The oval driveway feels longer than usual as she navigates her way up toward the office. The three-floored, glass medical building sits atop a freshly manicured lawn. The morning sun reflects on the windows and glares into Sera's eyes while she continues her journey up from the employee parking lot. Sometimes, she hates going to work. It seems like she can hardly get herself out of bed anymore. The only thing keeping her going today is the gossip she has for Amanda and her pseudo date with Jack. Once through the automatic double doors, she's hit with the sharp scent of antiseptic. Ducking her head and holding her breath, she heads straight for the elevators. Stepping inside the elevator, she presses the button for level three. Normally she can deal with a small space, but elevators are the one thing that makes her heart race. Just something about a rickety tin can held up by a pulley system that doesn't sit right with her. The metal doors close and the contraption clangs to the top. By the time it reaches the third floor, she releases a sigh.

The third floor is the building department of the Angelic Medical Center. Situated in the horseshoe pattern are cubicles that section people like cattle. Oh, they decorate them with pictures and festive holiday figurines, but it doesn't make the place feel any less suffocating to Sera. She veers off down the right side to head for Amanda's cubicle. Her closet friend is also her complete opposite. Whenever Sera thinks she has things figured out, Amanda seems to prove her wrong. Amanda has always known what she wants and stops at nothing to obtain it. Sera finds herself a little jealous of her friend art times. Even though Amanda's younger than her by a year, (okay, two) she appears to have the world all figured out. Meanwhile, Sera has always felt life was like getting off a ride at an amusement park-fumble around until you catch your balance. Amanda's main concern now, besides boys, is nursing school. In an effort to help her ambitious friend, Sera finds herself doing all that she can to help her get there, including correcting ten page papers until three in the morning. Being total opposites doesn't hinder the two at all. If anything, they mesh better that way. If there was one person to get Sera to break out of her shell, it would be Amanda. That's why she needed to tell Amanda this juicy news since she has been trying to get Sera to go out on a date for almost a year now.

As Sera approaches Amanda's desk, she finds it empty as usual. Amanda would probably be flirting it up with one of the new interns down in the break room on the first floor. Winter break always brings fresh meat, as Amanda like to call them. Bursting at the seams, Sera slips into the cubicle anyway. Plucking a hot pink Post-It note out from the top drawer, she leaves her a message. Come see me when you get in. She sticks it to Amanda's computer screen before reluctantly heading around the bend to her own desk.

Amanda doesn't make it to Sera's desk for another couple hours, leaving Sera's mind reeling until she is finally able to pull up some work and get lost in the mess of codes and charges. Amanda sneaks in like nothing had happened and props herself on the edge of Sera's desk, crossing her long, lean legs. Her short, dark hair swishes across her shoulders as she goes on and on about a hot orthopedist she met downstairs.

"You don't understand, Sera, he's so dreamy!" Her dark doe-like eyes drift off into the distance, reminiscing about the wonderful five minutes the two shared.

"Oh really?" Sera finds Amanda's antics amusing like always.

"I think he may be my soul mate. Can you imagine me, a doctor's wife?" Her hands press together almost like she's sending out a silent prayer to the universe. Amanda leans her long slender frame against the wall of Sera's cubicle and she can practically picture her best friend mentally piecing her new life together in her head.

"Oh please, you said that about our waiter at Bob's Bang'n Burgers just last week," Sera begins to reason with her, although there is no point.

"You don't understand." Amanda must have caught Sera rolling her eyes because she squints her own in response. "He gets me." There's a slight pause before she adds, "And he's totally hot!"

"Oh, he'll get you alright," Sera mumbles under her breath.

"Did I mention he's a doctor, I mean it's like meant to be, right?"

"You seriously don't see anything wrong with this picture?" Sera reasons, "I mean you work in the same building."

"I know, isn't it perfect? He's the smoking hot doctor, and I'm the sexy secretary. It's like every guy's fantasy." She's biting the edges of her perfectly manicured nails now. In typical Amanda fashion, she has bypassed all logical reasoning and gone straight for the 'Hot' factor.

"Really?"

"What, Sera-Crusher-of-All-Dreams, what do you want to say?" Their eyes finally meet in a playful testing of wills.

"Let me just paint you a little picture here." Sera takes a deep breath. "Dr.Hot-Stuff and you are hot and heavy for a while. Then he breaks up with you for no rhyme or reason. You come into work the next day and have to stand side-by-side in the elevator for a few seconds, or eat lunch across from him downstairs. Is that what you really want? To be walking on eggshells at work?"

