The Lady In The Flames - 1. Story

The Lady in the Flames

It was December and very cold by Los Angeles standards but that did not dampen the spirits at Transcendent Touch Inc. The company had started with only one product, a basic photo retouching software for casual photographers. As it gained popularity the company branched out to video and sound editing eventually creating a suite of programs that could do some remarkable editing and special effects without much of a learning curve. The software had become so popular that it was starting to get noticed by professional photographers and video editors.

The steady growth of the company meant frequent raises and generous benefits for employees. Not surprisingly the employees were in good spirits but no one was as happy as James Collins. He had just received a phone call telling him that he was now part of the video editing software design team and was on his way to fill out some paperwork.

When he arrived his new supervisor Steve introduced him to a few of his new coworkers. James smiled as he shook hands with each person. He would have known they were programmers from a mile away. Each had a messy cubicle with snack food and soda cans within reach of the office chair. To say that they were casually dressed would be a complement. One of them did not even slip on his flip flops before he turned to greet James.

When James arrived at the personnel department the contrast was almost shocking. The cubicles were neat and the employees were well dressed. He was guided through the maze of cubicles. Then James' supervisor pointed out a young man. "This is Tom. He will help you with your paperwork."

Tom immediately got up and shook hands with James. Tom was young, friendly, and neat as a pin. He quickly pulled a chair out of a neighboring cubicle and picked up a folder with what looked like a ream of paper in it. Tom gave James a reassuring smile. "It's not as bad as it looks."

Tom quickly walked James through several tax forms, a contract, and an amazingly long set of benefit options. James tried to listen carefully but at times he just felt content to watch Tom speak. He was undeniably cute.

Tom was also impressed which James. Tom had gone through paperwork with almost the entire software development team at the company's Hollywood location. So far the programmers had all matched the stereotype of the video game addicted nerd. James was much calmer than his colleagues and appeared to be in good physical shape. His clothes fit him and his shoulder length hair was neatly combed. He seemed to actually be paying attention and not playing with his phone.

The paperwork went faster than James had expected. He was informed that his starting date was going to be the following Monday and he was assigned a cubicle. With everything taken care of James went home.

That afternoon James called his brother and shared the happy news.

"That's awesome!" exclaimed the brother, "I was starting to think you would be moving in with me which would early suck."

"Hey!"

"I'm moving next week, remember? It's bad enough moving all my crap I'd hate to have to move yours too. Speaking of which, you promised me you'd help me on Friday."

"Oh, shit! I can't. I'm working that day."

"Dude you promised."

"So, what do you expect me to do? Quit my job?"

"No, just call in sick. The flue's going around and you're going to have it over the weekend."

"But it's my first week!"

"...and you are being very considerate by getting the flue on Friday and recovering over the weekend."

This made James laugh and he knew his brother had won. "Alright, I'll see you next Friday."

The following week went well for James. His coworkers reminded him of his classmates in college and he fit right in. It did not take him long to adjust and start working on his assigned project. He left work on Thursday night with a sense of satisfaction tainted by the knowledge that he would have to lie to his employer the following day.

When morning came James was nervous. He decided to make the call before breakfast since his stomach felt like it was tied in knots. He looked up the phone number for calling in sick and picked up the phone. He dialed it and waited hoping no one would pick up. The phone rang once and James was greeted by a cheerful and familiar voice.

"Personnel department, Tom speaking."

"Hi, I um want to take a sick day."

"Alright, what is your name?"

"James Collins."

"Oh, I remember you. I hope you didn't catch that nasty flue."

"No. I mean, yeah. It's actually a stomach flu."

"I'm so sorry. You must be miserable."

"It's ok. I mean it's not that bad...I just can't go too far from the bathroom."

"I hope you get better soon. I'll let your supervisor know you’re sick. You take care of yourself."

"Thanks, I will."

By the time he put down the phone James had turned cherry red. He put his face in his hands and moaned. "I just told the cute guy at work I have diarrhea," he announced to the empty room.

After breakfast James was feeling a little better. Maybe Tom would get busy and forget. James' brother kept him occupied all day. By the end James began to wonder how so much matter could be crammed into such a small apartment. It almost seemed like a violation of the laws of nature. James' brother took him out to dinner. After dinner James got in his car and mentally prepared himself for the traffic jams ahead. He turned on some loud rock music and turned toward the freeway on ramp.

