The New Hire

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The new hire at the company is more than she seems.
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DaniW
DaniW
761 Followers

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Note: This story spends some time developing the relationship of the two main characters. If that's not your thing, you may want to look elsewhere.
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I hate interviews. The whole process is dreadful and feels like a shot in the dark anyways. As a development team lead, I'm often forced to go through this process with my manager, Gary. Even worse, we were hiring to replace my mentor on the team, who had recently retired. The coups de grace? We were forced to hire a junior level developer due to financial constraints.

My name is Brett Rhodes. I'm a software developer for a Fortune 500 company. I work with a large team of developers on a boring as hell healthcare product that I won't bore you to death describing. I'm the youngest lead developer on our team at 30, and the only one that's even under the age of 40 at this point. I love my job, but when this process began, I knew I would be stuck mentoring whoever we hired - not something I was relishing. I had enough work to do without having to look over someone else's shoulder 8 hours a day.

At least, that's how I felt until we hired Sam.

After two weeks of interviews, my manager and I were quickly losing hope that we'd ever find a good candidate. We had literally gone through over two dozen interviews and twice as many resumes trying to find the right fit for our team. Candidates were either too demanding, too lazy or too inexperienced. Over and over we plodded through interviews, growing more frustrated with each person that passed before us.

On a Thursday afternoon in September, though, our search ended.

Gary and I were waiting in the small conference room when the secretary brought the newest candidate in.

"Gary, Brett, this is Samantha Norris," our secretary Molly said, introducing the latest candidate.

Samantha meekly walked into the room, flashing a quick smile that spoke to her extreme shyness. I still remember what she looked like that day. She had on a dark blue business skirt that gave the slightest peek at her toned legs. She had pink ankle socks that tucked away into a pair of ratty, worn down gray tennis shoes. Her baggy white sweater hid her curvy features, but it was clear she was in good physical shape. Her face was soft and radiant. She had a slim nose that curved up ever so slightly into a cute button shape. Sam's hair was a dirty blonde color with slight curls and hung all the way down to the middle of her back. Her eyes were a shimmering green, though you'd be hard-pressed to see them, as her shy nature kept her from making eye contact for too long.

Sam's meek nature hid just how gorgeous she truly was, but she was captivating nonetheless. Well, at least she was to me. My manager Gary was gay, so he paid her no mind. Good thing too, because I was caught off-guard by her and rendered speechless.

"Sam, it's nice to meet you. Please, have a seat," Gary said.

Sam took a seat at the table on the opposite side of Gary and me. For the next 30 minutes, we spoke to her about her development experience and what she was looking for in a career. We looked over her resume and saw that she had graduated from a local community college just a few years prior. She had been working freelance jobs from home, but decided she needed to get out and work with "real human beings," as she put it. Gary and I gave her our standard programming tests to see if she had a "developer's mindset."

She blew us both away, doing better on the tests than any other candidate - by a long shot. After she left, Gary and I spoke.

"I like her. She's shy, but she is definitely someone we can invest in. Are you willing to work with her? And more importantly, can you do it without hitting on her?" Gary asked me, a knowing smile spread across his face.

Laughing at the suggestion, I responded, "I'm pretty sure I can work with anyone. She does seem like the best candidate we've seen, and frankly, I'm tired of interviewing people. Can we just hire her already?"

Gary laughed, and agreed that she seemed like the one. A little over two weeks later, Sam would join our team and my life would be changed forever.

Beginnings

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Sam was brought into my office on a Monday morning around 9:30AM. Gary was out of town on business, so I was tasked with showing her around and helping her get all of the HR forms and training out of the way. I don't know why, but she seemed even more beautiful to me when she came in that day.

She had on a pair of jeans that hugged her legs tightly. They did a nice job of showing off her fit legs and her small but shapely and firm backside. She was still wearing the same pink ankle socks and the same ratty tennis shoes. She couldn't have been any taller than 5'4" and her shy nature made it seem even shorter than that. I felt like I towered over her and I'm only 5'9" on my best day. Her black Metallica "Ride the Lightning" t-shirt was baggy and aged, but hinted that there was probably more to her than she was letting on. She also had on a black Atlanta Falcons baseball cap, with her hair pony-tailed through the back of the hat.

