Talking

I met Daniel at Starbucks the day after he text me. We had breakfast and sat in companionable silence while we ate and sipped our non-fat cappuccinos.

"I like you. You know that, right?"

I had no idea what to say to that so I just sat there looking like a deer caught in headlights.

He laughed. "Sorry, I know that was blunt, but I didn't know if you understood or
not."

"Understand what?"

His face grew very serious. "I like being with you. A lot."

"Daniel." I had to stop him before this went too far. "I don't want to hurt you."

"Then don't." He smiled but the humor never reached his eyes.

"I'm not ready for any kind of relationship right now. I am in a new place in my life and I'm not ready move on yet."

I looked up from my hands, not even brave enough to look him in the eye as I said it. I expected him to look angry or dejected. Instead, he seemed thoughtful. "What?" I asked after a long silence.

"It's just this place where you are now. Are there any other men in it?"

After considering my options, I went with the truth. "Yes. Lots of them," I said with a smirk. I tried not to laugh at the shocked expression on his face. "I have never just gone on dates without getting in a relationship before. No strings involved."

"And now?"

I felt myself blush and nodded. "And now, I find that I flourish under those conditions. I am finding out things about myself that I never knew."

"What if I said I wanted to take you out? No strings attached."

I raised one eyebrow, incredulous now. "But you don't want that," I stated plainly.

"You don't know what I want," he muttered like he was speaking to himself.

"I don't want to hurt you.". I felt it crucial to get that message across. "You deserve better than me."

I didn't know what to make of his bitter laugh then.

"If we didn't work together, would you go out with me?"

"No strings?"

"Nope."

I grinned. "Most definitely."

"So work is a string?"

"Yep. It would be a little awkward, don't you think?"

"Only if you made it that way," he said pointedly.

"So what are you saying. We can't just be friends any more?"

"No," he paused before adding, "I want a little more."

I sighed, leaning back in my chair. "I can't give you more."

He shifted in his seat, leaning into the space I'd just vacated. "What if I wanted benefits, too. There's no strings for that is there?"

"You're serious?" I said, my voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Completely."

"Work would still be a problem," I reminded him.

"Why?" he asked, putting on an innocent expression.

"Because the benefits could be...lost. And anyway why are you so interested in the benefits?"

He smirked. "I think the better question is why are you?"

He pushed away from the table. "I'll see you at work."