Ten minutes later he was breaking as traffic slowed to a crawl. A plume of smoke was rising from the roadway ahead. It was hard to tell how big the fire was with only street lights and head lights illuminating the scene. Everyone seemed to be slowing down to look at the unfolding misfortune.

As James approached the site of the accident he saw one car on the far left of the freeway. Three people were standing next to the car. On the other side of the freeway another car stood smoking from under the hood. As James got closer he could see flames starting to spread from the hood to the interior of the car. He wondered where the owner of the car had gone. It seemed unlikely that he would have crossed five lanes of traffic to get to the other side of the road.

James had almost passed the car when his headlights illuminated the interior of the wreck. The car was filling with smoke but James could still see the driver's unconscious body resting on the steering wheel. He realized that no one had noticed the figure slumped over the wheel and by the time help arrived it may be too late for the driver. James pulled over a safe distance in front and ran to the wrecked car. He was relieved to find that the driver's side door opened easily. Flames were now starting to consume the passenger's seat and a gust of hot acrid smoke assaulted James' nose and eyes. He coughed and rubbed his eyes for a second then looked inside again.

James struggled with the seat belt for an unbearably long thirty seconds. Then he gently eased the driver out of the car seat. He moved the unconscious man as carefully as he could to a safe distance. Just as he placed the limp body on the ground the flames found a leak in the fuel tank. The car erupted in a ball of fire. A burst of heat momentarily turned winter into wicked unnatural spring. The sickening sounds of the car being consumed filled the air. James looked at the car and then back at the driver. In the amber light of the burning car James saw a familiar face. The driver of the destroyed car was Tom from the personnel department at work.

By now all the drivers passing the scene realized what was going on. Some had pulled over and were coming to help. A siren was wailing in the distance. Tom began to open his eyes and James suddenly remembered his story about having the stomach flu. His presence in Friday afternoon traffic would be hard to explain so James did the only thing that made sense to his adrenaline soaked brain. He ran past the fire back to his car as fast as he could with no regard for the flames that threatened to set his hair and coat ablaze. He jumped into his car merged into traffic. As soon as he cleared the immediate area the drive home became considerably faster.

Once he got home James felt calmer. He was slightly sore from lifting boxes and furniture all day and decided to take it easy for the rest of the evening. He hung up his long winter coat and went to the bathroom for a shower. The hot water was very relaxing. He let it run over his face and head not thinking of anything but the pleasant sensation. Then he reached for the soap. As he slowly lathered his skin he thought about the events on the road. For the first time he realized how scary it had been. Then he thought about Tom and wondered if he was badly hurt.

James felt some anxiety creep back into his mind as he remembered that moving someone with a spinal injury could cause paralysis. He immediately pushed the thought out of his head. He finished his shower and dried himself with the towel. He caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror and stopped to take a better look. He had changed his exercise routine lately and was pleased to see the beginnings of a six pack on his abdomen.

He put on a pair of pajamas and went to the living room. He switched on the TV and found a newscast. The anchors promised a weather report after the commercial break so James left the TV on and went to the kitchen to look for a snack. He accidentally knocked over the salt shaker and salt spilled all over the counter. By the time James cleaned up the salt the news was back on. James went back to the living room to watch it. The weather man predicted another week of cold weather with a chance of rain.

Once the weather report was over James went back to the kitchen. He made himself a small sandwich and went to his couch. The news anchors were commenting on local politics. James reached for the remote control to change the channel but the next story caught his attention.

"We have an update on the story we covered last hour," announced the anchor, "The young man who was saved from his burning car by a good Samaritan will be released from the hospital tomorrow morning. According to a statement from the hospital, his injuries appear to be minor but he is being kept overnight for observation.

"The identity of the woman who saved him is still unknown. The only images of her were captured by a driver's cell phone camera which we will play for you now."

James dropped his sandwich on the coffee table. He stared at the video. The camera had been on the opposite side of the burning car and the video was taken through the flames and hot smoke. The turbulent air had distorted the image and the lighting was so poor that he could only make out his silhouette as he moved Tom away from the car. It quickly became obvious how people had mistaken him for a woman. His long hair was clearly visible and the coat he was wearing had been misidentified as a dress.

