Chapter 112 Building perimeters
The air was cool and quiet in his office.
It had a subtle scent of ionized air and polished wood which was very different from the earthy damp smell of the park bench where he had begun his day.
Fred was sitting behind a big spotless mahogany desk staring at a wall of monitors that showed a grid of high-definition silent feeds.
He had finished his professional restart as he had referred it to Annabel.
The sensation of her weight, that lovely burden persisted in his shoulder even after he had placed the sweater in his closet.
The word came back to him clear and simple. Friend.
Taking his desire out of the equation, it felt like a tiny exact cut. He had wanted to voice the ideas that had been yelling in his head and to challenge it.
“I don't want to be your friend. I want something else. Something more.”
His silence could be taken as agreement because he had swallowed the words. That was the better course of action.
The calculated action.
Being a professional he knew what it was like to wait. His thoughts were interrupted by a sharp rapid knock on the door.
“Come in” He said in a low steady rumble that betrayed no signs of internal distraction.
A man walked in quickly, he held a thick file as he came to a stop close to the desk.
“Fred,” Simon said in a tight voice.
Fred gave him a clear unblinking look.
”What is it, Simon?”He asked
With his eyes darting to the phone, Simon sighed.
“I've been calling your desk line for the past thirty seconds.” He said
Fred looked at the telephone. Yes it was blinking without sound. Nothing had reached his ears.
In his thoughts, the gentle rustle of leaves and the far-off sirens of the city had been more audible than the incessant ring of the office line.
He never missed a beat.
“Is there a problem?” Fred asked instead.
“There is no problem, Fred.” He said
In response Simon pushed the file forward and said “Just this. It's the last security evaluation for next month’s Tidal Wave event. Please pay attention to the final section. The exit points are in section seven.”
Fred took the file in his hand.
In his hands the cool silky cardstock felt firm.
“Thanks, Simon,” he said.
Simon's weight moved a little. The anxious lines around his eyes deepened as he kept his gaze on Fred.
Fred felt the scrutiny even though he kept the file open and looked at the first page.
“Is everything…okay, Fred? I don't know, you seem a little… distracted.” Simon said.
Fred's expression hardened slightly as he looked up. He allowed a beat of silence to elapse which is a command in and of itself.
”I'm fine, Simon. Just had a long night.” He said
Sensing the shift in the atmosphere Simon said hastily “Of course. Just making sure. I’ll return to the floor for monitoring. Call me if you need anything at all.”
“I will” Fred said
Simon nodded once and left, closing the heavy door softly behind him. Fred remained motionless, the open file resting in his lap.
He hadn’t looked at Section Seven. His eyes were focused on the deep polished grain of the mahogany desk.
He had been distracted. Annabel was the distraction.
He ran a hand over his face, a gesture of fatigue he would never permit himself in front of an employee.
The ease with which she had gotten into his thoughts and muddled the distinction between the man and the mission infuriated him.
He recalled the momentary intense sadness she had erased from her face as she talked about Carson.
“He is not worthy of her,” he whispered.
Then he recalled the change and the smile on her face when she said: “I'll make some coffee.”
Her sincere smile and her straightforward offer.
He recalled the genuine smile that broke through his typical mask and the sensation it had on his own face.
There was a taste of pure pleasure that he had nearly forgotten. The sudden tension caused the leather of his chair to creak a little as he balled his fist.
A friend.
Although it was a boundary, it was also a weakness. Access was given to a friend. It was a friend that was trusted.
She could lean her head on a friend's shoulder and unwind against that person. He imagined her resting on him and the soft sigh of contentment she let out as she relaxed.
She had assigned him a position of closeness even if she had used a word that was restrictive.
At last his gaze shifted to the egress point details as he slowly opened the file once more.
However, her image superimposed the technical drawings while he processed the event security logistics and geometry.
In his professional experience, this seemed to be the most intricate protection detail.
He was protecting not just her physical well-being but also her peace, her future and possibly his own opportunity.
“How can I show her that I’m more than just a friend?” he asked himself in a rough low voice
He had to transcend the boundary, not breach it.
He was there to assist her in taking the initial step as she made the decision to proceed.
The insight weighed down his chest like a piece of structural steel solid and heavy.
He didn't have to question what she said. He needed to show his silence and unwavering presence in order to disprove it.
Until the day she looked at him and saw something beyond the straightforward description she had given him, he would serve as her anchor, her sounding board and her shield.
Grabbing a pen, he made a quick decisive move circling a crucial spot on the egress map.
He was a patient, long-waiting and meticulously planned man.He would handle this with the same level of discipline.
She was safe for now.
Setting the pen aside he leaned back in his chair and steepled
his fingers.
“Give her some time,”he thought. “I am able to wait.”
He was prepared to wait. For as long as it would take.