Page 7 of Consorting with Romance

“Have you been here long?”

“About ten minutes.”

“Any issues so far?”

“Nope.” I grinned and tried to joke as well. “So far I have successfully managed to sit in this chair and remember how to type things.”

Ash cocked his head to the side like an amused puppy for a moment before offering a lopsided grin as he opened his mouth to speak.

Then the door opened.

He stood quickly as his client entered the room. He walked toward him and offered his hand in greeting, abandoning whatever thought he’d been about to utter.

The afternoon faded into evening uneventfully. I greeted his other two clients, rescheduled one of them, changed the sheets, refilled the waters, and spent most of my time with my nose in my books. I was expected to do so little that it really didn’t feel like he needed an assistant. I felt a bit guilty taking his money for such a minimal amount of work but telling him that and finding myself out of a job simply wasn’t something I could afford to do. I’d have to keep an eye out for other small things I might be able to do for him to make up for it.

As I sat on the couch flipping through a book about ornamental gardening while he finished showering after his last client, I tried to convince myself that I should probably continue to force myself not to stare when I changed the sheets and caught glimpses of him in the shower. I’d seen him in there four times over the course of two days, and every time he’d been in the exact same position. He faced into the spray with his hands placed just above his head on the slate wall. He’d lean into them with his head bowed and his shoulders dropped. His hair appeared light brown rather than blond when it was wet, and it clung to the back of his neck and shoulders. He looked different in those moments, like he carried the weight of the world and he was trying to find a way to survive. I don’t know why that’s how it felt. In every one of our interactions, and the few moments I’d seen him with others, he seemed to radiate calm and self-assuredness. I couldn’t figure out why my brain said that might not really be the case based on a few stolen glances.

“You’re still here.”

I nearly jumped out of my skin when he opened the door and stepped into the waiting room, now dressed in dark blue jeans and a lightweight pale cream sweater. A black backpack was slung over one shoulder.

I felt myself blush.

“I didn’t know if you wanted me to wait and walk out with you at the end of the day.”

His smile was gentle and comforting. I wanted to hug him. Nope, not thinking that either.

“That’s very kind of you. But no, I can’t even imagine how little spare time you must have. You certainly don’t need to spend any of it waiting for me.”

I stood and followed him to the door with an awkward laugh.

“True. I barely have time to remember to eat and breathe most days. But, if you ever change your mind, just let me know.”

“I certainly will. Thank you for the kind offer.”

He entered the keypad code to lock the door behind us, and with a single nod and one last smile he took off down the hall in the opposite direction of the elevator. I wondered where he was headed.

Chapter 3

Ash

Jesse settled into my routine quickly. He was prompt, attentive, and I found him to be both thoughtful and witty. Even though we interacted minimally, I enjoyed having him around on both a professional and personal level.

About a month into his employment, when I came to collect my last client and Jesse let me know they had gotten stuck at work and rescheduled, I found myself speaking without thinking, something I rarely did.

“I know you likely don’t have spare time as you have studying to do, but you’ve been here about a month now, and I don’t know much about you. Do you want to grab some dinner downstairs before we head out since we’d planned to be here another hour anyway?”

The ground floor of my office building contained a few shops and a small café. He looked surprised and blushed, something I'd found he often did.Something I found myself enjoying perhaps a bit too much. When he paused instead of answering, I felt panic rise. Of course he didn’t want to socialize with me, he was busy, and he was going to be a doctor, he had far better people to spend time with. I shook my head quickly, a bit embarrassed that he’d have to try and come up with an excuse.

“Never mind. I don’t want you to feel pressured by your boss. It was a spur of the moment suggestion.”

His hand reached out a few inches in my direction and he shook his head as well.

“No, no. I was just surprised. I’d actually really like that.”

I was startled at the way my heart raced.“Excellent, let me get dressed and we’ll head out.”

My regular table was open, and we were barely settling in when a waitress arrived.

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