A reporter near the scene of the accident had managed to track down some witnesses and was interviewing them. James picked up his sandwich and realized that there was mustard all over the coffee table. As he cleaned it up he heard one witness say, "That girl is amazing! She's like Super Chick."

"Yeah, that's me, Super Chick," muttered James as he cleaned mustard off of a catalog.

He wanted to call the news station and tell them that he was not a woman but he knew the damage was already done. He would be teased and his boss would ask where he was going on Friday evening after most doctor's offices were closed.

James took a bite of his sandwich and a second later his phone rang. The caller was his brother. James answered the phone bracing himself for what would certainly be a stream of jokes at his expense.

"Did you see that accident?" Asked his brother.

"Uh, no. I just saw the wrecked cars."

"Dude, some girl saved this guy from a burning car. The video's online."

"Yeah, I just saw it on the news," replied James realizing that his brother was fooled by the poor quality of the video.

They spoke for a few more minutes and then wished each other a good night. As soon as he put down the phone James started laughing. Maybe he would get away with blaming everything on "that girl." The idea calmed him down and James felt tired.

He fell asleep quickly but he was restless. He kept dreaming about the accident. As the night went on the dreams focused more on Tom than the burning car. James would watch Tom as he placed him on the ground. He watched Tom's eyes open. In his dreams James did not run away but instead he kept watching until Tom was looking at him. The dream repeated several times and each time James would wake up as soon as he made eye contact with Tom. It was early in the morning by the time James was able to sleep past that point. He looked down at Tom and then bent down towards him as if to kiss him. Tom reached up to him and embraced him. Sirens wailed in the distance and people ran passed them as they kissed each other in the light of the burning car. Slowly the smell of smoke faded and night turned to day. They were no longer on the asphalt but in a warm bed holding each other close.

Eventually the sunlight woke James up. He was in his comfortable warm bed but he was alone. He felt a little uneasy about his dream. He had just met Tom earlier that month. It seemed strange to be so interested in a man he barely knew. His mind oscillated between liking Tom and not wanting to be so attracted to him. After a few minutes he gave up and let his mind go where it wanted to.

Later that morning James sat in front of his computer eating a freshly toasted bagel. He searched for more information on the car accident. At the same time the TV was on in the background so he would not miss any information about the accident. As he scoured the webpages he saw the same video posted everywhere. Apparently the lighting had been so bad that only one camera was able to capture a video of the incident. There were a few still photos posted but they were blurry and dark. Everyone was convinced that a woman had pulled Tom out of the car.

As James finished his internet searches the late morning news cast came on. About ten minutes in they showed a live shot of Tom leaving the hospital. He had a small band aid on his cheek and a few family members by his side but he did not look hurt. A few reporters stopped him to ask some questions.

"What do you remember from the accident?" asked the reporter from channel five.

"I remember the other car losing control and coming into my lane. I tried to stop but it was too late. I don't remember anything after that."

"Did you see the woman that pulled you out of the car?" asked another reporter.

"No, I think I was unconscious until I was in the ambulance," answered Tom.

"What would you say to her if you met her?" asked a young woman for channel seven.

"I would thank her of course. She probably saved my life."

James felt a chill go up his spine. He had never considered what would have happened if James had not noticed Tom's body laying across the steering wheel.

Another reporter was now addressing Tom, "There has been some speculation that the woman in the video may be a secret admirer. What do you say to that?"

"Uh," Tom smiled, "If that's true I'm flattered"

He was now close to his father's car and the family got in. The reporters let them leave without protesting.

James kept an eye on the story for the rest of the day. By Sunday the accident was no longer front page news. The video was still being circulated on social media under the title "Lady in the Flames." As the weekend drew to a close the television coverage was almost nonexistent. The main story was an incoming storm and the potential flooding and landslides that it might bring.

By Monday morning the storm had arrived. The rain was coming down in sheets as James got ready for work. Thunder rumbled in the distance and the roads were slippery. James drove to work carefully and found a parking spot near the building. As he walked to his cubicle he wondered what Tom would think if he knew who pulled him out of the burning car.

