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“Twenty-five,” she said. “How old are you?”
“Thirty-one.”
“That’s not bad,” she said.
“No,” he said.
“That’s not even a big age difference. It’s only six years.”
“Well, when you were eleven, I was seventeen, so that’s not great. And when you were twenty, I was twenty-six, and that doesn’t really sound great, either, to be honest, and—”
“Yeah, but you don’tactthirty-one.”
“How do you think thirty-one-year-olds act? Because I think I do.”
“You’re just…” She gestured at him. “You’re so, um, well, you’re not uptight and, uh—”
“Okay, I get it. I’m a big, fat loser.” He squared his shoulders. “Whereas, you, you’re graduating with a master’s degree for social work and you’re going to be a really real adult while you’re six years younger than me.”
“No, I didn’t mean it like that,” she said. “You’re not a loser.”
“You think this is what I want for myself?” He gestured around. “You think I don’t want something more stable and respectable? I do.”
“There’s nothing disrespectable about this job.”
He laughed softly, under his breath.
“There isn’t,” she said. “I was not trying to insult you.”
“Okay,” he said.
“Look, people won’t get it,” she said.
“It?”
“I only mean that if we go out to dinner or something, in town, everyone will see us, and they all know we work here together, and they all can see that there’s the age difference—”
“And that I’m your boss,” he said. “And they all know everything about me. Every single fucking stupid thing I’ve ever done my entire life, because I grew up here. So, that means they’ll speculate and throw in their opinions—”
“And none of their opinions will be favorable ones,” she agreed. “Trust me, I know what it’s like when everyone feels the need to comment on your choices.”
He eyed her. “You mean Tommy.”
She nodded. “Yeah.”
“You live with him.” His stomach twisted into knots, suddenly.
“Is that a problem, Niles?”
“Maybe,” he said.
Her eyebrows shot up.
Niles sighed. “I don’t know.” Honestly, he didn’t get what was wrong with him. If someone had explained this situation to him— younger girl wants to pursue things with you, no exclusivity requirements, and she wants it to be a secret…
Sounded perfect, actually.
He was an idiot.