"Oh nice. I can see we already have a lot in common Samantha. I'm a huge Falcons fan and I love Metallica too," I said, trying to break the ice as she was escorted into my office by Molly.

"That's cool," she said back in a subdued tone, adding, "and you can call me Sam if you'd like."

The rest of the day was a bit of a blur, as Sam was whisked away to various meetings and training sessions and I was flooded with support calls and development work. The team and I were able to take her out for lunch, but my interactions with her that day were limited, much to my disappointment.

Over the next few days, Sam settled in and I began working with her extensively. I had to show her how we managed our code with TFS, what databases she was allowed to work in and all the other details that makes life as a developer interesting and frustrating. By the end of the week, she was beginning to work on her first assignment, and proved to be a quick learner and self-motivated.

Our interactions were strictly business related as Sam seemed reluctant to do anything but talk about work. She was very focused, but I suspected that there was more to it. Over the next few weeks, we worked together a good bit, but I never felt like I was getting to know her. I'd often try to start conversations with her, but they would come crashing to a halt with her non-answers or short replies. I had all but given up on her opening up to me or anyone else on the team. Thankfully, an unexpected encounter would finally break through her barriers in an unexpected way.

On a Tuesday morning some time later, I made my way to the large conference room for our company's monthly LGBT support meeting. Our company had formed the group to provide support to the LGBT community within the corporation, and I had been going to it to lend my own support to my co-workers and friends. Growing up, I had watched as my sister was mocked and ridiculed for being a lesbian in our conservative, southern town. She was turned into an outcast, and she eventually moved out West to escape the bigotry and hatred native to the area. Since then, I have been actively involved with the LGBT support group, and had formed some lifelong friendships with some amazing people through it.

On this particular morning, the conference room was rather full, which was always an encouraging sign to me. The only open chair was one right next to me on the backside of the room. As the meeting was about to start, the door to the room creaked open and I saw a familiar face peak in. It was Sam. She looked around briefly before spotting me. Once she did, her eyes opened - noting her surprise - and she snuck over quickly to the seat next to me and sat down.

I don't remember much about the meeting (my mind distracted by the beautiful girl next to me), but I do vividly remember the conversation I had with Samantha afterwards.

"So, are you gay?" Sam asked me, coming into my office and leaning against the wall. It was, as you'd expect, a very awkward start to a conversation.

"I should probably answer that with some company line about sensitivity, but I'll spare you that BS. No, I'm not gay, Sam," I responded playfully. The response had the intended impact, putting a grin on Sam's beautiful face.

"Oh, I'm sorry. It's just that you were at the meeting earlier so I kind of assumed..." she responded, realizing her social gaffe, her head dropped in clear embarrassment now.

"Oh yeah, no - I've been involved with the group for a while now. I'm a big believer in fighting for the LGBT community in general. Things have gotten better in this country for gays, lesbians and trans people but they're still not good enough. So, I invest some of my time into doing what I can to help make a difference."

"That's cool. I feel the same way. It was cool to see you there," Sam said.

I sensed that she was beginning to open up to me, and I took a leap of faith when I asked her, "So how about you? Are you gay?" I almost regretted the words as soon as they left my lips.

Thankfully, Sam smiled a big smile and replied, "If I told you I was, would you be disappointed?"

I blushed hard at the statement and was unable to think of a response. Sam's normally quiet nature didn't prepare me for such a bold question. She laughed hard at the sight of my face turning beet red and punched me playfully in the shoulder.

"It's ok. You don't have to answer that. I guess I'd consider myself open. To be honest, I don't date much because most people suck. I haven't had a real friend in a long time," Sam said, saving me from the embarrassment of being dumbfounded.

My heart raced a little as I realized she really was opening up to me now. I thought carefully about my words before saying, "Well, you can count me as a friend, Samantha Norris."

She looked at me and smiled from ear to ear, her eyes welling up the slightest amount. I could tell those words meant something real to her.