When he arrived at his cubicle he saw that the cubicle next to his was almost empty. A technician was disconnecting some equipment. James gave him a questioning look and the tech explained what had happened.

"Fred just got fired. He was making long distance calls from the company phones and slacking off. Worst of all, he was using his sick time to go skiing right before a deadline."

James felt himself cringe. All he could say was "Wow, that sucks. "

"Yeah," answered the technician before picking up Fred's phone and walking away.

James sat down in front of his computer and got to work. He was never going to take a sick day to help anyone do anything again.

About half way through his work day James was walking back from the bathroom when he saw Tom coming out into the hall way. He waved and Tom waved back.

"How are you?" asked James.

"I'm okay," answered Tom.

"I saw the accident on TV. It looked pretty bad."

"Yeah, the car's totaled but at least I'm fine."

"Did you ever find out who pulled you from the car?"

"No, maybe she got a good look at me and decided not to stick around," Tom joked.

"I'm sure it wasn't that," said James smiling.

"How are you? Are you feeling better?"

"Me? Oh, yeah I'm fine. I started feeling better a few hours after I called you."

"I'm glad to hear that," Tom looked at his watch, "I better get back to work."

"Me too," answered James.

As the week went by James started to relax. He had clearly gotten away with this misuse of sick time and in a few weeks he would start to accumulate vacation time. The news stations had forgotten about him and instead were covering mudslides and high waves threatening beach front homes and the frantic pace of Christmas shopping.

On Friday James attended the company Christmas party. It was held in a building across the street because it was the only space that could accommodate the crowd. His fellow programmers introduced him to other employees. The company was mostly made up of programmers, technicians, and office staff of various ranks. True to form the programmers talked mostly about computers and the office workers gossiped about their fellow staff members. James overheard a few conversations and was surprised to learn that Tom's accident was still of interest. Some of his coworkers were sure that the "lady in the flames" was in love with him. Some thought she was a stalker. Others said she was just shy and did not know how to approach him. Tom seemed slightly embarrassed about the situation.

As the party drew to a close the head of the company called everyone to attention. He announced that the company stocks were doing extremely well and they were going to expand the company. He confirmed rumors the company had purchased the building they were now celebrating in. They would once again be hiring new employees at both their Hollywood and New York locations. The news was met with applause and cheering. Once the applause had died down the CEO smiled and continued.

"We could not have been so successful without the hard work and dedication of all of you and so we are going to give everyone a bonus this year and a few extra vacation days to spend with your friends and family."

The sound of hundreds of people cheering was deafening. The party lasted for another hour. James met many interesting people but he found himself covertly scanning the crowd to see Tom. After the party, he mentally scolded himself for acting so creepy. As he approached his car his thoughts were interrupted by someone calling his name. It was Tom. James smiled. Maybe his behavior had not been as bad as he thought.

"Hey, Tom," he answered with a big smile.

Tom smiled back and they wished each other happy holidays.

The next few weeks were hectic. James tried to avoid the stores as much as possible. He had ordered most of his gifts online and was happy that the family celebrations were happening at his brother's new home. Even with those advantages he found himself waiting in a few long lines as he watched exhausted parents bringing toys to the registers. They guarded the merchandise like wolfs might guard a fresh kill.

On one occasion he witnessed a tug of war over a stuffed animal that went on for ten minutes. James whispered almost under his breath, "Thank God I don't have kids."

To his surprise a voice behind him answered "Amen!"

He looked over his shoulder to see a woman from work. "You’re Janet, right?" he asked.

"Yeah, and you are..."

"James. We work on the same floor."

"Oh, right. I remember you. Can you believe these parents?"

"I know. I guess I shouldn't judge."

"I can't either. Kids are great but the whole mom thing just doesn't work for me. So you're pretty new at Trans. Touch aren't you?"

"Yeah I started a few weeks ago."

"It's a good company. They really look out for us."

"Yeah, I got a bonus my second week," James laughed.

Janet smiled back, "Did you hear about Tom's accident?"

"Yeah, it was pretty bad."

"You know, the CEO visited him in the hospital."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"Cool."

