Page 4 of Shadows Of Dusk
She has always been well organized and has prioritized work, particularly to her own detriment. She stays late, diligently filing reports and coordinating testing teams for anything outside our area of expertise. She is also completely head-over-heels for our coworker Henry, yet the two of them haven’t dared explore the possibility of romance yet. It’s been a one-sided pursuit thus far.
Poor Henry.
Candace snaps out of it and looks up from her computer with exasperation. “Well, Claire called earlier to make sure you had 5 PM open tomorrow. Outside of that, no messages.”
Sighing and making a dramatic gesture in front of me, I say with a hint of annoyance. “It’s like she thinks I’ll cancel on her or make excuses. I’m just busy, not a procrastinator.”
Candace giggles quietly in response as I continue toward my office, diving straight into reports and test results.
The day passes quickly as I methodically process through countless reports of tests conducted in the surrounding areas. The three lakes nearby all exhibit similar characteristics within the soil composition, and the water data reveals comparable results for sediment, hardness, pH, particulate matter, and temperature. Bio organism counts within the samples also demonstrate consistent patterns. With no significant anomalies detected, the final task is to test the lake near the house.
Admittedly, I’m most excited to see the bioluminescent moss that blankets the area. It’s greatly out of place in comparison toeverything else. I itch to examine some under a microscope and analyze it. Such a phenomenon is not native to Minnesota, making it even more intriguing.
A knock on the door breaks me out of my musing.
“Come in!”
My door creaks open, revealing Henry with a smirk as he casually leans against the frame.
Henry is slightly under six feet tall, with a slender build. He’s always prioritized his passion for science and video games over amplifying physical appearance. My eyes narrow at his choice of attire—a pair of nice jeans and a classy plaid button-up shirt—with suspicion. It’s a far cry from his usual worn-out pants and random Nintendo game merchandise.
“We’re still going to the tavern today, yeah?” he asks, his voice a mix of apprehension and anticipation. His brown hair has been freshly cut into a fade, and his beard is neatly trimmed. He’s dressed in much nicer clothes than I’ve seen him wear in months.
I lean back in my chair, “One might look at you and think you’re actually looking forward to venturing out into the public. Are you planning to catfish some poor soul into thinking you’re not a hermit?” I remark with a playful tone.
Henry chuckles in response before glancing in the direction of reception as his face falls.
“What is it?” I press, frowning at him.
“She claims she’s an extrovert, but I can never get her to go out with just the two of us,” he confesses, tilting his head back and releasing a deep sigh. “I’m going to talk to her tonight, but this doesn’t work I may just have to give up and admit there’s nothing between us.”
Henry has been not-so-secretly pining after Candace for the past two years we’ve worked together as a team. In private, she has confided in me that she shares his feelings but is uncertain aboutpursuing a romantic relationship, fearing it could jeopardize their friendship. The conflict has resulted in mixed messages, and thus she resorted to maintaining a purely professional dynamic between them.
Clearly, her approach is not working because they’re both miserable.
“I’m positive she likes you, Henry. These things take time. Rome wasn’t built in a day.” I reassure him.
His shoulders droop as he exhales, “Yeah, hopefully you’re right. I guess I just need to be more patient and let this happen on her terms. See you in a bit, Lara.” Henry says with resignation before he turns away, and the door closes behind him.
Poor guy. I’m afraid he’ll be waiting a while if she refuses to advance further so long as they work together.
No more than a few brief moments later, Candace barges into my office without any warning. The contrast between their approach has never been more apparent, and I have to suppress a laugh but the frazzled look on Candace’s face quickly turns my amusement into concern.
I have never been good at matchmaking. Hell, I haven’t even had a boyfriend. Perhaps I’m not the best person to give relationship advice.
“Henry was just in here, right?” she asks, and my eyes narrow in response. “He was.” I confirm.
“Did he say anything?” she asks, fidgeting and avoiding eye contact.
I raise a brow at her, “What are you worried about?”
“Um…” She nervously chews her lower lip and picks under her nail.
“Candace, you and I both know he likes you. This tension between you two isn’t going to be resolved through ignorance. Are you still dead set on avoiding the conversation with him?” I tilt my head, awaiting her response.
She grimaces as my words sink in, and remains quiet for a moment.
“I think I’m going to ask him out tonight after dinner…”