“Serious?” I asked.
He nodded. “Serious,” he repeated slowly.
“And by serious, you mean?” I asked.
“That you and I, we’re going to give this a go. Officially,” he said softly.
I took a step towards him. “Are you asking me if I want to go steady with you, Mr. Stark?”
He fixed his blue eyes on me and his lips twitched into a smile. He looked so good like this. A casual version of himself. I realized how privileged I was to see him like this. I was pretty sure he didn’t show this side to many people.
“Maybe I am, Miss Peterson.” His smile grew. Cute and coy like a schoolboy.
I nodded. “Can I think about it?”
He looked confused for a moment. “You want to think about it?”
“There is a lot to think about,” I said.
“Like what?” he asked.
“Well, I can’t just move in here, for starters. That’s not the intention. And I no longer have a job either, and quite frankly, I don’t want to work as anyone’s assistant ever again. I’m afraid the experience might have scarred me for life.”
He chuckled. “Sorry about that.”
“So, I don’t really have a place to stay right now, I don’t really have a job and it would be completely strange if I just went to sleep upstairs with you. Don’t you think?”
“Well, what do you want to do?” he asked.
“Honestly, I don’t know. Well, I do, but I’m not sure how to do it again.”
“What do you want to do?” he asked.
I smiled. “I want to act. But my agent doesn’t exactly take my calls anymore so I don’t really know about any auditions going on at the moment.”
“Get a new agent,” he said. “You’re big in Nigeria, after all.”
I laughed. “I guess I could try and contact some.”
“You should. It’s your dream, it’s what you want to do.” He stepped forward and placed his hands on my shoulders. “I have an idea. Stay here, in the guest house, for a while and work on your dream. Besides, I like having you here. The house feels good with you in it.”
I shook my head immediately. “No, that’s crazy. I can’t just move in with you.”
“You’re not moving in. You’re simply temporarily staying in the guest house. Like a tenant might. And when you do get work, which you will, I can help you find a new apartment, if that’s what you want.”
“What about the apartment I have now?” I asked.
“You can’t move back into that place, it’s not safe there.”
“I have to give a month’s notice if I want to move out,” I said, thinking about how great it would be if I never set foot in the place again.
“Well, give them notice.”
“What about all my things in there?”
“We can move them out later, or do you want to go and get them now?” he asked.
I put my hands on my face and shook my head. “Are you being serious? This isn’t a joke? You’re just inviting me to come and live in your guest house?”
