Dwayne's usual bravado was nowhere to be seen as he made his way through the office. He greeted everyone with a genuine smile and a "good morning," and even took the time to stop and chat with a few of the employees. They were all surprised by the change in his demeanor, and it wasn't long before the whole office was buzzing with the news of the "new Dwayne."
But no one was more surprised than Courtney. When she saw Dwayne that morning, she hardly recognized him. He was like a completely different person. She wondered if something had happened to cause this sudden change, but she didn't want to pry. She just hoped that the new Dwayne was here to stay.
As the day went on, Courtney noticed that Dwayne was much more considerate of others than he had been before. He listened to people's ideas and suggestions, and he even took the time to ask how they were doing. He seemed genuinely interested in getting to know the people he worked with, and it was clear that he was trying to be a better person.
It was a welcome change, and Courtney couldn't help but feel a little bit hopeful. Maybe things were finally turning around for the better.
But as the day drew to a close, Dwayne found himself struggling to keep up the new attitude. He was exhausted from putting on a "nice guy" act all day, and he felt like he was about to snap. But he didn't want to let everyone down. He didn't want to go back to being the person he had been before.
As he was getting ready to leave for the day, he saw Courtney in the hallway. She gave him a small smile, and he couldn't help but return it. But then, he saw something in her eyes that made him pause. It was sadness, maybe even fear. Just as Dwayne was about to ask Courtney if everything was okay, he heard a voice from down the hallway. "Dwayne? Are you ready for our meeting?"
It was his father, the CEO of the company. Dwayne turned to Courtney, his expression apologetic. "I'm so sorry, but I have to go. We can talk later."
Before Courtney could respond, he was already walking away, leaving her standing alone in the hallway. She felt a mixture of disappointment and confusion, but she knew there was nothing she could do.
That night, as she was getting ready for bed, she couldn't help but wonder what was going on with Dwayne. Was he really the changed man he seemed to be, or was it all an act? And what was the truth behind the sadness she had seen in his eyes?
As she drifted off to sleep, she hoped that she would get the chance to talk to him again soon. But little did she know that the next time they met, it would be under very different circumstance.
*************
Courtney walked into the office the next morning, she saw Dwayne sitting at his desk with a woman she had never seen before. The woman was laughing and talking to Dwayne in a way that made Courtney feel uneasy. It seemed like they were getting along well, and Courtney couldn't help but wonder if there was something more to their relationship.
As Courtney made her way to her desk, she heard the woman, who she now knew as Jane, mention how excited she was to be working with Dwayne on this project. "You're such a great leader," she said, her voice full of admiration. Dwayne smiled and thanked her,
but Courtney could tell that he was a bit uncomfortable with the attention. As the day went on, Courtney noticed that Jane seemed to go out of her way to talk to Dwayne, asking him questions about the project or asking for his advice on various things. It was starting to become obvious that Jane had a crush on Dwayne, and Courtney couldn't help but feel a twinge of jealousy.
When lunchtime came, Dwayne invited Jane to join him for a quick bite to eat. Courtney tried not to feel hurt by this, but it was hard not to. She had to remind herself that Dwayne was just being friendly.
Courtney found herself confused by the feelings she was experiencing. She had never thought of Dwayne in a romantic way before, so why was she feeling jealous now? It didn't make any sense. Maybe it was just the stress of the new job and the pressure of trying to impress Dwayne. She had to get herself under control.
But as the day wore on, she couldn't stop thinking about Dwayne and Jane. Every time she saw them together, she felt a little pang of jealousy. She couldn't stand it anymore. She had to get out of the office.
She decided to take a walk, hoping that the fresh air would help clear her head. As she walked, she couldn't stop thinking about Dwayne and Jane. What if they were more than just colleagues? What if they were secretly dating? The thought made her stomach churn.
She tried to push the thoughts out of her head, but they kept coming back. She felt like she was going crazy. She couldn't get a grip on her emotions.
Finally, she decided to just face the problem head on. She needed to talk to Dwayne and find out once and for all what was going on. She turned around and marched back to the office.
Just as Courtney was about to burst into Dwayne's office, her phone rang. She saw it was Jake, her best friend from college. She hesitated for a moment, but then decided to answer the call. Maybe talking to him would help her calm down.
"Hey, Jake!" she said, trying to sound cheerful.
"Hey, Court!" he said, his voice bright and upbeat. "How's everything going? How's the new job?"
