Validated

The dinner had almost finished and Laila was about to return home after what could only be described as a perfect date. She was happy she had decided to visit Noah at his office and that she had cooked for him. It was good for her to see where he spent so many hours of his day during so many days of the week. She had now seen first hand that Noah was a good boss and she liked him even more because of it. As she thought back on their conversation, she was reminded of what he had answered to her asking why his office was situated at the end of the hall.

He said, "By stationing my office at the far back, I am forced to walk past all the other workstations and offices every day. This allows me to see what my team is working on, have a little chat with them and allows them to ask me any questions they might have, without feeling the pressure of having to knock on my office or worry about disturbing me during my work. It makes them feel seen and their work feel validated. It causes them to feel more connected to me and allows me to keep an eye on all matters."

Hearing this, Laila could not find any flaw in his answer and could only commend him for being a boss that was this involved with his work, his company and his team. When Noah left for a bathroom break, she decided to do something kind for the team as well. Seeing them still work so hard this late, she decided that they too deserved something special. So, she ordered them all a nice meal and had a restaurant prepare a nice dessert. Since she and Noah were having an early dinner, Laila was convinced that the food would arrive in time for the team to have a warm meal during a normal dinner time but hopefully late enough for her to be gone by the time the food is here. That way it would be a nice surprise and it wouldn't seem like she was doing it for attention or praise.

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This was about twenty minutes ago and she was getting ready to leave now, with no food in sight. Their food was finished and Noah had placed all the empty containers back in the shopper, along with the basket that was now empty as well, when she had taken a moment to go to the bathroom before heading out. "Are you all set?" He asked as he helped Laila put her coat back on. She turned around with a smile and nodded. "Did you book your flight already?" Laila shook her head no. "I will do it when I get home." Noah rubbed her arm and thanked her again for the date, before he gave her a kiss. One that lasted a good minute as he was trying to compensate for their week apart.

After their lips parted he said, "I am not sure if I will be able to return tonight. So, if I don't see you before you go, I want to tell you to take good care of yourself and make sure you have fun. Give me a call before you board the plane." Laila said, "I will, I will and I will!" Before she let out a chuckle. Laila waved goodbye as she stood by the door, ready to leave, when Noah repeated, "Don't forget. Call me! No matter how busy I am, I will be sure to pick up." Laila let out another chuckle and agreed to his request once more, before opening the office door and closing it behind her.

While she walked towards the elevator, she stopped for a brief moment to have a chat with the team and complimented them for their hard work. When she continued to the elevator and pressed the button, she saw it was already moving up. Wondering if it could be the food already, she turned around to look at the people on the floor, she saw that they were still immersed in their work to notice whatever was going on outside of their screens and papers. Then she finally heard the ping sound and the doors opened. Out walked a team of four people, carrying multiple bags and containers of colourfully smelling food and Laila felt relieved that she had managed to leave just in time. She jumped in the opened elevator in order to escape the team's reaction before it was too late and watched the doors close as the first questions came in.

Laila hadn't even reached the ground floor, when Noah sent her a message saying, "You little minx. Escaping just as the food got here, hmm? You sure are in a spoiling mood today. The team sends their thanks." Finishing his message with a heart emoji and a kissing face emoji to express his love for her deed and for her as a person. Laila smiled as she wrote him a simple "You're welcome" and a kissing emoji of her own, before walking out of the elevator doors that opened just as she pressed send and headed to the car that was already waiting for her out front.