The Lease Up

9. Facing The Truth

Song for the chapter: Lie To Me ~ 5 Seconds of Summer

VANESSA

The last week and a half has zipped by once I returned to work, mostly recovered. Jenny outdid herself and took care of the little things that tend to require the most time, and in gratitude I sent her home early yesterday and gave her and Lily gift cards for holding things down in the office.

And now it's Saturday. I live for the weekends. They give me time to decompress and reset my batteries. And what better way to do that than labeling and organizing my floating shelf pantry.

Living in New York forces you to be creative with your storage space and I'm proud of my recent DIY project that allows me to clear up counter space. Plus, I've been dying to use my new label maker.

Sighing, I pick up the container I kept from the soup Gabriel brought me earlier in the week. After he was wheeled out of the building by the paramedics, I realized I wouldn't be able to check on him since we didn't exchange numbers. But Eli followed up for me with his connections at the hospital and Gabriel was released within a couple of hours after his symptoms subsided.

I half expected him to walk into the office when I returned, but he didn't. His words kept playing through my mind all week. Not that I would even entertain the arrangement he suggested. It's crazy. I've never done anything like it and I don't have any plans to start now.

No matter how tempting the offer.

As if my mind is trying to convince me, memories of our one night come flooding through. Definitely the best sex I've ever had, but a small part of me is convinced my inebriated state embellished some of the details of the night.

Then again, curiosity of entering a purely sexual arrangement with someone who knows what they're doing, and understands the commitment my work entails and doesn't want anything extra is undeniably enticing. Not to mention he'd more than likely be gone after his assignment with Thompson and Thompson is over.

I shake my head, admonishing myself for starting to go down the path of no return. My phone chirps alerting me to start getting ready for my date with Eli.

________________

"What's one thing you're hoping to do within the next year?"

I gulp down my wine while buying some time. It's clear from the questions Eli asks he's looking for something more than casual.

My questions have mainly focused on surface level topics: favorite book, song, movies, TV shows, etc. However, he finds a way to add a personal element with his answers.

I've learned his mom instilled a love of reading for him and his three siblings at an early age. His father influenced his love of old classic songs and music. He and his siblings were encouraged to play a musical instrument in their youth. He tells me he and some of his fellow firemen like to get together and 'jam out'.

"Well, after I complete the lease up—which based on how it's going, I'd say it'll be another two, maybe three months—my plan is to move up within our corporate office, become a regional."

Eli's smile is warm. "That's great. What about in your personal life? Outside of work."

I laugh nervously, pushing some of my steak around. "That's the thing with me. My work is my life, right now. It may not always be like that, but I'm happy with how everything is." He nods and continues eating his food.

"So, what does a typical day look like for you?"

He graces me with a wide smile before he dives into some of his day-to-day routine in his twenty-four hour work shifts with forty-eight hours off. His eyes light up when he shares some of his memorable heartwarming rescue calls.