Summertime Sadness

I spent Friday night in my sweat pants, cuddled up with Koda, watching re-runs of The Tonight Show (Jimmy Fallon has my heart). Katie came over in her sweat pants and I filled her in on what had gone on in the week with Jess. I left the part about Ashley and Nate making out in the elevator until the very end and Katie almost choked on her wine.

"You're kidding, right?"

"I wish. It was seriously so gross I thought I was going to throw up. Apparently he goes after all the new girls."

"Has he talked to you since?"

"He's tried but other than texting you I've ignored my other messages and turned my phone off."

"Sweetie, I'm sorry. That totally sucks. I liked him, I was hoping he would not turn out to be super shady."

I didn't feel like talking about him anymore so Katie told me stories about her first weeks teaching Kindergarten and how she had found one of the kids' dad on tinder.

"He swiped right on me, but doesn't know it's me because it doesn't have my actual last name on it." She explained.

She told me more about her tinder dates and how 99% of them have been total fails but she had gone on a date with one guy she really liked.

"Well, be careful, you never know what kind of creep will find you on there."

"I know, I know. I want to see him again but I kinda want your impression of him."

"Clearly I know nothing about men." I laughed and took a big sip of wine so I wouldn't feel sorry for myself. "We should had a last-weekend-of-summer BBQ this weekend. Like tomorrow."

Katie clapped her hands together, scaring Koda in the process. "Sorry, buddy. I love it!"

"We can do it here and invite Chris and Daniel, and Hannah. And that's pretty much all the people I know here which is so sad." I added.

I send Chris a text letting him know our plan, then checked outside to see if the old BBQ I had in the yard was even functional. The lid fell off when I opened it so I didn't think that was a good sign. And I'm no expert but I feel like if there is a giant hole burned in the back it's probably not safe to use. Hopefully my Oma hadn't used this, ever!

Katie left around 10 and promised to be back by noon so she could help me set up. She had invited a few of her friends to come tomorrow and I was excited to meet more people.

Daniel came grocery shopping with me in the morning because Chris got called into work for a few hours. I got along really well with him and we had fun getting groceries together. Katie showed up at noon with a huge bowl of pasta salad and a cooler full of booze. Daniel left to get a portable electric cooler from his house that we could set up outside.

I was trying to be enthusiastic about the BBQ but my phone, that had gone silent, was burning a hole in my pocket. I constantly thought I heard or felt it vibrate even though it eras evident that Nate had given up. His last text came in at 9ish last night and he'd gone radio-silent on me since. Probably for the best, now I could attempt to forget about this whole awkward mess.

Koda was loving the excitement and wary of it all at the same time. He was extra excited when Chris showed up because they were familiar with each other and followed either him or me around all night.

At 6.30ish, after we had sat around and drank most afternoon while occasionally preparing food, Hannah showed up with two girls I didn't know. One had seriously the coolest hair I had ever seen. It was super long, bright red and in gigantic curls. She looked like a mermaid and I instantly wanted to be friends with her. She introduced herself as Tash and explained she was a hairdresser. Mermaid hair now totally makes sense. The other girl was a little quieter and Tash introduced her as Tiffany. A couple of Chris and Daniel's friends showed up and hung out with Chris at the BBQ (he had brought his over which was much less of a fire hazard).

We played drinking games in the backyard and I made friends with Katie's and Chris' friends. Kurtis, Katie’s tinder-date who had showed up halfway through dinner, seemed to fit in with everyone really well. Not surprisingly, Chris was not overly impressed with him, but when is a big brother every instant-bffs with their little sister’s new date. I liked him, he was really good looking and very charming, I just hoped he wasn’t stringing Katie along or a player (although what can you expect from Tinder? I have absolutely no experience with it).

It got a little cooler when the sun was gone completely so the boys lit a fire in the fire pit I had in the back and we all moved our chairs around it to stay warm.

“I’m going to go grab a jacket, does anyone want anything from inside?” I asked, standing up from my spot by the fire. In all honesty I was going inside to check my phone and take a breather. I loved all of Chris’ and Katie’s friends, but I couldn’t get my mind off Nate. No one needed anything, so I went inside by myself with Koda following close behind.  

I sat down on my bed and cuddled Koda close to me. I hated feeling this way, but I was straight up sad. I just couldn’t shake it. It may have been the couple of drinks I had but I picked up my phone and looked for Nate’s number. I had just dialed it when the doorbell rang downstairs. 

Ew!

