Page 13 of Faking it with My Boss' Son

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I was hoping Michelle would understand the plan; truthfully, I should have texted her or called, but on Monday morning, I woke up to my bags packed and my dad grinning like an idiot. I waited until the afternoon to go to the apartment, hoping she would go along with it. When Michelle saw me at her door with my luggage, she was thrown for a loop and stared at me for a while without saying anything.

‘‘I can explain. Let me in.’’ I raised my hands in a pleading gesture as she moved to the side so I could step into the apartment.

“Is everything okay?” Michelle asked as she walked over to the windows to open the wooden blinds in the living room to create more light.

‘‘Yes…’’ I sat on the loveseat with a soft thump.

‘‘What’s going on, Ryan?’’ She said with confusion as she sat on the couch beside me.

‘‘I am going to stay here with you for the next few months,’’ I said quickly.

‘‘What?’’ Michelle’s eyes widened in confusion. ‘‘What did you say? Is everything okay with you and your dad?’’

‘‘Everything is fine. He’s just eager for our relationship to progress, so I told him I would be asking you to move in with me.” I said, hoping it was okay with Michelle.

Michelle held her face in her hands, ‘‘I don’t know what we are doing. Your dad is one of the most remarkable and brilliant entrepreneurs. It is not that he cannot make out that you’re fooling him because he is naïve; it is because he trusts you, Ryan. He believes that you’re telling him the truth because you’re his son.’’ Michelle sounded disappointed in me.

The grin suddenly vanished from my face as Michelle spoke, making me think for a second about whether I was doing something wrong, but I dismissed the thought immediately. ‘‘You know that I love my dad dearly, but he is acting as stubborn as a mule. It’s not that I am not willing to date, but I don’t want to date who he wants me to date. Whatever it is, I need some space from him. I’m tired of hearing him talk about the office or my dating life.’’ I heaved a sigh of relief as I rested my head on the loveseat.

‘‘Well… I hope this works and that this doesn’t hurt my job, our friendship, or your relationship with your dad.” She said as she got up from the couch.

‘‘I hope so.’’ I sighed.

‘‘Okay. I have an important presentation to work on really quick. Then I’ll cook your favorite dinner, and we can discuss this more.’’

‘‘Roasted turkey?’’ I smiled and raised my eyebrows.

‘‘Exactly,’’ Michelle smiled back and slowly slipped away into her room to work.

***

Imoved to the guest room, collapsing on the bed. I had two private lessons today and a good workout at the gym lifting weights, so I was exhausted. I had no idea how long I was asleep, but when I woke up, I looked out the blinds to see the horizon and sky drenched in all the shades of red and oranges, making it all the more mesmerizing. From the kitchen came the appetizing smell of turkey being roasted with different spices, crispy fried onions, and fried rice. It was making my mouth water. I ran toward the kitchen, almost colliding with Michelle. I held her tightly by the waist as we almost embraced.

‘‘Are you okay?’’ I asked. Her cheeks were all ruby. Perhaps she became conscious of the closeness between us and the fact that I was still holding her by the waist. I loosened my grip on her. She dusted off her apron and then tightened her ponytail back into the clip it had partially come loose from. For the first time in my life, I felt embarrassed at my bad habit of not being careful while walking, running over people, and almost knocking them down.

‘‘Yes, I am fine. When did you wake up?’’ Michelle asked without looking at me.

‘‘Just a few moments ago,’’ I replied, trying to act normal.

‘‘Want to have some coffee before dinner?’’ She asked as she walked back toward the kitchen.

‘‘Yes, I’d love that. Are you done with your PowerPoint? You need to remember Dad won't treat you as his son’s girlfriend but just one of his employees in the office.’’ I said sarcastically, following her.

Michelle gave me a closed-lip smile, making me wonder what she was thinking.

‘‘You, okay?’’ I asked.

‘‘Perfect. Why do you ask that?’’ She sounded uncertain.

‘‘I know I am a bit eccentric. And often, I talk about things without thinking. I hope you don’t take it the wrong way.’’ I sighed, grabbing coffee cups from the cabinet.

‘‘Of course, Ryan. I know you. You don’t owe me an explanation.’’ Michelle replied as she poured the coffee into the cups.

We walked over to the dining room. ‘‘Look how breathtakingly beautiful the moon looks behind the clouds,’’ I said, looking out the window.

‘‘Not as beautiful as your sense of humor.’’ She deadpanned, sitting down at the dining room table.

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