I made a quick work of my shower, eager to go downstairs and see her again. Lauren would most likely be giving her a tour of the first floor, if she hadn't already, which meant they could be having breakfast in the kitchen. I could possibly join them at their table. But then what? What would I say? My stomach twisted into knots at the thought of having to start a conversation. I racked my brain for any lines or moves I had used that had impressed a woman, and came up blank. My confidence plummeted. Of course, I never had to start a conversation with any woman. Ever since attending my first networking event, hosted by a VC, getting women to interact with me was never a problem. And that was the issue. Interact. Not sitting down and engaging in a conversation. At least, not for very long.
As I made my way back out to the gym, all the while chastising myself for not making use of those networking years to learn a thing or two about conversing with women — heck, I couldn’t even recall being the one to approach them — I found Jack heading my way towards the locker room.
He gave me a nod, and I reached for his shoulder, stopping him in his tracks, my expression serious. “Have you ever approached a woman?”
His head retracted on his neck by a mile, obviously thrown by my question. “What?” he squeaked in bewilderment.
“Have you ever been the one to approach a woman? I know we’ve been involved with plenty of women, but they’ve always came onto us. I don’t recall ever having the guts to make the first move. What about you? Have you ever initiated a conversation with them? Like, let her know that you’re interested?”
“Conversation?” he questioned slowly. “Interested…” I could see the gears spinning in his head as he sifted through all the experiences he ever had with the women he knew. As his frown deepened from his concentration, I could already predict his response. “No, I can’t say that I have,” he confirmed with a hint of surprise.
My arm dropped to my side, and my shoulders hunched. If Jack, a natural conversationalist, hadn’t spent much time talking to women, then what could he offer me in terms of conversation starters that would lead to a long-lasting relationship?
Jack frowned again, this time in dismay. “Are you saying you’re interested in the new girl? Not just for fun, but seriously interested?”
I shrugged. “Why not?”
His eyes widened in disbelief. “You know why not! Has being away from them for the past few years made you forget what they’re like? Just by looking at her, you can tell she’s no different. Come on, Tyler. You were always the one more cautious than me.”
“Yes, but we’re at work. She’s here for work. If she walked in at, say, Bill’s house, then I would get what you’re saying. But we’re not at Bill’s house. And Lauren is the one who brought her in, and you know Lauren is a hard worker. This girl may be different.”
Jack balked at my reasoning. “Don’t let that pretty face fool you. Weren’t you the one who always told me that the prettier they are, the more troublesome they are?”
I chewed my lip out of irritation. He was actually repeating my father’s words to me. Out of all the terrible things my father had said, this one statement had proven itself to be true over and over again. I reached behind my neck and squeezed the building tension. Despite my growing skepticism towards women, the new hire really seemed like a sweet and honest woman. Couldn’t I at least give her a chance to prove me wrong? Or, hopefully, right?
Jack sighed at the sight of my internal conflict. “If I were you, I wouldn’t even bother. She’s an employee, after all. It’s better not to get mixed up with them. But if you really want to see if she’s seriously here for work, and not for... finding a well-paid engineer to latch onto, then I would ask about her work experience. Women love to talk about their life experiences. That should keep her chatting long enough so you don’t have to say much.”
“Work experiences,” I repeated thoughtfully. That would indeed be interesting: to see where she graduated, what work she specialized in, how she came to be here. I nodded decidedly. “Yeah, we can discuss her background.”
“There you go,” Jack agreed with a shrug.
I nodded then continued on my way, rehearsing a conversation in my head as I descended the stairs. But as soon as I landed on the last step, I whirled back around, pulling the hood of my sweater over my head like it could magically turn me invisible. She was right there, with Lauren, at their desk, within hearing distance. Mike, the IT personnel, was with them, informing her about all the accounts she needed to create. I rotated a quarter, risking a glimpse of her from behind my hood. I stared at her face, dumbfounded. Gone was the joyful expression from earlier. Instead, she appeared to be full of dread as she gazed up at Mike while he opened yet another link. It didn’t even seem like she was listening, given her deadpan expression and eyes glazed over with some faraway thought. I winced as I realized she didn’t want to be here. Work had already taken its toll on her, and the day hadn’t even started. I huffed out in disbelief, feeling awfully disappointed. Where did all her eagerness go? Where was that glowing excitement from just being here? I bitterly acknowledged that it was because she had been viewing the space upstairs. She was excited by the benefits we could offer her. Not her job.
“Tyler?”