I definitely lost sleep over this whole Jess and Rheece situation. As mad as I was at her for telling Rheece where I Iived, I was even more worried about her because I was 100% sure he had not changed. I dragged myself out of bed on Friday morning, dreading heading into work because Ashley had made it less than enjoyable. I was also starting to wonder if I was ever going to see Nate again. I'd gotten very sporadic texts from him through the week and it had all seemed like very superficial stuff that included no plans to see each other.

Ashley was not there when I got to work and I was secretly relieved. I had a Chai Tea Latte (venti and non-fat, just the way I like it) on my desk from Spencer. I'm sure he was still feeling guilty about getting me stuck with his not so charming niece.

He breezed into my office shortly after 10 while I was writing a report on a possible harassment issue happening with an employee on the floor below us.

"I'm over this." He shut the door behind him.

"Good morning to you too!" I said cheerfully. "Thanks for the latte. What's wrong?" I asked innocently, batting my eyelashes.

"You know exactly what's wrong. She's still not here and it's 10! She's supposed to be here at 8.30! Have you heard from her?"

"We're not exactly besties." I looked at my desk calendar. "I've got an interview set up on Tuesday for a potential assistant. Internally I can't really find someone that would suit the position or is available to transfer here. I can still look at other Steel companies and see if we can transfer."

Spencer agreed but wanted to give Ashley another chance. I get that he was trying to do his brother a favour but this was anything but productive for our work environment. 

I did some more work, checked my messages again to see if Nate wanted to do anything because the weekend was right around the corner. I wasn't usually one for obsessively checking my phone but his distancing had turned me into one of this people. As suspected I had no new messages from him. I decided it was time to sent him a text.

S: hey, I feel like we barely talked this week. Want to get together on the weekend?

I got no reply and still didn't have one when I went to lunch. I walked past Ashley's empty desk (I miss Kathy), and towards the elevators. One dinged and the doors opened so I headed for that one. I looked up and mumbled, "What the fuck?"

Ashley was in the elevator, a man pressed up again her. They had obviously been getting hot and heavy on their way down. Classy, Ashley.

The man turned around and my stomach dropped. That was definitely Nate. Her hand was wrapped around his tie and her lipstick (it was so cheap and way too pink) was on his mouth. I almost threw up in my mouth. He backed away quickly.

"Oh my god! Ew!" That was really the only coherent thing I could say.

"Skye..." Nate started, but I turned on my heel and hurried towards the stairs. The last thing I saw in the elevator was Ashley's disgusting smirk that I could have slapped right off her face. My appetite was gone, but I couldn't go back to my office right now. I made it down the stairs in heels in record time, out the building and to a coffee shop that was just down the block.

I grabbed a tea and sat down at an empty table. My stomach was churning. No wonder he hadn't been texting me back, he was too busy with Ashley. I felt so gross about what I saw I didn't even know how to process it.

I pulled my phone out of my purse and saw a few missed calls from Nate, a couple of voicemails, and a whole bunch of texts. 

N: Call me back!

N: Please, Skye. 

N: Where did you go? Please talk to me.

N: I can explain to you exactly what happened. Call me back.

I didn't bother reading the rest. I waited longer than my hour lunch break before heading back in. I had a meeting at 1.30 so I had more than enough time to get back to the office. I needed my stomach to settle and my nerves to calm down before I went back in. Unfortunately, Ashley was sitting at her desk when I came in.

She gave me a fake smile and sweetly asked how my lunch break was. I'm not very confrontational but today I apparently was. I called her into my office and sat down behind my desk.

With a plunk she sat down on the chair across from me. "What's your problem?"

"I've got a few actually. I've asked you nicely before to change your attire and that hasn't happened. You haven't done anything here yet and you've been here for a week. I know you were hired out of pity." She narrowed her eyes at me. "Because no one would ever hire you for real. I suggest you get home, think about what you want to do with this position, and show up on Monday morning looking less like a cheap slut."

Her mouth dropped open. "You can't talk to me that way."

Probably not. "Oh yes I can. If you don't smarten the fuck up, I will fire you first thing Monday morning and give you such a shitty reputation that not even your uncle would give you a job anymore, understood?"

I didn't raise my voice the entire time I talked and I think I actually intimidated Ashley. She fidgeted in her chair and nodded.

"Another thing. I suggest that if you can't keep it in your pants while you're at work you quit right away. Nothing would make me happier than signing termination papers based on what I saw in the elevator today." Just saying it out loud made me want to shudder.

"Fine. I guess we're done here." She scraped back her chair and stood up.

