when we met. g/glove.

Hayley
Late again. I couldn’t believe I was late for work again yesterday. I am so going to get fired. I tried. I really did. The bus was running late. I ran once I got off, but there were so many people on the sidewalk. I was weaving around them as fast as I could, but it was hopeless.

Today I was going to be on time if it killed me. I hated that my boss thought I was flighty. That’s what he called me. Flighty. Well, today I wasn’t going to be flighty. I was thirty minutes early.

I grabbed my coat and my scarf and my… glove. One glove. Damn. I pawed through my closet, but I couldn’t find the other one. I remembered pulling my gloves off as I reached the office yesterday. That must have been when I lost one of them. I gave up looking and shoved the single glove into my coat pocket.

• • •

Donovan
Yesterday a stunning woman ran past me on the sidewalk. Much to the displeasure of others around me, I stopped and turned to watch her. When I noticed a glove she’d dropped, I picked it up, giving myself a perfectly legitimate reason to follow her. But before I could reach her, she disappeared into a huge office building at the end of the block. I hurried after her, even entering the building. But by the time I got inside, she was gone. I had no way to find her—not in a thirty story building.

Today I made my way to her building earlier than I’d seen her yesterday. I leaned against the brick wall near the entrance and looked in the direction she’d come from when I found her glove. I had already decided that I’d come back every day until I saw her again. But I didn’t have to.

This time, when she approached her office, she wasn’t in a hurry. And she wasn’t wearing gloves. I couldn’t help smiling. When she was near, I pushed off the wall and took a step in her direction.

“Excuse me?” I said.

She turned to me, and I froze for a moment. Warm light brown hair falling in waves on her shoulders, eyes sparkling blue, and an inquisitive but captivating smile—beautiful.

“Yes?”

I reached into my pocket and pulled out her glove. “You dropped this yesterday.”

She looked at her glove in my hand and then back into my eyes. “And you came back here today to return it?” She was clearly surprised.

“Of course.” When I smiled, she smiled back. So pretty.

She took her glove from my hand, barely taking her eyes off mine. “Let me buy you a cup of coffee to say thank you.”

“That’s not necessary,” I said, although I definitely wanted more time with her.

“I insist.” She extended a hand to me. “I’m Hayley.”

“Donovan.” I took her hand for a moment—a moment that wasn’t long enough.

• • •

Hayley
I can’t believe he brought my glove to me. I had to thank him properly. But most of the ways I wanted to thank him were entirely inappropriate. I settled for offering him coffee.

I might be late for work again, but I couldn’t bring myself to care.

—♥—

p.s. — This was one of the letters that I struggled with, but I’m happy with what I settled on. Just for fun, here’s a list of g-words I considered: graduation, girlfriend, gallery, glass, goat (no fucking idea where I was going with this one), gardener (still might want to develop this one), guitar, graveyard, gym, gift, glove.

Hot guy: model Justice Joslin

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