There was a short pause as the line moved a few steps closer. The Janet continued. "So have you heard about this lady in the flames."

"Oh, yeah. Did they ever find out who she is?"

"No, it's been driving Tom nuts. He won't admit it but he really wants to know who she is. Someone in the testing department told tom his brother or cousin or someone got a good look at her and she's really hot. I don't get why she won't tell her story. She would get on the news for sure"

James just shrugged his shoulders and moved a few steps closer to the register. To his delight the next transaction went quickly and then it was his turn. After paying he waved good bye to Janet and went to his car. He felt bad about not telling Tom the truth but now that Tom was convinced that his rescuer was an attractive woman it seemed more problematic. What if Tom was hoping to date this woman? What if Tom would get angry and get him fired? James tried to put the thoughts out of his head but they nagged him all the way home.

The week between Christmas and New Year’s Day passed like a hurricane. There were family get together and neighborhood parties. It seemed like he was invited to everything from caroling to football parties. It was fun but exhausting. By the time the first work week of the new year started James was more tired than before the holidays.

At first it was hard to get back into the routine but by mid week everything was back to normal. On Thursday the group of programmers that were working on the color corrections tools met with a group of company product testers. Product testing was a tiny department located on the third floor. It was the more artistic branch of the company that could test the software as it would actually be used.

As James rode the elevator to the third floor he asked a fellow programmer about the department. His colleague described them as Hollywood types. James was not sure what a Hollywood type was but as soon as he met them he understood. They were creative artistic people who had previously worked in the film industry. The cultural differences between the departments were amusing but the meeting was productive. James returned to his cubicle knowing exactly what he needed to adjust.

By the end of Friday James felt confident in the changes he had made. He showed his work to a software tester named Trevor. Trevor tried out the algorithm and declared it a success. "This is fabulous! Are you also working on the green screening tools?"

"No. At least not now. I'm not sure what my next assignment will be."

Trevor looked a little disappointed but he explained the improvement he wanted to see anyway. James took some notes in case he would be assigned that project next. As Trevor was finishing his comments the phone on his desk rang. He picked it up and James looked at the caller id. It was Tom from personnel. Trevor seemed to be confirming an appointment. James wondered what it was about.

"Sorry about that," Trevor said, "I'm getting together with a friend for lunch today."

"That's cool," replied James.

"Where was I?" Trevor continued, "Oh yeah, the tool's kind of glitchy. You see it was fine for a few hundred frames and then there's one with a shadow or something. It doesn't really show in the final product but people see it when they go frame by frame. It's just not pro quality and people are complaining on the forums."

"I'll see what I can do," answered James looking at Trevor's lavender shirt and rainbow bracelet.

The following week James was examining the code for the green screening tool. His supervisor was pleased with how fast he was able to work and even more pleased that he was able to get along with Trevor. Apparently Trevor was demanding and could be quite annoying.

It took James a few days of testing and checking before he found the bug in the code. It took seconds to fix. He uploaded the repaired version to the company's server and emailed Trevor. After he got back from lunch he saw a reply in his inbox. The patch was working well so far. There would be some more testing and if everything went well they would release an update. A few hours later another email from Trevor arrived. It was an invitation to go out for coffee and talk shop. James happily accepted the invitation.

The coffee shop was just down the street and as they walked, Trevor thanked James for fixing the bug. It was part of Trevor's job to supervise customer service and respond to some forum posts and emails. There had been quite a few of these since that latest version of the software came out a few months ago. After they had settled down with their coffee Trevor immediately launched into a recitation of things that he wanted to see added to the software. He had the enthusiasm of several of his coworkers combined. James could see how Trevor could make people feel overwhelmed.

"All of those ideas sound great, but are there some that need to be addressed first?" asked James.

Trevor gave him the top three and reassured James that the jobs would likely be distributed among the team. "It's just not so easy to get a hold of Steve so I sometimes talk to the developers directly."

James briefly wondered if Steve and Trevor were on good terms. Then he saw Tom entering the coffee shop with a few coworkers. James waved to him and Tom waved back. Trevor turned to look who was coming in. "Hi Tom!"

Tom replied to the greeting and James was introduced to Tom's coworkers.