"Oh, and, Ashley?" She turned back to face me. "I'm withholding your pay for your week here due to your lack of effort and because you literally have done nothing. Have a nice weekend." I added sweetly.

She turned on get heel and stalked out of my office. I heard the drawer slam shut on her desk and then she was gone. Spencer poked his head into my office.

"What was that about?" He asked, making himself comfortable in the chair that Ashley had abandoned.

"I may or may not have just bitched out your niece." I scribbled down notes on what conditions I had given Ashley so I would have the paperwork to back it up.

Spencer sighed. "I thought we were going to give her another chance."

"Spencer, she comes in late or not at all. She does absolutely nothing while she's here, dresses like a prostitute," Spencer winced. "Sorry, but we both know it's true. I caught her making out with some guy in the elevator today. I told her she needs to get it together or she is fired. And I'm withholding her pay for this week because based on the work she's done she might as well not have even been here." I finished.

I was expecting some sort of argument from Spencer, but he just nodded. "I know you're right. I'm sorry, this was a weird situation to put you in. I guess the hunt is on for a new assistant."

"Well I told Ashley she comes back Monday morning as a whole new person or she shouldn't come back at all."

"I'm sure she won't be back. I'll explain to my brother that she just didn't work out." He stood up and patted me on the shoulder. "You do good work, kid."

"Thanks." I smiled at him. "And sorry I said that your niece looks like a hooker."

He rubbed his face with his hands. "We both know what you meant. Alright, finish whatever you're doing and head home early. I'm doing the same if I can. This has been too much excitement for one day." He  paused on his way out. "Who was she in the elevator with?"

Ugh! "I'm not sure. I didn't recognize him." I lied. I couldn't even say it out loud.

"Okay. Oh by the way, Mr. Steel sent for you so maybe see what that's about when you're done."

I nodded knowing there was no way I would be going up to see "Mr. Steel". Once Spencer left I was alone with my thoughts again. I had heard my phone vibrate a few times but couldn't get myself to look at it. As soon as I was finished, I took the stair to the parade, got in my car, and headed home to snuggle up with Koda. With Jess going back to Rheece, and Nate making out with Ashley in the elevator, this week had been a write-off!

Moving On Out

"She sounds like a nightmare." Jess sympathized, her eyes glued to her phone.

The situation with Ashley had not improved at all. In fact, I was starting to think she came in every morning just to make my life at work miserable. We had a nice little chat about dressing appropriately for work that ended in her throwing a fit (I kid you not, it was an actual temper tantrum) that left me speechless and Spencer uncomfortable. The end result was that she dressed even worse. I actually saw her ass crack the other day because her jeans were so low cut she didn’t even have to bend over to show it off (Ps: JEANS! On a Wednesday! In the office! I can't even). If anything needed to be scheduled she forgot about it for sure, not to mention that she had forgotten to page people in and made them wait for an unnecessary 30 minutes. I was getting exasperated and she'd only been there for four days.

"She is!" We were eating dinner, but Jess had not put down her phone. "Okay, tell me what's going on?"

She looked up for the first time and pushed her food around her plate. "I've been talking to Rheece." I figured as much but remained silent so she could continue. "He wants me to move back in…."

I choked on my food and coughed to try and cover it up. "Really?!" I silently chanted to myself that I need to be supportive.

"Well, I've seen him a few times and he has changed." It was news to me that they had seen each other, and even more news that he had changed. " It might be a good idea to give it a try."

"Has he been to some sort of program? Like detox, or AA meetings, or like an anger management program?"

"He doesn't need to. He says he doesn’t want to drink anymore and he's been so sweet to me every time he talks to me."

I groaned inwardly. "Jess, are you sure he is ready for this? And more importantly are you sure you are ready for this?"

She nodded and pushed her half-empty plate away. "I'm sure."

"Okay, well maybe just take a couple days to think it over and then make your decision." I got up and grabbed our plates.

Jess stood up to help clear the table. "Well, that’s the thing. He's on his way over to pick me up."

The dishes I was holding clattered in the sink. "WHAT?! You told him where I live?"

"He…he wanted to come pick me up. I wasn't….I didn’t think…" Jess stuttered.

"Are you fucking kidding me?" I couldn't help myself. Her getting back together with Rheece was one thing, telling him where I live was another. "He threatened me and he's threatened you too. And you tell him where I live?! So next time he has an outburst or starts drinking he'll know exactly where you are. And next time he sees me as a threat, he'll know exactly where I am too!" I practically yelled. Koda tucked tail and hid under the kitchen table.  Jess looked like she was ready to tuck tail and hide too. Her face was beet red and her chin quivering.

