Page 12 of Twenty-Three Years of Longing

“Mr. Moyer...”

“Orion,” he corrected me.

Using his first name made this feel less formal. So, I needed to stress it with my tone instead. “Orion, why on earth did you feel the need to storm into my room? Do you know how utterly embarrassing that was for me?”

He placed his phone on the table beside mine. “I told you; I was worried that something was wrong.”

That wasn’t an explanation. “I see no reason why you should be concerned. If there had been an issue, I’d have reached out to you.”

“We had a dinner date for six,” he stated.

“I’m aware of that.”

He huffed, obviously frustrated. “Raya, it is almost seven.”

“What? Seven?” I got in the tub shortly after five.

“Yes, seven. I rang your phone, and you didn’t answer. When I came to your room and knocked, you still didn’t answer. So, while I was standing outside of your door, I rang your phone a second time. I could hear it ringing but you still...”

“I know. I didn’t answer. I was taking a bath as you now know. I couldn’t hear it through the door,” I stated firmly. If I had been awake, I would have.

“No. You were sleeping in the bath. Do you know how dangerous that is? You could’ve slipped beneath the water and drowned,” he said.

The concern in his tone was sincere. I wanted to appreciate that. It felt good to have someone care whether I lived or died. My ex-husband probably had forgotten that me and Joey even existed since we never heard from him anymore. But Orion wasn’t a husband or a boyfriend. He was my boss. The only thing he should be concerned about is my job performance. Which was something that we should be discussing instead of bathroom safety. That didn’t mean he wasn’t correct. It was a poor decision on my part, but thankfully, nothing happened.

“Could’ve but didn’t. And I was just resting my eyes. That’s all.” Not sure when I had closed my eyes, but if it really was almost seven, then they were closed for a lot longer than I recall and that explained why the bath water was cold.

“Yet you didn’t hear your phone or Bennett and me knocking?” he questioned.

I had already explained that I couldn’t hear with the door shut. Was he not listening to me? I could tell he didn’t believe me. And he shouldn’t. But this was too much. “Is this an interrogation? Because it feels like one.” No way was I going to let him know just how mortified I was still feeling. Even now, when he looked at me, all I could think about was him seeing me naked. How were we going to get past this and move forward like it never happened? Every time I am going to look into his eyes, all I will think about is how he looked at me. Like he...wanted me.

Don’t think about that. It will only make things worse.

“You asked for an explanation, and I was providing one,” he replied.

“Fine. So, we agree that it was not intentional or necessary,” I said flatly.

Orion shook his head. “I wouldn’t go that far. Hopefully, we both learned something from this ordeal.” Like locking the bathroom door even if you believe you're alone. “I know that I have.”

I was afraid to ask what that was. But before I had time to pursue it, my cell phone buzzed with a Facetime call. It was lying face up on the table between us, and I couldn’t help but notice who it said the caller was. My Baby. I’d been waiting all day for this, and nothing Orion had to say was going to make me miss it.

I stood up and reached for my phone and said, “I need to take this call.”

He rose and said, “How about we try dinner tomorrow night? Same time?”

At this point, I would agree to just about anything to get him to leave. I nodded and watched Orion as he walked to the door and let himself out.

Quickly, I swiped my phone and his handsome face appeared. I wanted to think about nothing other than him because I knew we didn’t have long to chat. “Good morning,” I said, in a very cheery tone, ecstatic to hear his voice.

“Hi, Mom. Kathy is just about to drop me off at school. I called you earlier, but you didn’t answer. Were you still at work?” Joey asked.

“No. I was taking a bath and I lost track of time,” I said. “I promise I will set my alarm so that I call you when you get out of school so we will have more time to talk.”

“You don’t have to do that. Kathy is taking me to the mall for pizza and then the arcade. She thinks she can beat me at pinball. I bet her five dollars that I’d win,” he grinned.

“Joey, you should not be betting,” I said sternly.

“Oh, Mom. It’s not like I was going to really take her money,” he sighed, rolling his eyes. I really hope not. “And I won’t be able to hear you properly there with all the noise so maybe we can talk tomorrow instead,” he suggested.

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