"What are you doing?"

Vera stared straight ahead as she took another bite of her tuna melt sandwich.  She reached towards her napkin, dusting off her hands and then bringing it up to her lips. She turned, noting how Romy was now getting comfortable and opening her salad. It was typical of them to have lunch in one of the conference rooms, usually Romy's idea. Romy was addicted to work and so she was always insisting that they should use their lunch time to throw ideas off of each other. 

While it had always been assumed that one day Ben would take over as head of the company, as the years went by, it became more and more clear that Romy would probably be the best to do so. She had a better understanding of the company than anyone, and she had a truly unique and creative way of solving problems. Watching Romy work was almost like watching a musical- everything came together beautifully. 

Romy was a highly intelligent woman... but it was ashamed that when it came to emotional matters, she could be so completely clueless. 

"I'm having my lunch." Vera said simply. 

"While staring out the window like a creep?" Romy asked. It was true, she had walked in to catch Vera as she hovered by the blinds. 

"I was just catching a glimpse of the construction across the street." Vera said. 

"I wonder how many businesses are moving in." Romy asked. 

"I think it's just two." Vera said, "the building isn't going to be very large."

Romy shrugged, looking down at her salad and separating the vegetables. It was a weird habit but Romy just liked to have her food organized neatly... yes, even a salad. Vera rose again, carefully peeking through the blinds before gasping. 

"Oh my." Vera said, making Romy turn. 

"What?" Romy asked, noticing how Vera's peeping had now turned to unashamed staring.

"It's Luke Farina." Vera said with a smile. 

"And?" Romy asked. 

"Echo" Vera said, making Romy leap up from her seat and move to the window.

"Really?" Romy asked, peeking out. "Oh my indeed."

"This is wrong, we shouldn't be spying on them." Vera said.

"Well, if they didn't want to be spotted, they shouldn't be out in public. Especially right outside the office building." Romy said. 

"It's not like they're doing anything. They're just talking." Vera said, unable to look away. 

"Right." Romy said.

"What are you two looking at?" Alice said, making them both turn towards the door. 

"Hey! Didn't realize you were joining us for lunch." Vera said, moving back to her chair and prompting Romy to do the same. 

"We were just talking about the building across the street." Romy said as she sat back down. "Any idea who's moving in?"

"No, not yet. Although I'm assuming we should have an idea soon." Alice said. "I'm guessing their from out of town, or else your father and I would have heard by now."

"Speaking of... where is dad?" Vera asked, taking another bite of her sandwich. 

"Oh, he just ran across the street to pick up something to eat." Alice said, unpacking her lunch. "Apparently, he wasn't in the mood for ours."

Romy and Vera glanced at each other. 

"The sandwich shop?" Vera asked. 

"Yeah." Alice replied. 

Oh boy.

---

"Come on, be honest... you came down here hoping you'd run into me." Luke said as Echo rolled her eyes at him for the hundredth time. 

"I already told you, Baby needs his shots." Echo said, pointing to the bag where the pup was now silently sleeping. 

"I love how you take care of him." He said softly, reaching out and tucking a strand of hair behind her ear and leaning in, "I'd like you to let me take care of you."

Echo tried not to shiver but she failed, leaving Luke with a giant, smug smile.

"I need to get going, I don't want to run into anyone I know." Echo said and Luke sighed. 

"Don't worry, it's the middle of the day. Your family is probably upstairs working away to ensure the family fortune remains intact." He teased, not wanting her to go. It had been too much luck that she'd come into the city the same day he'd had a meeting. "Why don't you have lunch with me?"

"I don't know, I still have to get back and finish a manual I've been working on." Echo said with a sigh. She really had been neglecting her work lately. Her editor had called her only this morning to ask about the manual she'd been promising for weeks. 

"A couple of hours won't do any harm." He insisted. 

"I really shouldn't. I'm pretty lucky to have this job, what'll I do if they fire me? There's not a whole lot of work from home jobs for technical writers... they're not that easily available." She said with a frown. 

"They are if you know the right people." He said, "I could make a couple of calls."

"Absolutely not." She said, "I'm serious. Don't you dare." 

"Fine, fine. If you insist..." He said, "but you really don't need to worry about that type of thing. Even if you didn't have your family's security, You have me now. I'm happy to see to all your needs."

She stared at him for a moment, eyes narrowed. 

"A part of me wants to be offended by the notion, another part of me is telling me to let it go... and a super teeny tiny part of me is telling me to say thank you." Echo replied. 

"You're welcome." He said with a grin and Echo sighed. There was absolutely no getting through to this man. "So...lunch?"

"Fine." She said, trying not to chuckle. This man was incorrigible. "But let's go before someone sees us."

"Your father." He said and she nodded. 

"Yeah, like him." She agreed.

"No, I mean... your father is coming this way." He replied, pointing across the street. Echo's head snapped up and she caught sight of her father, exiting the building. 

"Shit." She said, panicking. 

"Relax, it's not a big deal." He said, taking her arm and pulling her into the nearest shop. "We'll just wait until he's gone. 

"Right..." She muttered, nodding in agreement but she clenched her hands together nervously, especially as she watched him heading straight towards them. 