"Have you heard from your secret admirer?" asked Trevor.

"No," answered Tom sounding disappointed.

"Don't worry," said Trevor in a sympathetic tone, "She's probably a total bitch."

The comment made everyone laugh including James although he was not thrilled about being called names.

Tom was about to go order coffee when Trevor stopped him. "Tom wait, did you get my message about taking a personal day?"

"Yeah, I already took care of it."

"Thanks."

Tom and his friends went to order coffee.

"What's a personal day? Is that like vacation time?" asked James.

"Pretty much. Only it comes out of your sick time so if you're pretty healthy you can use those days to take care of other important things, like three day weekend in Las Vegas."

"Cool. I didn't know that," answered Tom remembering his story about having the stomach flu.

Trevor then turned the conversation back to the software. Thankfully, this time he wanted to talk about aspects of it that he was happy with.

Over the next few weeks James worked closely with Trevor and a few of the programmers on his floor. They were making improvements daily and it looked like they would be allowed to design new tools. The pace was fast but the work was rewarding.

One afternoon, as James was ready to leave for the day he looked up at the wall calendar and realized that it was already the first week of February. He flipped the page from January to February and sighed. The new year had certainly started well but it seemed to be going by too fast. He picked up his computer bag and headed for his car. When he got there he noticed a brand new car parked next to his. He was admiring it when the owner walked up.

"Do you like my new ride?" Asked Tom.

"Yeah, looks awesome."

"Thanks. I just got it. The insurance company finally payed me."

"That always takes forever."

There was an almost awkward silence and then James had an idea.

"Hey, do you want to get some coffee?" he asked.

"Sure. That sounds good."

They went to the coffee shop. It was now decorated for Valentines Day. There were cutout pink and red hearts hanging on every wall and dangling from the ceiling. There was a special on heart shaped sugar cookies and brownies with red and pink sprinkles. As he walked into the shop James caught his hair on one of the hanging hearts.

"This is a bit over the top for a holiday I don't even celebrate," he complained.

"I'm not celebrating it either but I'm okay with it as long as the decorations don't attack," responded Tom bringing a smile to James' face.

James pushed the offending decoration away and they walked to the counter. The barista asked James and Tom if they wanted to try the "Hot Love" Valentines coffee. After she explained that it was made with coffee cinnamon and whip cream, they decided to try it.

Taking a sip of the coffee James smiled at Tom. "This is pretty good."

"Yeah, it's a little like their pumpkin spice."

"So how long have you had the car."

"Just a week but I already love it."

"I'm glad something good came out of the accident."

"Absolutely. I just wish I knew who pulled me out of the car. It's really not that important but people keep asking me about it and I just wish I knew who she was and why she did it. I don't even know if she likes me or if she would do that for anyone."

James thought for a moment and then asked, "What if she turned out to be someone you couldn't like."

"It would be hard not to like someone who saved my life but I would like to know who she is anyway."

James could hear the frustration in his voice. There was a moment of silent contemplation. Finally, Tom spoke up. "So how are you doing?"

"Great. I think the boss may have my team develop some new color tools. It's really fun working with Janet and Ted. The guys in the testing department are great too."

"That's wonderful. I'm so happy for you."

"Oh, there's something I've been meaning to ask you about. When you take a personal holiday you can use your sick time as vacation right?"

"More or less. It's actually meant for family emergencies, travel, and personal appointments but it's basically the same."

"So there was a guy in my department who was using sick time to go skiing and he got fired. What was that about?"

"I can't really comment on a specific employee but I can say that there is nothing wrong with skiing on your own time. It was probably one of many complaints against the person. He must have been fired for some other offense. Why are you interested?"

"Honestly," James rubbed his forehead nervously, "the day I had the stomach ache, it really wasn't the reason I needed the day off. I had promised my brother to help him with something before I took the job and I didn't have any vacation time yet."

"Don't worry about it. No one's gonna care."

"Thanks," James laughed, "I was feeling a little guilty."

They finished their coffee and made some small talk. Eventually they went back to the parking lot and said good bye though neither of them actually wanted to leave.

A few days later James was meeting with Trevor when Tom walked in with some paperwork. He handed the form to Trevor. "Thanks, Tom," Trevor said and then smiled broadly.