Courtney took a deep breath and started to tell him about her day. She found herself pouring out all her thoughts and feelings, and Jake was a great listener.As Courtney talked, she remembered that Jake was gay. It was something they had both known since college, but it wasn't something they talked about very often. In fact, it was almost something they never talked about. But now, she found herself wondering if that might be part of the reason she trusted him so much. There was no sexual tension between them, and they could just be friends, without any of the drama that often came with relationships.
"I'm sorry," she said, cutting herself off in the middle of her story. "I'm just rambling ."
"No, it's okay!" Jake said. "You can ramble to me any time you want. That's what best friends are for, right?"
Courtney smiled. "You're the best, Jake," she said. "I don't know what I would do without you."
"You'd probably be going crazy right now, trying to figure out what to do about Dwayne," he said, laughing. "But seriously, what's going on with you two? You sounded a little stressed on the phone."
Courtney sighed. "It's a long story," she said. "But I'll try to give you the short version." And so, Courtney told Jake about her encounter with Dwayne and Jane at the coffee shop. She told him about the meeting and how Dwayne had acted like nothing had happened. And then she told him about the feelings of jealousy and insecurity that had been swirling around in her head all day.
Jake listened patiently, asking questions and offering advice when he could. When she was done, he was silent for a moment, and then he said, "You know, it sounds like you're overthinking this. Have you considered that maybe Dwayne and Jane are just friends?" Jake thought for a moment. "Court, it seems like you have mixed feelings about Dwayne. On one hand, you're upset with him because he's been giving you a hard time at work. But on the other hand, you're obviously attracted to him. It's okay to have mixed feelings like that. It doesn't make you a bad person. But I think it might be a good idea to take some time to sort out your feelings and figure out what you really want."
Courtney sighed. "You're right. I just feel so confused and overwhelmed. I don't know what to do."
Jake was sympathetic. "Maybe you should try taking a break from thinking about Dwayne for a while. Do something to relax and clear your head. And then, when you're feeling calmer, you can think about your feelings again and figure out what you want to do."
Courtney thought about that for a moment. "That sounds like a good idea," she said. "I'll take some time to relax and then reassess the situation. Thanks, Jake. You always know just what to say."
"No problem," Jake said. "I'm always here for you, no matter what."
Courtney smiled. Dwayne came back from his lunch break feeling refreshed and ready to get back to work. But as he entered the office, he noticed something different. Courtney was sitting at her desk, smiling to herself. It was a rare sight, and he couldn't help but wonder what could possibly be making her smile. Usually, she was all business, focused and intense. But today, she seemed lighter, happier.
Dwayne made his way over to her desk. "What's got you in such a good mood?" he asked, his curiosity getting the better of him.
Courtney looked up and smiled at him. "Oh,nothing, really," she said, but her eyes betrayed her. There was definitely something going on.
Dwayne raised an eyebrow, not quite believing her. "Come on, You're obviously not going to lie to my face that you were smiling for no reason."
Courtney laughed. "Fine, you caught me. I was just chatting with a friend and it put me in a good mood."
"A friend?" Dwayne asked, surprised. He knew Courtney didn't have many friends outside of work. "Who is it?"Dwayne couldn't help but feel a twinge of jealousy. "Is it your boyfriend?" he asked, his voice tight. He knew it was a foolish question, but he couldn't help himself.
Courtney's eyes widened in surprise. "Boyfriend? No, I don't have a boyfriend. I was talking to my friend, Jake."
Dwayne felt relief wash over him. "Oh, your friend Jake," he said, trying to sound nonchalant, " well there is so much work to do so I better get back to my desk, and get to work" he said with a straight face and sounding professional, "oh....okay, I guess you should" she stuttered and immediately looked into her laptop pretending to be busy all of a sudden.
As the day went on they both kept stealing stares at each other while the other was not looking, there was silence in the office through out the day.
At exactly 5:00pm Dwayne thought to himself that Courtney must have been tired so he told her to stop all work so they could close for the day, normally both of them are one of the last person's to leave the building as they always have load of work to do. Courtney was surprised and was not sure if she should go home or not, Dwayne was still working and it would be unethical to leave her boss in the office and go home, besides she was trying her best to impress him.
The air started getting cold and the clouds got darker, clearly indicating that it was going to rain, " Courtney I think you should start heading home, before you get soaked in the rain" Dwayne said, his tone expressing concern and worry. Courtney looked outside the glass window and looked at Dwayne, " maybe you're right sir, I should start heading home before I get soaked in the rain.
She immediately closed her laptop packed her files and started walking towards the door, she rushed out of the office and headed towards the elevator.