She spotted a familiar head of frizzy blond hair waiting in the corridor. It was Steven, one of the younger developers. "Hi Julia. Um…how'd it go in there?" he asked hesitantly.
"Very well, thank you. I got approval for the variation." She grinned at him and noticed how he stood up straighter and unconsciously returned her smile. He was in his early twenties and she'd heard he was quite good at his job. His social skills weren't very polished though, and his wardrobe seemed to be limited to long-sleeved t-shirts and corduroy pants. He seemed like the harmless sort, a stereo-typical computer geek.
"That's great news," Steven replied. "You're really good - at doing business cases I mean." He blushed unexpectedly. Julia looked at him curiously, wondering whether he had been waiting for her or standing there for some other reason. She often noticed he was nearby but he never talked to her before. Steven wasn't even on her project team, so it wasn't like they had much reason to interact.
Steven started to look a little panicked, as if he didn't know what to say next. Julia suddenly realized a potential explanation for his odd behaviour. Perhaps the younger man had a crush on her. If that was true it would be flattering but a little embarrassing. She didn't really want to encourage his attention. He wasn't the kind of guy she would normally date, and there was also their age difference to consider. She decided it would be best to limit contact with him.
She put on a professional, but disinterested, smile. "Thanks Steven. Well, I had better get back to work now. Have a nice day," she said brightly.
"Ok… you too," he stammered. Julia walked away and hoped he wasn't still watching her. She put a lot of effort into earning respect and even admiration from her colleagues, but a crush was taking things a bit too far.
Julia returned to her office. It was scarcely bigger than a supply closet but it was sufficient considering she was a contractor and not a permanent employee. She had a couple of motivational posters on the walls, a potted fern in the corner, and a door she could close when she needed to have a difficult telephone conversation. Most of the building was open plan so she was quite lucky in that respect. She sat down and started checking progress reports and scheduling meetings for tomorrow.
***
Julia arrived at her home in Kelburn a little after 6pm. She dumped her laptop, slipped off her heels and padded into the kitchen to cook a quick healthy stir-fry for dinner. The phone rang just as she was cleaning up the dishes.