Page 58 of Take a Moment

I look around my project team, trying to gauge their reactions. My eyes linger on Felix for a fraction of a second longer, but he shows no obvious negative reaction.

‘I… eh… sure, why not.’

There’s an immediate flurry of congratulatory messages.

‘Well done, mate.’ Dhruv gives me a slapping handshake. ‘Fantastic news. Good to know we’re learning from one of the best in the company.’

‘This is very good news, Alex,’ Felix chips in, and to my relief, sounds genuinely pleased for me. ‘In Germany, we sayHerzliche Glückwünsche. This means… heartfelt wishes of luck.’

The others follow with their support in quick succession, including those on the Zoom call, and I’m quite overwhelmed by the collective sincere and supportive reactions. Danielle aside, they really are a great bunch.

‘Thank you, all of you. It’s my hope that I can bring what I learn back to this room and be the best, most supportive leader I can be.’

‘Hear hear,’ Dhruv calls out. ‘Now let’s get out of here. My pint isn’t going to pour itself.’

We laugh as we say our goodbyes to our international colleagues and head out of the meeting room. As we walk along the corridor to the lifts, I notice Danielle looking a bit smug, despite the fact I received such a positive response from the team. I up my pace slightly so that I can catch her up.

‘So, Danielle, how did you come across that particular piece of information?’ I keep my tone deliberately casual.

‘Oh, you know. It was doing the rounds. Can’t remember where it came from.’ She looks me straight in the eye, but I can tell she’s lying through her teeth.

‘Right. Seems funny though, if it was getting around, that it was such a surprise to the rest of the team, doesn’t it?’

‘Guess they must have missed it somehow,’ she says, then struts off ahead of me.

Yeah, and I’m the Queen of Sheba. All too aware that Danielle’s behaviour may be escalating, and needs to be nipped in the bud, I decide to schedule some time with Emmanuel to discuss how to do just that. Emmanuel will be very unhappy that this has leaked. But where did it come from? Suddenly, I get a flash of memory, back to bumping into Danielle that Monday lunchtime. She was with someone. Another member of her coven, it seems. I wonder who that person is, and where she works.

I’m beyond shattered by the time I’m unlocking the door to my apartment. A heavy week was not what I needed after Sasha’s visit, but I’m still in high spirits, despite Danielle’s attempt to steal my sunshine. I push her and her nonsense firmly to the back of my mind.

As I’m not meeting Matt until 7:30 p.m., I have a quick catnap and when I wake to my alarm forty-five minutes later, I feel groggy, as if I’ve been asleep for hours. I’m also less refreshed than expected. Padding lethargically around my apartment, I get ready to go out, while throwing something resembling a meal down my throat – all the time wondering why I didn’t ask Matt if we could do Saturday instead. That would have given me a bit of recuperation time. But by the time I’m walking out the main door of my apartment block, I’ve perked up, and the adrenaline and excitement of finally spending some proper time in Matt’s company have kicked in. Along with some stomach-churning nerves.

I look up where I’m meeting him on Google Maps and start walking in that direction. Something I’ve realised I love about living on the fringe of the city centre is that everywhere I want to go is within easy reach. I cross the plaza at Brindley Place, descend the arc-shaped steps and amble along the canal bank, scrolling through Twitter on my phone. Although it’s dark, I feel quite comfortable doing this alone. It’s a well-lit path and there’s plenty of people around, meandering between the handful of eating and drinking establishments that line the waterway.

I reach the Tetris-like exterior of the Cube, tentatively enter the foyer, locate the lift and take it to the twenty-fifth floor. My stomach feels like it’s going through a forty-degree wash. Between the feeling of ascension, my giddy nervousness and my underlying exhaustion, I’m ever so slightly nauseous. It’s a feeling I’ve never quite experienced. Not even on my first date with Dom.

Several seconds later, the lift stops and the doors ping open. I step out into a much smaller foyer as the second lift dings and out steps Matt, nearly colliding with me as he does.

‘Hi there.’ His gorgeous features break into a grin. ‘Seems we both have good timing.’

‘So we do.’ I smile back at him, my nerves having now kicked into spin-cycle mode.

He leans across, touching me lightly on my upper arm as he greets me with a kiss on the cheek. It’s hardly off the scale in terms of physical contact, but this, along with his fresh, citrusy eau de toilette wafting into my nostrils, sets off a symphony of fireworks in my body. He’s even more delicious than I remember. His beard is perfectly groomed, hair just the right balance of styled with a hint of ‘just out of bed’. And those eyes: like melted chocolate. They make me want to dive right in.

‘How was your day?’ he asks a little too forcefully, his Birmingham accent thicker than I remember.

I can tell he’s trying to break the ice quickly, his initial confidence wavering. That’s all we need. The two of us turning into a pair of gibbering idiots who can’t manage a coherent conversation.

‘It was fine. Busy.’

‘Mine too.’ He nods.

For a few moments we stand silently, muted by our first date nerves, and I have to force down a giggle threatening to rise in my throat. It’s a bit awkward, but not like previous experiences, where I’ve been planning my escape the from moment I clapped eyes on my date. There’s an added layer of intrigue and chemistry that’s overwhelming the two of us.

‘Shall we get a drink?’ I suggest.

‘Of course.’ Matt seems to come to. ‘It’s this way.’

He leads me into the chic surroundings of Magenta: a rooftop bar with low lighting, contemporary decor and floor-to-ceiling windows that provide a panoramic view of Birmingham’s skyline by night. The silhouettes of the historical landmarks nestled among the more imposing modern structures create a breathtakingly majestic cityscape, made all the more alluring by the twinkling lights that look like static fireflies in the sky.

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