"I'm going to go get my stuff." She said, her voice shaking. I couldn't even feel bad for her.

"He hasn't changed, Jess." I said quietly, putting the dishes under the sink.

She looked fiercely at me. "Yes, he has."

"I think you're making a huge mistake, but that is yours to make. I don’t want him on my property, I don't even want him on my street. If I see him anywhere around here when he shouldn’t be here, I will call the police."

She nodded, turned on her heel and headed upstairs. I crawled under the kitchen table to calm down Koda, then finished the dishes and sent Chris a text.

S: Jess is moving out. Rheece is coming to get her…

C: She told him where you live?????????

S: Yup. Not impressed :(

C: On my way home from work, I'll come straight there.

S: Thanks, I'm making you a plate of food. XO

Jess stayed upstairs and was still upstairs when Chris arrived. He sat down at the kitchen table with me while I poured myself a generous glass of wine. A few minutes later Jess came down, bag in hand.

"I'm sorry, Skye." She said, not meeting my eyes. "I really do think Rheece has changed for the better, and if you can't support that we can't be friends anymore." Back to square one. She fiddled with her engagement ring that she must have just put back on.

"Don't do this. Skye has been nothing but supportive of you and now you're cutting her out of your life, exactly like Rheece would want."

To my surprise she glared at Chris. "You don't know anything about me, so you can't judge me in this at all."

"If you're the kind of person that turns their back on their friend for someone who is nothing but shitty to you, then I don’t think I want to know you." Chris said calmly.

I've never seen Chris mad before, but I could tell he was not impressed. "Jess, I think it's best if you leave. Good luck."

She nodded and walked out the door. We watched her carry her bag down my short drive way to her car. Seconds later a black BMW pulled up behind her car and Rheece got out. They talked for a minute before he glanced towards my house to where we were in the window, looked me directly in the eye, and slowly shook his head, his eyes never leaving mine. A chill ran down my spine and Koda growled. They got into their cars and that was the last we saw of them. Or so I hoped.

Monday Meetings

I didn't sleep at all Sunday night. I tossed and turned and worried until 4 in the morning when I finally just got up and showered and spent all my extra time curling my hair. During the night I had talked myself into thinking I was going to get fired on the spot to thinking that I was going to be made into a public example at the meeting. I was so anxious I felt sick. Nate (Chris definitely introduced the shortened version to me) had sent me a few text messages during the day but I couldn't think of anything to say back. I really liked him, there was no denying that. However, I wasn't prepared to lose my newly acquired dream job that I had worked hard to get the education for. 

I was a bundle of nerves on my way to work, too nervous even to get a coffee along the way and secretly glad Kathy hadn't sent me a text about it this morning. I hurried into my office after the world's longest elevator ride, ditched my bag at my desk, took a deep breath and went to knock on Spencer's door with shaky hands.

He opened his door and smiled at me. "Good morning, Skye. How was your weekend?"

I was caught off guard. Surely he wouldn't be asking me about my weekend if he was going to fire me, right? "It was good." I answered hesitantly, stepping into his office.

For the first time I noticed a woman maybe 18 or 19 sitting in the corner of his office. She would have been pretty but she was so inappropriately dressed that it was hard to look past the cleavage. I smiled at her, and she smirked back at me.

Spencer cleared his throat. "You're probably wondering why I called you here. This does have to do with our meeting later. Kathy is no longer with us."

I was surprised. "Why?"

He looked uncomfortable for a moment. "There has been some evidence lately that she was...um...getting too comfortable with another employee."

This whole idea seemed so absurd to me that I almost laughed. "Really? I find that a little hard to believe."

"I did too but the evidence is there. I know you really liked her that's why I wanted to let you know before the meeting. She won't be mentioned during it but we are making an example of the case for other employees. We thought this might be a good time to remind everyone of our relationship policy so this hopefully doesn’t happen again."

I felt terrible for Kathy. I knew she loved her job and I just found it hard to imagine her breaking the policy especially because everyone in this office other than the senior editors were a good 15-30 years younger than her. I was definitely going to miss her.

"As a replacement, a permanent replacement if she adjusts well, I have brought in my niece, Ashley. She has some experience as an administrative assistant and we will be helping her learn along the way. Ashley, this is my leading lady in HR, Skye."

He's introduction of me was adorbs, her limp handshake was anything but. I don’t know about you but I immediately judge people by how firm their handshakes are.

"Nice to meet you, Ashley." I said sincerely. Or hopefully it sounded sincerely anyways.