She left her spot on the wall, walked over to me and bent down to hug me tightly around my neck. I still remember the warmth of the hug, and how she smelled like a bouquet of flowers and honeydew. Our cheeks pressed together, and the softness of her skin against mine was thrilling and invigorating. It was an incredibly warm embrace, and I wanted it to last forever.

"Friends. Awesome," she said, finally letting go of my neck and awkwardly shuffling back to the door of my office.

Feeling far bolder, I said to Sam as she began to walk out of my office, "Hey, we should go get some drinks sometime after work."

"I would really like that," Sam responded, a bright, beautiful smile punctuating her response.

As she left the office, my mind raced. This bashful, beautiful girl had just let loose a little bit and was finally opening up to me. For weeks I had to tried to break the ice with no success. I couldn't stop smiling the rest of the day. I'm sure I must have looked like the Cheshire cat. The rest of the day seemed to go perfectly, no doubt influenced by the surprising embrace from earlier.

Around five thirty, I began packing up my items, ready to head home.

"So, about that drink? Is tonight too soon?" Sam said to me, eagerly catching me as soon as I walked out of my office.

My heart leapt at the suggestion and I tried hard to not convey my excitement. "Not at all. Are you ready to go?" I asked her, my heart pounding in my chest.

"Let's go!" she said excitedly, her energy in stark contrast to her presumed quiet nature.

Sam and I made our way to a local sports bar in Buckhead. For the next couple of hours, we ate and drank together and she completely came out of her shell. The once meek and quiet girl had turned into a chatty, energetic, sarcastic ball of energy. I was surprised she was able to hold this personality in for so long, but I also became deeply curious as to why she did.

We spoke at length about our love of music. She even knew and listened to one of my favorite bands from the 80s (King's X), which floored me. We spoke for at least an hour about our love for the Falcons. We talked about whether Ryan was a good quarterback or not (he is) and whether Julio was the best receiver in the league (also yes). We both loved spicy food, scotch and science fiction. We both discovered we were PC gamers, having both built custom rigs that we loved to retreat to after our days in the office. She was currently playing "Dragon Age Inquisition" while I was addicted to "The Division."

The more we talked, the more we connected. It was uncanny, really. Our conversation never hit a lull and it never felt forced. I had gone through several girlfriends over the years, and never once felt as close to them as I did to Sam in this very short time. After nearly four hours, we realized we were wearing out our welcome. I left a fat tip at the table as an apology to the waitress and we made our way out of the bar.

"God, I'm so sorry. I lost track of time in there," I said as we wandered into the parking lot, the sky now black except for the half moon and glistening stars.

"I had a lot of fun, Brett," Sam replied, "I hope we can do this again soon."

With that, she reached up and wrapped her arms around my neck and pulled me in for a tight hug. I squeezed her tightly, and whispered, "Anytime."

As she crossed the parking lot to go to her car, I stared at Samantha from a distance. My heart still felt like it was racing and I couldn't stop thinking about our conversation and how deeply we connected. I slowly made my way back to my car to make the drive home. I suddenly couldn't wait to go to work the next day.

Progress

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The next day was a mixed bag, with work emergencies keeping me focused on the tasks at hand. Sam stopped by my office a few times, but realized I was buried in support work and frustrated out of my mind. Even worse, Gary told me midday that he needed me to book a last minute flight to Chicago. He was having me give a presentation to a potential client and he couldn't go due to another presentation he was giving later in the week. Before I knew it, I was rushing home to pack for a three day trip, and I never had a chance to say more than five words to Sam before I left. My heart was aching to talk with her more, and I was incredibly frustrated by the turn of events.

On the ride to the airport that evening, my phone buzzed in my pocket.

"Was looking forward to talking again :( Have a good trip." It was a text from Sam. My heart jumped upon receiving it.

"Me 2. Sorry I had to run. Talk soon." I replied.

She WAS thinking about me. The realization flooded me with feelings of frustration, hope and longing. My feelings for her were already growing incredibly strong, and I felt myself getting swept up in them. I wouldn't be getting back into town until Friday evening, and wouldn't see Sam until the following Monday. Damn this last minute trip.

