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I would have expected my answer to be something about traveling, but I admitted, “I’d climb onto Aleksei’s lap, so he could hold me and tell me everything was going to work out.”
“Well, shit,” Daniel muttered, “you really do have it bad for that guy.”
“I know.” I sat up a little straighter and exclaimed, “The rest of that’s not me, though! I pride myself on being strong and independent, so why do I want him to comfort me? Also, I don’t understand why I feel so lost all of a sudden. Quitting that dead-end job is a positive step, and now it’s not holding me back. I have enough money to travel, to go anywhere in the world…”
“Except that you don’t want to leave Aleksei behind,” JoJo guessed.
I slumped against the sofa and sighed. “Except for that.”
I usually brought us dinner on Tuesday nights, but Aleksei messaged me to say he’d taken care of it, so I went straight to his house that evening. He was excited about something when he answered the door. “I have something to show you,” he said. “Cover your eyes.”
After I put down my messenger bag, I did what he told me. He guided me through the foyer before saying, “Okay, you can look.” When I moved my hands, my breath caught.
The front room was totally decorated in our IKEA finds, from the furniture to the area rugs, curtains, and knickknacks. He’d arranged it differently though, and it really worked in that space. I murmured, “Oh, Aleksei, it’s beautiful,” as I took a seat on the dark purple sofa. “How did you do all of this?”
“I hired two guys with a moving truck to pick it up and bring it to me, and then I left work early so I could get it set up.” He grinned and added, “My assistant almost died of shock, since I never work half-days.”
“If you’d waited until tonight, I could have helped you.”
“I wanted to surprise you. I probably should have let you help though, because my back is aching now.”
“Oh no! Did you injure it?”
“No, I just strained it a bit, so I decided to book us a couples massage and a private hot tub at some sort of spa. Our appointment’s in two hours.”
“Sounds fancy.”
“I don’t quite know what to expect, because there wasn’t a lot of information on their website. But there was a pride flag on their main page, so I took that as a good sign.”
Dinner was delivered a few minutes later. “You should be proud of me,” he said, “because I didn’t order from my usual place. Instead, I went with a Thai restaurant I’ve never tried before.”
“I’m definitely proud of you.”
He grinned at me before saying, “Let’s eat on the patio. It’s such a nice evening.”
We stopped off in the kitchen so we could collect some plates, silverware, and a couple of beers. Then we stepped out into his tidy, professionally landscaped yard, where I discovered a round wooden table with a red umbrella and a pair of chairs. As we both took a seat, I asked, “Where’d this come from?”
“I ordered it online, and it finally got here yesterday. Do you like it?”
“It’s great. You’re making a lot of progress on this place.”
“I’m trying.” As he began to unpack the takeout containers, he asked, “How was your day?”
“Eventful. My pole dancing class concluded this morning, and I’m not sure if I’ll sign up for the next session or try something new. After class, I quit my job, had coffee with my friend Romy, and went home to spend time with Daniel and some of my housemates. Over the course of a few hours and many sangrias, it was decided that Daniel’s going to move into the pink Victorian, since his current roommate is a tool. Our housemate Eliot moved out recently, so we have a vacancy.”
Aleksei paused for a moment to process all of that before coming back to, “You quit your job?”
“I did, and much to my surprise it was effective immediately.”
After I told him about what happened after I gave notice, he murmured, “I’ll miss seeing you every day.” Then he quickly added, “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to make it about me. I’m glad you quit, because I know that job wasn’t what you wanted. It’s just that I’d gotten used to our routine.”
“I know. I liked our routine too, but the good news is, we have a lot more flexibility now. You can see me whenever you want, not just on my nights off.”
He perked up at that. “You’re right. So, will you join me for dinner Friday night?”
“Absolutely. But we don’t have to go to Tommaso for mushroom risotto, do we?”
That made him smile. “No, we don’t. I thought I made it clear that I kept showing up because of a certain gorgeous, dark-haired waiter. If he’s not working there anymore, there’s no reason to go back.”