Amanda gives her a familiar glare. One that means: you're lucky I love you. "You're right... as usual." Her shoulders sag in defeat. "Can't a girl dream?" Slipping off the desk, Amanda turns to leave; probably to get a second opinion, when Sera finally gets her chance to catch her off guard.

"So, I might have a date tonight." Her voice is low, but Amanda stops in her tracks all the same. Her head whips back to Sera sitting at her desk hiding a smile.

"What?" she almost screams before sliding back on top of the desk. "You? The I-Will-Never-Date-Again-Sera?" Once she's situated with her legs crossed, she commands Sera with one word, "Dish."

"Jack from the coffee house kind of told me to stop by after work." Sera grows sheepish.

"Sexy-Coffee-Jack?" Amanda shrieks, clapping her hands together several times. A few of the older women toward the back pop their heads up to see what all the commotion is about.

"Shh, Mrs. Valentine will hear you." The truth is, Sera doesn't care about the tedious lectures from the boss. She just doesn't like to participate or be the subject of workplace gossip.

"Oh, no. I did not wait a year for this moment for absolutely nothing, tell me every juicy detail."

Sera's mouth opens to begin, but the more she thinks about it, the more she realizes maybe this isn't a date. "He just asked me to stop by after work. He did mention something about dinner, but maybe he was just being social. Maybe—"

"Nonsense, Sera, you get hit on all the time you just don't know it." Sera doesn't even bother to hide the rolling of her eyes as Amanda continues, "You've got that mysterious, good-girl aura about you."

"Why is being a good-girl mysterious? Maybe you should try being a little more mysterious."

Amanda pauses for a second. "I see what you're trying to do—stop changing the subject. What are you going to wear?"

"What do you mean? What's wrong with my outfit?"

"Nothing for work, but for a date, you want something that says, 'Hey, Jack, I'm a mysterious good girl, come and find my naughty side.'"

"A-man-da."

"What, I'm just trying to help you out. We both know how long it's been."

Sera shoots her a look that Amanda can read like a book. A look that screams I-know-damn-well-how-long-it's-been-stop-reminding-me.

"I'm not going home to change, he just asked me to stop by after work, so that's what I'm going to do." That's what She decides on the outside, but internally, she is singing a different tune. If it is just casual, why is her heart beating expectantly? She knows she should listen to Amanda; she's definitely more experienced. She's been off the market for a while, mentally and physically, so she could use any advice given. Stubbornly, she sticks to her guns instead.

Silence grows between the two girls. If they had been strangers, it would be awkward, but Amanda knows better. She's waiting for the right moment to say what she's been meaning to say from the start. "Sera, do you think Jack has been waiting all these months to ask you out for nothing? Of course it's a date."

“How do you know he's been wanting to ask me out?".

"I told you—he likes you. He memorized your drink and your very unusual name, but he can't remember that I like my coffee cold, not hot. There's something up with that guy. Plus, I was turning up the charm last Thursday, and he couldn't tear his attention from you. I swear his eyes follow you around like a lost puppy."

“You're exaggerating."

Amanda shrugs. "Fine, don't believe me. Go another twelve months!" At that, Sera winds up for a swift jab to her arm. Amanda's laughter drifts off and her face grows serious, those manicured nails are now twirling around the tips of her hair. Sera knows that face means she's trying to think. "Now, what are you going to wear? We need an outfit that says (I-just got-out-of-work-but-I'm-still-sexy-casual).”

Sera just stares at her. "I don't even know what that means."

“Don't worry about it." Amanda shakes her brunette tresses about and adds, "Leave it to me." With a twirl of her hand, she indicates she has everything under control. Amanda once again scoots off the desk and turns with her hand on the edge of the cubicle. "And I want to hear all about this date and Jack's beanstalk."

“Amanda!"she reprimands. If she had said it any louder, half the floor would have been all over the gossip like a lion devouring its prey. Their mouths salivate at the slightest notion of drama or information. The pen in Sera's hand goesflying past Amanda's head, and she ducks just in time. Her laughter echoes behind her all the way back to her desk, leaving Sera to stare blankly at her computer screen for a few seconds before scooting her chair in and returning to work. If she doesn't keep busy, she'll be stuck reminiscing about the possibilities of tonight. It seems like that's all she ever seems to think about, the possibilities of what could be...