"Excellent," he said, rising from his seat and heading for the door, "let's head down to the cafeteria then."

"Oh," I said, my voice a tad shaky as I popped out of my seat, my surprise more linked to the strange feeling of disappointment I felt rather than over the revelation that we'd simply be moving down a few floors to the large eating space. "Okay, then, let me grab my employee card and..."

"Just so you know, that's not where we'll be eating," he said, his words drawing my eyes back to him to find a slight smirk on his lips. "We're just grabbing food, then we'll be heading to a more comfortable and a far quieter location."

"Oh, alright." The disappointment that had rumbled my words earlier was replaced by a swift change of emotions. In it's place, my wild curiosity returned and wondered what exactly my devious subconscious was so intrigued by.

I stewed on my emotions as we made our quick run to the cafeteria to acquire food. However, by the time we were back in the elevator and Alec had selected the second floor from the top for our destination, I had yet to dissect the surge of energy prickling along my skin. And that energy was only amplified by Alec's strange selection for our dinner arrangements. As far as I knew, the floor he chose was reserved for the executives of Quinto Technologies as well as their various administrators and aides. I assumed there would be far more spacious offices with wide open windows available on the executive floor, but not anything worth going out of our way considering it would look all very similar to what we had left.

Alec, however, seemed confident about his compromise. He hummed a little to himself as the numbers ticked away. Despite my best efforts, his sweet tune, the smell of the warm, savory scents wafting up from our dinner, and the image of us standing side by side in the reflection of the elevator doors caused me to smile a delighted grin. One I hoped he couldn't make out from our blurred mirror counterparts in the door.

Once we reached our floor, Alec ushered me out and into the labyrinth of offices. The halls were dark except for the few safety lights that illuminated just enough of the floor to keep it navigable. Alec, however, didn't seem to need the guidance. He stepped around corners without hesitation and swept past doors without giving them a second's notice. Finally, he reached what had to be the farthest end of the floor from the elevators. There, two glass doors awaited us.

"Wow," I said, as Alec held one of the doors open for me and sent me out into the cool night air. "Who knew some place like this existed here?"

Clearly the answer was Alec and everyone on the executive floor, but that didn't quell my shock. Before me stood a wide patio paved with ornamental stones and lined with vibrant fall flowers and tailored bushes. Beyond the intricate cast iron railing was the purpling sky with only a subtle orange glow painting the horizon and illuminating the city. Alec headed over to one of the plush couches that encircled a long table of dark, polished wood. He flicked on a lamp so that a soft halo of light gave us some visibility in the dwindling reach of the falling sun.

"It's intended for executive use," clarified Alec with a satisfied smile, "but most of them have either headed home or out for long dinner meetings. So I figured the floor would be wide open and the patio free for use."

"You're lucky you are high enough to get to use spaces like this," I said with an awe that only propelled me forward in my dream to climb the ranks in the company. "It seems like you know this place pretty well. You must get to enjoy this pampering all the time."

"Mhmm."

That was the only response I got as I placed my dinner and notes down on to the table. I looked up at him from the tops of my eyes, trying to decipher his muteness. However, all I found were thin, hard set lips and a distant gaze that focused somewhere on the city skyline.

"Do you see anything out there?" I asked, hopeful to get some hint from him as to why I suddenly felt like I committed yet another conversational faux pas.

"Sometimes it's nice not to look for anything."

His answer may have been cryptic, but a small smile returned and he faced me once again before sitting down.

"I can understand that," I said with a light laugh that sounded as fake as it was. Trying to cut my losses I took a seat across from him.

"Let's review the billboard before trying to tackle the print ads again. I had Dennis reposition some of the text so that the composition really carried the eye around the board." He pulled out some mockups he brought up in a portfolio case and spread them out on the table for me to glance over.

"Well it looks great. I think you really have a knack for this. I'm glad you're doing the advertising instead of me."

I truly meant it, but that didn't keep my eyes on the designs. Instead I watched Alec, assessing what may have just passed over him. However, he simply unwrapped his sandwich with a content smile. Nothing of what I saw remained and so we continued on our work as if nothing had changed. I began to doubt I was as good at reading people as I thought I was. It was an important skill to have in public relations, but Alec was proving to be a challenge.

As the night wore on, a cool, fresh autumn breeze played with my hair and brushed the sweet aroma of the flowers against my nose. It coaxed my eyes away from the endless notes before me and out towards the breathtaking cityscape. If Alec noticed, he said nothing. If anything, I thought I saw him smile at my distracted gaze. Apparently, I was far easier to read than he was.