The week plodded along painfully, only serving to make me even more anxious to talk with Samantha. We exchanged some texts while I was on my trip, but I returned to my hotel each evening completely exhausted. Entertaining clients was draining and I'd get back to the hotel after 10PM each night, too late to call Sam to talk, even though I wanted to more than anything.

Once the week from hell ended, it was followed up by the longest weekend I can ever remember living. I was desperate for Monday morning to roll around, so that I could see Sam again. I plodded along - playing games, watching movies, doing house work - but time seemed to pass so slowly. Sure, we exchanged text messages with one another, but neither of us was quite sure where we stood. No matter how much I wanted to see her, it felt like I'd be rushing things to ask to see her outside of work this quickly. Looking back, it was a really stupid sentiment.

I rolled into work on Monday extremely early. I normally came in around 8AM, but found myself sitting in my office at 6. I couldn't sleep and was desperate to see Sam. To my surprise, at 6:15 that morning, I heard the thud of a laptop being tossed on a desk and saw her beautiful face peak around the door frame into my office.

"Hey Brett!" she said excitedly as she moved into my office.

I got up from my chair and before I could even straighten my back, Sam had both arms wrapped around me tightly. God, that hug felt like heaven. It was warm and soothing and lasted the perfect amount of time, though never long enough.

"Hey Sam, god you're here early," I said.

"I couldn't sleep," she replied.

"Same here. You want to get some coffee?" I asked her, noting the large smile that washed over her face.

"My treat, and you can tell me all about your trip," she said, grabbing my hand and pulling me out of the office. Like a child, the touch of her hand to mine was thrilling.

We decided to head out to the local coffee shop down the street, rather than drink the black tar the company provided for us in the breakroom. Sam bought us both coffee, and we sat and talked for an hour before we realized we needed to head back to the office. We were both smiling like love-struck school children, and that's exactly how I felt when I was with her.

Being with Sam was easy, like wearing your favorite t-shirt. It just felt right, and I came to relish every moment we could spend together. The week away seemed to only intensify our feelings, and it became clear to me that she was just as caught up in it as I was.

Sam and I went out together every day after work. We came up with different things to do as excuses to be with one another. One day was a movie. The next was bowling. Shopping. Bar-hopping. Whatever it took to make sure we were together, we did it. Our evenings would go for hours, often ending at midnight or later. We would only retreat from one another out of a need for precious sleep, and even that seemed like a miniscule concern.

Gary, being the smart guy he was, pulled me into his office at the end of the week and gently reminded me that dating within the company was permitted, but we had to fill out paper work with the company if we were going to do so. I hadn't even thought about it in that way and had never even thought to ask Samantha if she would "be my girlfriend," as if people even did that anymore. Before I could contemplate it fully, Gary had summoned Sam into his office as well.

"So, are you two dating now?" Gary asked us bluntly.

I was horrified. I couldn't even think straight. I looked at Sam, my eyes opened wide with a look of confusion on my face. She looked back at me with the same look, also dumbstruck by what Gary had said.

"Oh good grief. I'll answer for you two knuckleheads. Yes, you are, whether either of you is willing to say it or not. Now fill out these forms and get out of my office before I throw up," Gary said playfully, doing us both a huge favor in the process.

Without thinking, Sam and I both reached over to his desk and signed the form. Once we did, we looked at each other knowingly, and we were both grinning from ear to ear.

"Oh PLEASE just get out of my office now," Gary said, seeing the intent look on our faces.

It was official. We were dating.

Painful truths

------

The following weeks felt like heaven. Sam and I no longer looked for excuses to be together. We were nearly inseparable after work. We kept our work relationship extremely professional, which Gary appreciated. As soon as we "punched out" though, we were like two grade school children.

We did everything together. Our weekends were spent almost exclusively with one another watching movies, gaming, and listening to music. We'd go to Falcons games on Sunday's then retreat to one of our apartments to watch Sunday night football together as well.

DaniW
DaniW
761 Followers