Lunch with Katie & friend

I think I'm going to call her friend Yoshi.

I got to work at 8:13am today, kinda woke up early thinking about this, even though I didn't get much sleep overall. When I got into the office, I turned my computer on and then went to the kitchen to fill my water bottle up. Yoshi was there making tea or something, she said she was using Katie's cup or something. We made brief chit chat and I mentioned a friend giving birth earlier in the week as we walked back to our offices. I noticed she went into Katie's.

I finished my stuff for the file Wendy gave me on Friday and then handed it in to Alanna for checking. I went to the bank to deposit my coins, and then went back to the office to resume work on my other file. As the clock reached 11am, I wondered whether I should email Katie to confirm lunch today. I went back and forth about it, and came so close I even drafted a short email, but I closed it several times instead of sending it.

Finally, I decided it'd be best if I just went to confirm in person. I was hoping she'd be with Yoshi so I could bring it up with both at the same time. If I confirmed it with her only, she might think I was insisting a one on one thing.

I went out of my office and walked past hers to look in and saw Yoshi standing there talking to her. I stood in the doorway and knocked, and Katie gestured to Yoshi that I was there. I asked "are we still up for today?" and Katie asked "for?"

I was a bit stunned. I thought about saying never mind or anything, but I said "lunch?", and she looked at Yoshi and Yoshi nodded enthusiastically at me, and Katie agreed. I asked what time and she said 12:30.

I returned to my desk with my confidence shattered. How could she forget? Or did she forget? Maybe she was just pretending? Trying not to appear desperate, wanting? Or maybe she hadn't told Yoshi about it? Come on, there's no way you'd forget something like that.

At close to 12:30, I went to the bathroom and noticed both Katie and her friend were away from their desks. I wondered what they were up to. Later on I went to check again and saw Katie standing in Yoshi's room. I entered and asked if they were ready, and they said yes, and they were just talking about Yoshi's sev appeal coming up. She told me a bit of the background info and then Katie and I started joking about it, although as Yoshi noted, it was kinda cruel.

I went back to my room to change my status and then we all headed out. I found myself walking in between them, and then Yoshi had to stop at the ATM in the shopping centre. Katie and I just talked while we waited, I asked her what she did on the weekend and she said not much, had a quiet one. I wonder if she's deliberately trying to be vague, or if she really didn't do much, or if she's trying to hint that she doesn't have a boyfriend. When talking about Bush though, she asked me what I thought were some strange questions, like if she was married. Did she think I might have something for Bush?

She also asked me about the difference between the State DDP and the Cth DDP.

After Yoshi got her money we headed to the Japanese restaurant (the one Katie had suggested last week, so surely she remembers??). The waiter asked if we wanted to sit at the bar or table. I didn't know there was such an option, and they chose table (thankfully).

Katie sat down first in the corner, and then Yoshi sat opposite her. I sat down next to Katie. On a deeper level, I think if they or Yoshi was hostile towards me liking Katie, she could've easily sat down next to Katie and given the situation an "us against you" feeling - but she didn't, she seemed to facilitate it.

I found out that Yoshi doesn't eat raw stuff, and Katie doesn't eat chicken or red meat. So I ended up choosing the tempura from the menu.

We had a good time (I thought), as we spent about an hour and a half there. Amongst the things we talked about were:

- Katie asking (again) about CW and Gretel
- Kate's baby
- Imad was their referee, but they didn't even get an interview
- Katie said to get an extension here you just have to be "conscious"
- names we gave to jurors during the trial
- Katie doesn't like to cook; Yoshi can bake very well
- Yoshi lives down south
- Katie's not good at running
- Tim's a blabber mouth
- they asked me what jail was like and I said "like high school" and Katie teased "I don't know what high school you went to"...see? She's got a sense of humour =)
- I said I was used to having a guy friend at work, and Katie and her friend said they could act more macho and be my friend, Katie said she could play sports with me at lunch and then Yoshi said she was going to suggest talking about sports but not play sports

Sometimes I'd watch as Katie spoke, and I've come to realise that there's this unusual awkwardness about the way she speaks. I wonder how she'll fair as an advocate. I think it's kinda cute though.

When we went to pay the bill, the total was like $50 somethinf and we each put in $20. They walked away when the change was given, and outside I offered the $10 note to them but they refused to take it. I felt bad. Why do I always end up in these situations? I said I'd buy some lollies and share it with them.

I think I ruined a good lunch right at the end with Yoshi, when we were talking about how there was a way for anyone to get up to our floor, and then I joked we'd see my client. Yoshi became defensive and said "no way" and I said "he's a nice guy", and she said "but not to us", and I guess she had a point. When we reached our offices, Yoshi thanked me for lunch, and I said I should be thanking her.

Later in the day, I decided to ask Katie how to do something on the computer, and when I was about to go into her room, Heath was walking by at the same time laughing with the cleaner, and Katie had turned and saw me there. Heath made a comment about me and I laughed it off as I went into Katie's room to ask her.

After that we all cake for Erin's going away for her wedding. I deliberately avoided Katie and Yoshi, because I was really starting to feel that I was spending too much time with her. There is such a thing as spending too much time with a person. I went to talk to Alanna and then Genie and Karina.

I noticed Katie and Yoshi left work at 5pm. I've come to accept that she'll probably rarely stay back after Yoshi, and that they leave together not because she wants to avoid me, but maybe because she has things (ala me) to talk about with Yoshi.

I finished work at close to 7pm, then went home for a mile jog. I found it a bit harder than usual. I then went to the gym and then had a mini-shopping session afterwards just so I could get the fuel docket.