Connected: Part 4 of the On The Edge Series

My day was a mix of racing between meetings and drive-by conversations with coworkers I bumped into as I sprinted between conference rooms. It was nice connecting with people I didn't regularly meet with while working remotely, but moving between floors was exhausting. My mind continuously wandering to Billy, Jackson, and others added to the fatigue. The sun was falling in the late afternoon sky when I had a moment to settle my mind on Luke meeting Billy. A level of concern coursed through me at the idea of their meeting. I had told Luke most things about our relationship but left out one piece... his profession. The haunting memories of Sam meeting Billy flooded back to me. I pushed them aside. Luke couldn't break up with me, but I remember Tim announcing we were over even as the idea crossed my mind.

"Hello, hello," Luke said as he plopped down in the chair facing my desk. If you had walked by first thing this morning and again at the end of the day, it would've looked like Luke hadn't moved all day. "So, after a day here in paradise, you realized the error of your ways and have decided not to move."

"I'm not leaving the company; I'm just going to be working remotely more."

"But who will I get lunch with, and coffee, and drinks? Don't make me become friends with Jim in sales."

"First, Jim in sales is not that bad, and second, you'll be fine. You're so dramatic." As I spoke, Billy texted that he was in the elevator on his way up. "He's here." My voice cracked with a mix of excitement and fear. "Remember, be cool."

"Why do you keep saying that? I'm cool. I'll meet you back here; I have to grab my phone in case Kath texts."

As we parted ways, I gave him a nod. Billy was meandering out of the elevator when I reached the floor door.

"There she is. This place is great, right downtown." He smiled as his hand landed on my hips, pulling me in for a kiss.

"Yeah, lots of lunch options," I agreed as I led him to my office.

"Holy shit, you have a nice office," Billy said as he tapped at my telepresence unit, causing it to blink alive. It was unexpected to him as he flinched at the sudden change in the screen. He shook it off and returned his attention to me. "So, how was your first day back?"

"It's not like I haven't been working," I reminded him with a bit of a whine. "My friend Luke is hanging around to meet you. He just went to get his bag. Real quick, he knows about you, but doesn't know that you are..." I paused, looking for the right word.

"Insanely good-looking?" Billy finished.

"No, that's not it."

"Wildly charismatic?"

"No. It's just that... well, I never told him you work with Tim Denning, so he may fan out over Timmy."

"Right, over Tim. I get that a lot," Billy teased as he pulled me back in for a kiss.

There was a knock on my open door as Luke cleared his throat.

"Oh, hey!" I said as I pulled away from Billy. "So, Billy, this is Luke, and Luke, this is Billy."

"Hey man, nice to meet you," Billy extended a hand to him.

"Yeah, yeah; nice to meet you too." Luke looked Billy up and down before adding, "Lil, could I have a moment with you?"

"Sure thing, buddy." I gave Billy an exaggerated wince as I passed him, causing a laugh to spill from his lips.

"Lily, is your ex-boyfriend Billy Collins?" Luke pressed as soon as we were out of my office.

"Um, yes, and he's also my current..." My words dropped as one of my fingers twisted at the engagement ring.

"And your old friend Tim is Tim Denning," Luke continued.