Page 54 of The Proximity Factor

Parker eyed me with the same intensity until I rounded the corner in the hall and we couldn’t see each other anymore. I heard him go out the front door. He’d offered to bring in our bags. We didn’t have any boxes left to speak of. We’d handed out every flyer and discount card we’d brought with us. What a ride it had been. I even got a new friend out of it. Jacie and I were totally going to hit up a Taylor Swift concert together.

Parker had a thousand calls to return. Every gaming magazine on the planet wanted to interview him. I was just glad he didn’t have to sell his car, and he’d secured Daphne’s tuition. And that I could pay off my credit card.

The adrenaline of the day was wearing off, and all I wanted to do was crawl into bed, so I grabbed my laptop and did just that.

I logged into my account and found a new questionnaire waiting for me like always. But this one was different.

Considering this past weekend, your request to attend the expo together, and the events leading up to it, we based this week’s questions on your experience. As always, we expect you to answer truthfully and to the best of your ability.

Weird. Very weird.

I clicked record and anxiously downloaded the questions to see what they wanted to know.

“Question one: Please explain how you came to the decision to work together for this event.” I had to laugh. “Well, I’m pretty sure ‘we’ didn’t decide to—I did. Parker needed help, and I think he forgot what it was like for someone to help him. He’s always trying to help everyone else. I guess I just thought he should see what it’s like on the other side of the coin.”

“Question two,” I yawned. “On a scale from one to ten, ten being the highest and one being the lowest, how well do you work together? We are a total ten. We are like the dream team in the gaming world. At least I think so.”

“Question three: Would you consider working with Parker in the future? Yes, of course.” I had to think about the ramifications of that. Was I saying I could see myself quitting my job and working with Parker full time? Huh. That was something to think about. Honestly, I’d felt so smart over the last several days. And I think other people saw me as intelligent too. Even Maren wanted to claw my eyes out. But that’s because she knew she was the dumb one for walking away from Parker. It wasn’t because he was going to be über-successful either. I think she realized Parker showing up at that expo meant he was a fighter, and he would have fought for their relationship had she given him the chance instead of hopping into bed with his best friend. I only caught glimpses of Stephen, but he looked pretty cold to me. It’s likely that he wasn’t a great husband.

I had to wonder how Parker would answer this question, given that things didn’t work out so well working with his wife and best friend before. Sure, he let me roll with the whole VP of marketing thing at the conference, but that was because it gave him some legitimacy. But would he want it to become a permanent sort of thing?

“Question four: Would you consider your relationship with Parker to be more professional, platonic, or romantic?” Oh, here we go. I’d been waiting for them to just come out and ask instead of trying to pry it out of me with all the research questions. “Well, if you must know, and I suppose you must, Parker and I are romantically involved. Though I’m pretty sure you knew that was coming, based on my last video diary.”

“Question five: Do you think working together strengthened your relationship or hurt your relationship, whether professional, platonic, or romantic?” That was a simple answer. “Definitely strengthened.”

“Question six: In what ways did it either hurt or strengthen your relationship?” I thought for a moment. It was kind of hard to put it into words. “It strengthened us because I think we each learned we could trust one another. And we got to see how much we believed in each other. Maybe this sounds weird, but when you get to help make someone’s dream come true, there’s no other bond quite like that. It’s almost scary how connected I feel to Parker,” I admitted.

“Question seven: Do you believe you will continue to have a relationship with Parker, whether professional or personal, after the experiment concludes?” I let out a long, happy sigh. “Yeah, I do.”

I HAD A HARD TIME quieting my mind once I settled at my desk that night. Not only because of Lanie but because I had several monumental tasks looming. I’d been running my company on a shoestring budget and outsourcing what I could because it was cheaper. That included a technical support staff out of India. They were great, but hardly anyone had been downloading the game, so they were barely utilized. With as many downloads as I was getting now, no doubt the need for more technical support would be important, and I was going to need more developers, designers, and someone to handle all the marketing and PR. Obviously, my mind went to Lanie for that position. But she already had a full-time job, and I was gun-shy about mixing my business and personal life again. Especially considering my relationship with Lanie was so new.

I rubbed the back of my neck, feeling uneasy. I could think of no one better to help launch my company than Lanie. If it hadn’t been for her, there wouldn’t still be a company. But what if things didn’t work out between us? How could I ask her to leave a job she loves when our future isn’t certain? Not that anyone’s is. Yes, I wanted our relationship to work out and I would do whatever I could to make it happen. But what if Lanie figured out she wanted to be with someone closer in age who liked Taylor Swift and knew what Lululemon was? Then what?

Admittedly, that thought felt like a sucker punch. How had I fallen so hard and so fast for this woman? It wasn’t a complaint, but I was telling the truth when I said she scared the hell out of me. Maren had wrecked my world, but I believed Lanie had the power to obliterate it.

Not able to stall any longer, I logged into the university portal. It appeared they were switching things up again.

Considering this past weekend, your request to attend the expo together, and the events leading up to it, we based this week’s questions on your experience. As always, we expect you to answer truthfully and to the best of your ability.

Yadda, yadda, fine. I just wanted to get this over with.

“Question one: Please explain how you came to the decision to work together for this event.” I grinned. “I think you mean more like how I was coerced by a gorgeous and tenacious woman.” Whom I would be indebted to for the rest of my life.

“Question two: On a scale from one to ten, ten being the highest and one being the lowest, how well do you work together? Almost too well,” I said offhandedly. Was there such a thing? “Eleven,” I added.

“Question three: Would you consider working with Lanie in the future?” I cleared my throat. “I want to say yes. Really, I do.” It’s all I was willing to offer.

“Question four: Would you consider your relationship with Lanie to be more professional, platonic, or romantic?” Frustrated with their intrusions, I said, “I don’t think you would be asking this question if you didn’t already know we are romantically involved.” Maybe Lanie was right. The researchers were hoping for this outcome. But why?

“Question five: Do you think working together strengthened your relationship or hurt your relationship, whether professional, platonic, or romantic? Strengthened,” I was straight to the point.

“Question six: In what ways did it either hurt or strengthen your relationship?” How did I even quantify that? “Have you ever had someone give you their everything, expecting nothing in return? It changes you as a person and as a couple.” I knew I would never be the same, and I didn’t want to be. Lanie made me want to be a better person. She lent me strength when I was too weak to admit I needed it. I would never forget that.

“Question seven: Do you believe you will continue to have a relationship with Lanie, whether professional or personal, after the experiment concludes? Yes.” I wanted nothing more in my life.

I WALKED INTO THE COTTAGE Wednesday night, after a long day of professional development training, to the scent of Indian food. Ginger, curry, and chili wafted through the cottage. Bless Parker. I hoped he had ordered my weight in naan because I needed some carbs in my life.

“Hi, honey, I’m home,” I called out from the doorway in a teasing manner, all the while meaning every word. I looked in the living room at my neatly placed throw pillows lining the couch. Nights of cuddling there with Parker filled my memories. This place was becoming more and more my home. So much so, I hated the thought that I would have to move back to my apartment in Goldenville in three and a half weeks. The thought of not coming home to Parker every day hurt my heart.

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