Over the next month, Alex and Madison hit it off like she had remembered. Madison never brought up how their friendship had ended at Powers, since she didn't want to create an awkward situation, for Alex's part, he didn't bring it up either. For Alex, the last thing he wanted to do was alienate Madison so quickly after their reacquaintance. Because of this, their chemistry returned almost immediately. They started eating lunch together, either at the break area or out of the office somewhere. Their bosses noticed how well the two worked together, and praised themselves for their ability to hire teams that worked well together. Co-workers often gossiped, wondering if they got along that well because they were screwing, or because they were just two likable people. It was like the freshman year situation again, but, as adults. However, there was one difference this time--Madison grew a desire to take it further.
One day after work, Madison agreed to grab drinks with Cassi, who was now in year three of law school. Madison was already midway through discribing her Alex delema to her friend.
"I don't know...does that make me shallow?" Madison asked, sipping some wine while Cassi shrugged. "I know," Madison continued, "it does...I know, but like, would he notice?"
"Well," Cassi interjected, "beyond that, do you really want to date a coworker? Doesn't corporate have something against that kind of thing?"
"I'm pretty sure we could get around that." Madison replied, "I mean, we can probably let HR know or something."
"Would hooking up with a coworker this early damage your career?"
That was something Madison had not thought about. Yeah, it would be technically okay, if certain avenues were taken, but would an office romance slow her rise within the company? She already knew an offer to get an MBA on the company's dime had to be coming soon, why risk that for a guy?
"You may be right, Cassi." Madison responded, "but he's just sooooo cute now, and his personality was never the issue."
"Well...as long as you know what you're getting into. Another round?"
"You know it." Madison responded.
-----------------------------------------------
About a month after, Madison finally got the courage to ask Alex if he would be willing to grab dinner. It was now the mid summer, and Madison had invited him for post work socializing on a rooftop patio downtown one Thursday. They looked like model young professionals. Madison, tan from weekend activities, in a work appropriate tan pencil skirt with a trendy blouse. She brought her sunglasses, but left her acompanyng jacket at work, no need for it on a warm day like the one they were currently enjoying. Alex was still as fit as ever, in a grey suit and white undershirt, sans tie now that work had ended, and he had thrown his jacket on the back of the chair. After typical conversation that heavily focused on office gossip, it was Madison, this time, who gained the courage to ask out.
"Is it just me," she asked, happy she kept her sunglasses on to avoid direct eye contact, "or do we hit it off unsually well, like, you know, freakishly well?'
Alex kept a straight face, but inside, he was getting excited, "Yeah." he said, taking a drink of his beer, and then continuing, "I would say we're close friends." After the rejection 6 years ago, he was going to make Madison explicitly ask.
"This is probably stupid of me....but I really think we need to explore this further," Madison said. "We need to see if this is something that people don't normally have between each other."
"Are you suggesting we go out?"
"Yes. Want to grab dinner tomorrow?"
"Of course!" Alex said, this time, not being able to contain his excitement.
The rest of the time, they talked with much more affection, until they left the bar. As they exited the building, back onto the sidewalk downtown, as Madison was walking away, Alex pulled off something he never would have been able to in his old body with Madison, or otherwise.
"Hey, Madison," he said, causing her to turn around, now about 10 feet away from him. "Why wait until tomorrow? My place is right down the street." With that Madison cracked a slightly guilty smile and walked towards him, "I think that's a great idea," she said, touching his chest as she went to spend the night as his place.
--------------------------------------------------
The following morning, Alex heard a cell phone alarm go off at 6:30 am. He rolled over, and was greeted by a naked Madison, who was already out of bed, and turning off her phone.
"Sorry, I know we don't need to be in until 8, but I needed to run home and get a change of clothes."
"You live like 3 buildings away from me." Alex said, still groggy.
"Yeah, I know, but can't be too careful."
"Can I at least make you breakfast or something?"
"Fine, but can I use your shower while you're making it?"
"Go for it!" Alex said, pleased that this was going as planned. "Hey, would a smoothie be good? Then you could take it with you while you walk back to your apartment" He said, hoping for an affirmative answer. From the bathroom, Madison replied, "Sounds yummy!"
Alex proceeded to go to his kitchen, and dug through the back of his pantry to the protein powder. Let's hope this doesn't overpower everything else he thought to himself as he put multiple scoops equaling nearly 1,500 calories into his blender. To try to compensate he put loads of fruit and juice in as well, hoping to drown out the flavor.
15 minutes later, Madison emerged, ready to walk back to her place, where Alex was waiting, handing her a travel mug with the smoothie in it. "That's so nice of you!" She said, taking a sip.
"Well, is it good?" Alex asked, genuinely curious about the answer.
"Excellent" Madison said, leaving out the door.
After she left, Alex thought about how much time they would have to spend together for any kind of adjustment in her diet to have an impact. He honestly had no idea, it really all depended on how much time she exercised, which he could vaguely control, and how fast her metabolism was, which he assumed he couldn't....however, he walked to his computer to research that, just in case.
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