Seeing James looking at him He felt compelled to explain, "I'm taking a little vacation next week. Tom just arranged that for me."

"He seems like a really nice guy," commented James.

"Absolutely, he's one of my good friends. He's gonna make someone a great husband someday," answered Trevor obviously remembering some conversation or situation James was not privy to.

"It seems like he's got his mind set on the 'lady in the flames.'"

"What?" Trevor sounded shocked.

"Well he was telling me he really wanted to meet her and know who she is."

"Wanting to meet someone is very different from wanting to marry them," explains Trevor, "Tom's one of us," Trevor tugged on his rainbow bracelet.

"Oh, he is?"

"Yeah," Trevor gave him an annoyed look, "Is something wrong with that?"

"No. I'm glad he's one of us. I just thought he was looking for a woman, the one in the video."

"He's not looking at her that way," explained Trevor, "and really she wasn't that hot. She looks kind of chunky in that video and don't get me started on her dress."

James could hardly keep himself from laughing. He faked a cough and quickly changed the subject.

The following week Tom arrived at his cubicle. He found an envelope on his desk. It had his name on it so he opened it. Inside was a note written on lavender stationary with red ink.

" Dear Tom,

I think I have held you in suspense long enough. If you want to find out who I really am, meet me at the gazebo in the park at 6pm on February 14th

The Lady in the Flames"

A map was enclosed to show the park in question. Tom stared at the note and wondered if it was a prank of some kind. He put it in his desk drawer and decided to deal with the situation later. Over the next few days he interrogated all of his coworkers but no one would admit to leaving him the note. The last person he asked was James who denied knowing anything about it.

"I don't know what to do," said Tom, "I keep thinking its a joke but I'm not sure."

"Just go and check it out," encouraged James, "If it turns out to be a joke, you can always laugh at it."

Tom smiled but he was not sure if he should follow James' advice. He asked Trevor what he thought. "What do you think I should do?"

"Go meet her of course!" answered Trevor, "Otherwise you will spend the next one hundred years wondering who she is and I will have to listen to it."

Tom asked a few more people for advice and most of them encouraged him to meet the mysterious woman. On Valentines Day Tom came back from his lunch break to find a red rose on his desk and a note from the lady. This time it was written in gold ink on red paper.

"Dear Tom,

I hope you will have some time to see me tonight. Please don't break my heart.

The Lady in the Flames"

Another map was included showing the shortest route from the parking lot to gazebo. Tom sighed and decided that he would go see whoever was leaving the notes. When he left work that afternoon the weather was unseasonably warm. It was nice to see sunshine after a particularly hazy few days. Tom kept himself busy until it was time to go to the park.

At seven o'clock he arrived at the park. He parked his car as instructed. He hesitated for a moment wondering if he should have brought someone with him. Then he saw the path to the gazebo lined with small candles in glass candle holders. As he approached the gazebo he saw that it was lit from the top by delicate strings of fairy lights. A small table was set up inside and the gentle glow of candles lit up the plates and wine bottle. As he got closer Tom could see someone standing on the far side of the gazebo.

He stopped for a moment but found that he would have to get much closer to identify the person. He eventually realized that the lady was standing with her back to him looking into the night. She was holding a glass of wine in one hand and staring out into the fog that was slowly seeping into the far end of the park. As Tom got closer he sensed that something was not quite right. There was something about the dress she was wearing that did not seem to fit. It seemed strangely loose and her tights looked more like pants. She was not the curvy super hero everyone had imagined her too be. Instead she was tall and a little too wide in the shoulders to be feminine. Worst of all there was something familiar about her that somehow felt horribly out of place.

A chill went up his spine as Tom took a deep breath. He wondered if he should just quietly walk away but it was too late. His shoes had made too much noise on the unpaved path and she had heard him. He held his breath as she turned around. She swept a lock of shoulder length dark hair out of her face and stepped into the light. Instantly Tom recognized her. His eyes opened wide and he was speechless for a second. When he came to his senses he said, "James, you have to stop wearing that girly coat."

James laughed and removed the coat as Tom entered the gazebo. "Why didn't you just tell me?" Tom asked.