The buildings were lost in the ever darkening embrace of night, only the fierce glow of street lamps and the golden windows flecked across the various apartment buildings gave the city definition. It seemed like the right time for me to go and add my own little square of gold to the horizon. So I tucked away my tablet into my satchel and readied myself to answer my bed's beckoning call.

Across from me, Alec had already cleaned up our dinners and collected his things. He had his back to me, his arms spread across the length of the table as he leaned against the hard surface. He looked up into the sky with a pleased, serene smile upon his face.

"I have to give it to you," I said, trying to follow his gaze, "this is quite a find. You did good. Thank you."

"I'm glad you're happy with it. You've been working so hard, I just really wanted to give you something in return."

He spun around and for the first time I saw what had to be a real, natural smile on his face. Not a tired grin or a calm smirk, but a full on smile with teeth and everything. Sure it was a little crooked and his teeth weren't perfect, pearly whites, but it was captivating. Then, he wasn't the boss. He was human. In that moment, he was just a coworker or even a friend. A blush rose to the tops of my cheeks and my breath caught in my throat. I felt his eyes travel over me, assessing my nervous smirk, and that only intensified the tension zipping across my skin.

I needed to break the silence.

"Were you looking at the stars just now?" I felt pretty proud having managed even that much considering the tight knot forming in my chest.

"Yes, I'm a bit of a stargazer."

His casual tone settled my nerves and I managed to ease the pressure gripping my shoulders and face him with a relaxed stance.

"What does that mean? Do you have a telescope? Do you just like to look? Or do you actually know some of their names?"

"I know more than some," he said with a light laugh. "I've grown quite familiar with the constellations that loom over our city. Though admittedly there's only so many you can see with the constant glow around here."

"Can you see any tonight?"

"Yeah, with it being a weekday the city isn't lit up quite as much as it is on weekends. Plus the sky is clear and the moon isn't far from being new. Here I can show you."

I expected him to turn back around and start pointing out some of the brighter stars floating above us. However, he instead rose up from his seat and went to turn off the lamps around the patio. As I waited for him to finish up, I tried my best to recollect some of the major constellations I learned in school. I was fairly certain I could pick out the big dipper, but the only other one I could remember was Orion with his belt that was so easy to spot. I gazed up into the sky, looking for the starry hunter, but found him to be rather elusive. Just as I was about to give up and ask Alec if Orion was even out at this time of year, I felt the sudden press of heat against my back.

"Follow my finger, do you see the square?"

Alec's voice came soft and low next to my ear. I felt his breath rustle my hair and his chest brush against my shoulder blades with each breath he took. His arm rested against the side of mine, doing his best to guide me at my line of sight. His hand stretched forward and up as his finger pointed towards a cluster of stars that might have been the square he referred to.

"I think so," I said with a breathless anticipation that he may or may not have heard.

"That is Pegasus and a little ways down is Andromeda. If you follow her leg down, you'll see Perseus. By her other leg is Cassiopeia."

I certainly saw some collection of stars, how they represented a flying horse and some people, I don't know. However, with Alec as close as he was, I frankly didn't care.

"Pegasus was born after Perseus cut off Medusa's head and her blood spilled into the sea, who was Poseidon. Perseus later tamed Pegasus and used it as his mount. As for Andromeda, Perseus found her chained to a rock to be sacrificed to Cetus — his constellation is a bit farther down over there. Her mother, Cassiopeia, had boasted of Andromeda's beauty over Poseidon's own daughters and it was Andromeda who was made to suffer. But Perseus saved her and the two lived happily ever after together. Well, as happily as anyone in classical mythology could live."

"All that in the stars?"

I regretted the question immediately because to answer it Alec decided to pull away and move over to my side so we could be face to face.

"The Greeks knew how to tell a story, and the best part is they've immortalized it into the sky for generations to come."

I tried to utter a question, anything, to add to the conversation, but the cold of the night air had caught my tongue. At least, that's what I told myself.

"It's getting late," he finally said when a shiver took hold of me. "Will you need me to walk you to the station? I usually take the red line back, but you're along the green line, right? I can ride with you. I don't want you walking the streets this late alone if you aren't comfortable."

"It's okay. I think...I think I'll just get a cab. I'm just real tired and tomorrow is a big day."

I fortunately didn't go on to explain that I simply didn't want to walk home with him because my nerves were so jittery that I might fall apart if I stayed in his company any longer.

"Well, if it's okay, I'll wait with you until the cab gets here."

"Thank you. I appreciate it."

We both headed back to the elevator, where Alec called a cab and then urged me to expense the ride on the department since it was he who kept me so late. I nodded my head, but remained silent. I was too busy thinking to manage anything more than that. Just too busy thinking that maybe Alec had reason to worry about appearances and rumors turning up. Because, at least when it came to me, it seemed the rumors might actually be true.

***

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