"Lord, he's coming here." She said, realizing they were in the sandwich shop across the office. 

"Are you sure? There's several restaurants around here..." Luke said, glancing out the window as he watched Michael waiting at the crosswalk. 

"Yes, he loves this place." She said, looking around the crowded shop, It was rather small and there weren't many tables.  

"So he sees us, not a big deal... we can just say..." Luke began but Echo quickly grabbed his arm and dragged him across the room. 

Luke was too surprised to react, she was really freaking out. He followed her dumbly as she pulled him into a narrow hall, desperately trying to find somewhere to hide. 

"Echo, you're being crazy." He said as she moved.

"Shhh." She said simply, practically freezing as she heard the bell above the sandwich shop door open.  "Shit."

Luke let out a sigh and shook his head, pulling her along as she looked like she was about to freak out. 

"Come here." He said, reaching for the nearest door and pulling her in, locking it behind them. 

"Where..." She began as the stood in the dark but he put his hand over her mouth.

"Hey... quiet." he said firmly, gliding his hand around in the dark, trying to find a light switch. 

"Owww." Echo muttered as Luke stepped on her foot, making her stumble back. "Careful."

"Be still." He said, reaching around in the dark. "Let me just find the switch."

"It's not a switch." She said, losing her patience and reaching up. There was a click as she pulled the chain and the light bulb hanging above them illuminated the small room.

Luke and Echo stared at each other for a second, both frowning. 

"Why is my foot wet?" She asked without looking at the floor. Luke's eyes moved down and then back up. 

"You knocked over a bucket." He said. 

"You mean YOU knocked it over when you knocked me over looking for the switch." She replied.

"This is ridiculous, we're in a mop closet." He said, noticing the shelves that were stacked with cleaning supplies. 

"You brought us in here." She said with a pout. 

"Because you were acting crazy." He said, losing his temper. 

"Crazy?" She asked. "My father almost saw us."

"Right, he almost saw two people who he knows are acquainted with each other talking in a sandwich shop. Echo, it was as easy as we ran into each other... you didn't have to panic." He said, sounding annoyed. Echo looked ashamed. 

"You're right... Sorry I just got nervous." She said, suddenly feeling ridiculous over the whole thing.

"Nervous? You flipped out and all because you can't stand the idea of your parents finding out about us." Luke said, running a hand through his hair. "I've tried to be very patient with you, Echo. Is it really that embarrassing to be seen with me?"

Echo stared at Luke in surprise. 

"Wait what?" She asked.

"You heard me." He said with a sigh. "If that's how you feel..."

"Luke, I'm not embarrassed of you." She said.

"Yeah, that's why we're hiding in a closet." He said, "that's why you freaked out."

"Luke, stop it." She said. 

"I can understand you don't want people to know about us yet but acting like that, I have feelings." He hissed. 

"Luke, it's not about that... It's just..."she said, "I just panic. Please, just listen to me."

Echo reached out, grabbing his arm and placing an hand on his face. 

"Listen..." She said, softly, searching for his gaze. Luke brought his eyes to hers, waiting. "It's not about you. I panicked because of my anxiety, because in my mind everything will always go wrong and it's hard for me to control it sometimes. You don't understand what it's like. I can't stop it, I can't control the impulse. I overreacted but it won't be the last time it'll happen."

Luke was quiet for a second. 

"It's not easy dealing with anxiety, Luke. I won't apologize for something you can't possibly understand, but I'm trying." She said, putting her other hand on his face, "Please don't be mad at me."

Luke felt ashamed. He knew that Echo had severe anxiety, he'd read that in the reports. 

"I'm sorry." He said, wrapping his arms around her. 

"I just need time to deal with the attention." She said, "to get used to the attention."

"Fine." He said, "But I think I need some consoling. That was very traumatizing."

Echo frowned. 

"Are you trying to trick  me by making me feel guilty?" She asked and he smiled. 

"If you know what I'm up to, then it can't be a trick." he said, leaning in and placing a kiss on her temple. 

"Luke, we're in a closet." She said, shivering as his lips moved down her cheek and stopping just shy of her lips. 

"Okay, I'll go make sure the coast is clear." He said, releasing his grip and turning but Echo grabbed his arm. 

"Wait." She said, making his raise a brow. 

"Yeah?" He asked. 

"Ummm... before you go..." She said, hands on his arm. Without another word, she pulled herself up slowly, placing a chaste kiss over his lips. "Thank you." 

But before she could pull away, he snatched her up... and before she could react, he was kissing her with the same passion she'd begun to crave. She felt her legs wobble, she was weak... her breath bated. There was something heady in his kisses, something that took her to a new height every time. She couldn't explain the anticipation, the feeling of something more, the need for something she couldn't put into words... by the time he'd released her, she was wanton and stupid. There was no other way to describe it. 

She took a second, placing her hand on the wall, oblivious even to the dog that had started wiggling around in the bag. 

"Saturday." he said suddenly, making her look at him as she tried to form a coherent thought. 

"What?" She asked, trying to regain a sense of self control. 

"Saturday- I want you to meet some people." He said, running a hand through his hair and then walking out the door. 

"Okay." She mumbled, nodding in agreement but it was unnecessary. He'd already gone.