"I wanted to but at first I didn't know I was allowed to use sick days for other things. Then Fred got fired and I didn't want to be next. After I found out that I wouldn't get in trouble, you seemed to be hoping for some kind of female superhero and I didn't want to disappoint you. I thought you might want to date her."

"Maybe I do," said Tom taking a seat on the bench next to James.

James smiled and continued his story. "Anyway, when Trevor told me you were gay I figured that at least I wouldn't be breaking your heart. He helped me arrange this. There is no way I could do that girly hand writing."

As he finished the story he poured Tom some wine. For a few moments they sat in comfortable silence eating cheese and crackers and sipping wine. Tom commented that it was a beautiful evening. It was an uncommonly warm night for February. The day had been sunny and almost hot and as clouds rolled in the evening they sealed in the heat of the day.

James and Tom watched the valley in the distance as the fog turned it into a surreal multicolored landscape. The humidity was slowly rising and the air felt pleasantly cool.

"So Trevor helped you write those notes and set up all this?" asked Tom

"He helped me plan it out and he wrote the notes. I tried to do it myself but couldn't think of how to word it. He told me my brain needed Viagra and did the writing for me," answered James.

"Now that sounds like Trevor," Tom laughed.

James laughed too. Then he became more serious.

"I know this is going to sound like a cliché but I feel like I've known you for a long time," James said looking into the fog that was lowly creeping towards them. "It probably doesn't mean much," he admitted.

"What if it does mean something?" asked Tom.

"Then I hope you feel the same way."

"I do."

James took Tom's hand and was surprised that it felt cold. "Are you cold?" he asked.

"A little," answered Tom.

James put his arm around Tom and pulled his loose coat around Tom's shoulders. Tom put his arm around James.

"How do you like my girly coat now?" asked James.

"I love it," answered Tom.

They would have stayed in the park longer but as the fog came in they got cold even under the coat.

"I guess we better pick up our things and get going," said James.

They picked up the dishes and began to collect the candles. As they blew out the flames the thickening fog playfully swirled around them. The path from the gazebo to the parking lot looked like a river of light. The fog hid the candles and made the walk to the cars feel like some sort of treasure hunt. They talked as they searched for candles,

"I'm not sure we should be driving after that bottle of wine," commented James.

"Do you want to sit in my car for a while?" Asked Tom, "It still has that new car smell."

"Sounds good," answered James.

The car did smell good. After running the engine for a few minutes Tom turned on the heater and some quiet music.

"I love your car," said James after a slightly awkward silence.

"Me too but I can't complain about the old one," said Tom, "If it hadn't caught fire we'd be on a boring first date talking about the weather while trying to enjoy desert."

"Yeah, but instead here we are in this luxurious parking lot with the windows starting to fog up."

Tom laughed, "so how late do your parents let you stay out on a school night?"

"This does feel like a high school date. Doesn't it?"

"Almost," answered Tom.

"What's missing? Homework?" asked James.

"This," answered Tom leaning over the console between the seats and kissing his date.

James moved closer and kissed Tom back. Soon they were awkwardly making out over the car's cup holders and hand break. It seemed like the whole world had shrunk to just the car and its occupants until they heard a voice from outside say "Dude, get a room."

They looked out the foggy windshield to see a couple of high school students walking away shaking their heads.

"Good idea," said James.

"Your place or mine?" Asked Tom.

They went to James' apartment. James hung up his coat, then took Tom's jacket and then he unbuttoned Tom's shirt. The pair moved towards the bedroom shedding layers as they went. The view improved with every step until they got into bed.

The night grew darker and clouds completely covered the sky but inside the apartment passion only burned brighter. As gentle rain nourished the spring's first flowers, love showed its first signs. Skin touched skin and limbs intertwined while nature washed the world clean. Thunder rumbled in the distance and then gave way to silence and sleep.

In the morning the sun rose on a world of hangovers, disappointments, and broken hearts but there were a few warm spots where love had survived the storm. James and Tom woke up knowing that their date was more than a one night stand. They showered together and then walked around the apartment picking up clothes as if they were fresh flowers. They dressed, ate, and went to work. There everyone was talking about the previous night's storm never suspecting that the lady in the flames had found his true love in the fog and the rain.