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“Do what?” I replied, quizzically.
“How are you always able to be so positive despite whatever is happening?” he asked. “Most people would not have given me the advice that you gave, let alone managed to convince me.”
“I don’t know,” I said, suddenly feeling shy with all his attention focused on me. “I guess I’ve just grown to see the glass half-full.”
“I think it’s amazing,” he continued. “You have an ability that is very rare. Most people like focusing on the negative.”
“I grew up having a lot of things not work out if favor of me,” I admitted earnestly. “When you have nothing, you learn to appreciate whatever little you get.”
Dylan was quiet. I was worried for a moment that I had bored him to sleep. But then he put me in his arm and pulled me tightly against his chest.
“You’re special,” he whispered, kissing the top of my head. “Never change.”
He held me until I eventually drifted off to a deep slumber. That night, I had one of the best nights of sleep I had in a long time.
The next morning, it was time to say goodbye to Dylan’s parents.
“It’s been so great seeing you again, Kathy,” his mother hugged me tightly. “Dylan, believe me when I say this but she is the best woman you have ever dated. Please don’t let her go.”
“I agree,” his father laughed.
“She’s a keeper,” Dylan laughed.
“Come see us soon!” his mother said, as they got into the car to take them to the airport.
I smiled and simply stuck close to Dylan. I couldn’t deny it anymore. The game of pretense had started to feel like real life. And I didn’t know how I was going to go back to acting like everything was normal after this.
Dylan didn’t feel like my boss anymore. I felt connected to him on the deepest, personal level. After all, I had spent the last two nights falling asleep in his arms. Suddenly, I wasn’t looking forward to going back to work anymore. I didn’t want the act to end. I had to admit I was falling in love with my boss.
Chapter 17
Kathy
Now that Dylan's parents had left, it was time for me to leave as well. I could hear Dylan talking on the phone in the other room.
"We will be happy to take a new client on board," he said enthusiastically. "How about we set up a meeting for next week?"
Immediately, I felt my stomach drop. It was going to be just like last time. There was no need to fake our relationship anymore and things were going to be back to business as usual. As I slowly gathered my things on the bed, memories from last night came flooding back to me. Dylan and I were so in sync. It felt like our connection was more than just physical.Playing pretense was catching up to me. Suddenly, I wasn't sure if I could take it anymore.A sense of uncertainty overtook me.
I was so lost in my own thoughts that I didn't even notice Dylan come back into the room. Noticing me sitting there with a pensive expression on my face, he approached me slowly.
"Is everything okay?" he asked.
I looked up to him. This man was my boss and he was almost twenty years older than I was. And I was supposed to go back to work tomorrow and act like nothing ever happened between us. In what universe was this considered normal?
When I didn't answer immediately, he came and took a seat next to me.
"You seem a bit distracted," he remarked, a hint of worry now clouding his features.
"I'm fine," I lied, and got up to walk over to the corner of the room where my luggage was. I started to throw in whatever belongings of mine I could reach lying around and zipped it up.
"Kathy," Dylan followed me and came to stand over me as I packed. "You don't look fine to me."
He was staring at me now, expecting an explanation.
"I’m packing my things so I can leave," I replied flatly. "Isn't that what I should be doing now that your parents are gone?"
A part of me wanted him to disagree. I wanted him to tell me no. That I should stay a little longer. That I wasn't here just as a puppet in his life, just showing up to pretend and then leaving as if nothing happened.
