he looked away and sped off the second the light turned green.

This prick. Did he think he was a hotshot just because he had a Ferrari? Well, it WAS quite impressive. Why couldn't I be rich, too? Could the world not handle one more?

At the office, I went to the pantry to make myself coffee.

Just then, my colleague, Jenny Wilkins, walked in looking like she'd just seen a ghost.

"Holy crap, I have breaking news! I just sent Mr. Barlow his coffee, and I saw him smiling at his phone!" she exclaimed. "He was actually smiling! Is he even human?"

I loved a good spectacle. "He wouldn't be human if he couldn't smile, you mean."

I held my coffee, thinking of the scene in the elevator last night. "But I did see him smile at his phone yesterday, too," I added.

Jenny's eyes widened as she covered her mouth. "He must be in love!" she whispered. "When I left, I think I heard him say 'baby.' Goodness! I wonder who this person is, to have snagged him!"

I couldn't help but shake my head as I thought of the way Zack was impassively telling people off. I wondered who'd fall in love with a mouth like that. She must've been really unlucky.

However, this was none of my business. There were so many unfortunate people in the world, and I couldn't possibly care about them all.

The most important thing now was to give Zack the revised proposal while he was still in good spirits. Otherwise, I was going to be in big trouble.

…

Jenny was right—Zack was definitely dating.

After reviewing the proposal, not only did he not criticize me, but he even offered me a warm compliment. "Thanks for your hard work, Ms. Atlas."

He was completely different from the man who sped off, leaving me inhaling exhaust fumes.

When had I ever heard him speak so kindly? Was this the power of love?

Even his withered heart could become whole.