6. Walter
WALTER
The second I could get out of here without getting too much attention, I left. I needed air and some time to think in a space where my eyes weren’t going to be constantly seeking Archie out.
I was a professional.
I was here to do a job.
I could do this.
Except I couldn’t.
The intensity of the emotions flowing through my body had me shaking, and I didn’t know what to do with them.
I felt sick, but also sad, and also scared.
Along with a side of turned on. I was such a hot freaking mess.
All because I saw Archie. We hadn’t had an altercation or so much as a wave.
He came into my sight and it was game over.
I now understood what people meant when they said the one that got away never leaves.
Because what do you mean just getting a glance of this man had me reacting in this way?
Shouldn’t I have seen him and been let down, wondering why he lived in my head rent-free for all these years?
That was the logical way this should’ve gone down.
Instead, my body and my brain were doubling and tripling down on my feelings toward him. Make it make sense.
And worse than that, he didn’t seem to notice me.
He walked right past me like I was a rando in the crowd.
I kept playing that moment over and over in my head, and each time I felt worse about myself than the time before.
He didn’t recognize me, or if he did, he didn’t care. I wasn’t sure which was worse.
I was aware that my reaction wasn’t normal. None of this was. I’d met the guy once. One time. We didn’t date. We didn’t kiss. We didn’t exchange numbers. We didn’t talk about our favorite foods. None of that. And yet, here I was wondering if I was going to be able to make it through the night.
If I was here because it sounded fun it would be one thing, but I was here to do my job, and that wasn’t negotiable.
Making it through the event, talking to people, and getting the facts was the bare minimum.
Hiding away like this was only going to make this worse.
But convincing myself to go back inside was proving a challenge.
I pulled out my phone and tried to mentally go through the list of people at work to see if I could think of somebody who could take my place and might be willing to.
Yes, the ticket had my name on it, but I’d figure out those details later.
When I pulled open my messaging app, there was a new group text waiting for me.
It was great news about Joseph. His surgery had gone well. He was recovering. Everybody was filling the feed with relief and best wishes despite Joseph not being a member.
And then I entered the chat without even thinking and typed away.
I’m struggling tonight at the hockey event. Is there anyone who can come tag-team me out?
I couldn’t say, “Listen, the one that got away is here, and I don’t know how to react to that, and I’m about to shut down.
” Although, possibly that honesty would have had better results than what came, which was crickets.
No longer were people saying how happy they were for Joseph. They were just gone.
My phone vibrated in my hand. It was Truman in our private chat. I didn’t need to tap it to know I was in trouble with my boss. It was one word. No.
I understand, was all I sent back. I didn’t want to make things worse.
Now I had to write an article a million times better than any I’d done before because he knew I was trying to get out of it.
If he thought I was half-assing the assignment, it would only make my life worse.
I’d been at this office barely a month and was already proving myself to be someone who pawned their job off. Fuck.
I nearly called him to tell him what was happening.
I wasn’t under the impression that he’d care or it would make a difference, but I had to get it out because processing all of this alone wasn’t making things better.
Maybe if I had tapped Archie’s shoulder and talked to him, this would’ve been over and done with.
He’d have said hi and moved on. Too late for that.
It was official. There was no getting out of this assignment. My boss put his foot down. I had to suck it up and get it done.
I was gonna move back into the main event, stay as far away from the hockey players as I could, while close enough to overhear people to get the sense for how they were feeling.
I’d hide behind my tablet if need be, anything to get through the night.
But one thing I was not doing was approaching Archie.
I’d keep myself looking busy and leave the second it was appropriate.
And if my stomach revolted, which was a very real possibility, I’d bolt to the bathroom.
It was ridiculous that I needed a plan to get through a job that was pretty easy to do.
I was a grown-ass man trained in this field.
I’d been to all different kinds of events.
Sometimes I was the person lugging shit around and sometimes I was the guy taking notes, but I’d been there, and never once had I dropped the ball the way I nearly did tonight.
A whiff of cologne from the suit hit my nose again.
It was annoying smelling another man while I was thinking of Archie.
It annoyed me in a way that it shouldn’t.
And it was because I knew this wasn’t Archie’s scent and gave me some guilt.
Like I should only be smelling him. Because that was a normal response.
I couldn’t take the scent and made a stop at the bathroom on the way back to wash my hands and face, not wanting the cologne sticking to me.
It wasn’t old lady or post highschool gym class heavy.
The scent had nearly faded away, but it was too intense for me.
It would still be on the jacket, but there was nothing I could do about that.
I checked to make sure I still had everything. My keys, my phone, my ticket, my tablet, etc. and went back inside.
I could handle this.
I could.
Probably.
I had no choice.
My plan went well for about ten minutes.
I hid in the back, pretended to be busy, and tried not to stare at anyone from the team.
For a second there, I thought I was going to be able to get out of here in one piece, but then the auction, the biggest moneymaker of the night potentially, was announced.
I thought wrong.