Oh they can be just so wonderful. You meet by the water cooler and you have a quick make-out session, just like you did in high school. You sneak a lunch together; nobody knows. You get all hot and sweaty during lunch and when you come back people think it’s just the humidity, or maybe the air conditioning broke in the office.

But what if that somebody works in another branch, and you met them at a Christmas party? What do you do then? Let’s say, for instance, you met a guy through work, but you’re in Montreal and he’s in New York City. How do you get this relationship rolling?

First off, never use the office messenger system, and never exchange e-mails back and forth within the office: if one person gets offended, you might be saying “bye-bye” to your job when the human resources department catches wind of the situation!

The best thing to do is to start chatting and texting with him, and simply tell him, “Hey look, I really think we had some chemistry at that office Christmas party. Are you comfortable pursuing this?”

Why not be—gasp—100% honest? Instead of playing a guessing game and wondering if he likes you, if he’s into you, and whether or not you “should” pursue something, why don’t you just say “Hey look, I know you work at a different branch, but I’d like to get to know you a little bit better… Who knows, maybe one of us will be transferred one day, so we can spend more time together!”

It doesn’t even matter exactly what you say; say anything. Just be honest, folks. If you’re attracted to someone, just tell him/her, “Hey look, I’m attracted to you.” Simple as that. And if they say, “I don’t want to do anything because it’s the office,” you’ll be like “No problem, we can be friends.”

But it’s time to be honest and direct and really go for what you want. Stop playing guessing games and see if what you felt under the office party mistletoe can translate into a real life connection, even if that person works in a different branch from you. You never know where something might lead, so speak your truth.