"Yeah." Was her contribution.

Spencer looked awkwardly from her to me. "Would you mind doing the paper work with her after the meeting?"

"Sure." No thank you. "Let me just get ready for the meeting really quick and then we can head there together."

"Wonderful."

I hurried into my office, hoping that Ashley was a better person than my first impression of her made me believe. I sent Jess a quick text saying that there are leftover from the weekend on the fridge if she was hungry when she got back from her shoot.

J: thanks! I'm starving, only ate veggies on location all weekend. I'll pick up Koda from doggy-day care if he will let me. Can't wait to see you. 

Loved having Jess back from her location shoot over the weekend. Ashley dragged her feet to the meeting and I caught a few people casting questioning looks at her. Spencer seemed to be oblivious to it. We sat at our usual spot and filled her in on what Kathy usually did at these meetings, which was mainly take note of the main points of the meeting so we could see of anything needed to be amended policy-wide. Twenty minutes into the meeting I noticed that Ashley was not taking notes but playing on her phone. I cleared my throat and she glared at me. Great! 

Once the meeting was done, Spencer suggested we go to lunch together after I met with a few more clients so we could "get to know each other better and feel more comfortable". He avoided all eye contact with me when asking my to do this, so he must have known I was less than impressed with this new addition to the office. 

Never had my lunch hour felt longer. I tried to talk to her and get at least a little bit acquainted, but all I got from it is that she didn't want to be at lunch any more than I did.

Before I went home at the end of the day I swung by Spencer's office, Ashley had already left for the day (2 hours ago…).

"How's it going, my dear?" Spencer asked, pushing his chair back from his desk.

I felt really comfortable around him and had from day one, but I still felt uncomfortable bringing this up. "Do you think Ashley is the best fit for us?" I asked, hopefully not too bluntly.

He took his glasses off and ran his hand over his face. "I don’t know. I know this isn't ideal, but we need someone to fill in for Kathy."

"Okay. What about interviewing other people?" I said cautiously. "Or possibly doing an internal transfer?"

"We'll still do that. Let's see how Ashley does. She needs a bit of help and my brother practically begged me to give her a job." Spencer looked pleadingly at me.

I sighed. "Okay, but she needs to dress more professional. Can you let her know that?" He looked at me. "Spencerrrrrr, don't make me do it." He smiled sweetly. "Ugh, fine. I’m going home, I'll see you in the morning."

"I'll bring you Starbucks." He called after me. Starbucks was not going make having Ashley around any better, but it was going to start my morning off the right way.

Breakfast Conversations

The first thing I did when I woke up Sunday morning and feel regret for not enjoying the date last night to the full extent that I should have. I wasn't sure if my previous experiences (or lack of experiences) led me to judge him so quick or if I was just nervous, but that was not the person I usually was. I picked up my phone and, after seeing it was not even seven yet, decided that sending Nathaniel a text would probably be best right now. 

S: I'm sorry for being so distant at the end of our date last night. I didn't even thank you properly and that's just not okay. Can I make it up to you?

To my surprise he sent a text back right away.

N: Don't apologize, just tell me if I did something wrong. And if this is you asking me out on another date then that is a definite yes.

I smiled, happy he wasn't mad about the night before. S: Deal. Want to come over for breakfast?

It took a couple minutes before he replied. N: Be there at 9!

S: Sounds good! Door is unlocked so just come on in.

I let Koda outside to do his morning business then decided to lay back down for a couple minutes and close my eyes. Before I knew it I heard someone knock on my bedroom door.

"Skye?" Nathaniel's voice came doorway.

I shot up in bed. "Oh shit!" I frantically searched for my phone in the covers to look at the time. It was definitely nine o'clock and I was definitely not anywhere near ready. "I'm so sorry. I must have fallen back asleep. Do you want to wait downstairs and I'll just get dressed really quick?"

"Sure, not a problem." Nathanial headed downstairs, Koda hot on his heels.

I got dressed in jeans and a black tank top in record time, threw my messy blonde hair up in a bun, and made sure I had no leftover make up from the night before on my face. I hurried down the stairs to see Nathanial brewing coffee and filling Koda's bowl with kibble. I gave Nathaniel a hug and a kiss on the cheek and started making the batter for waffles. He helped me cook the bacon and scramble eggs and it surprised me how quickly we got into a rhythm. In no time breakfast was done and my kitchen smelled delicious.

Over waffles, bacon, and scrambled eggs I decided it was time to fess up about my weird behaviour last night. "I am sorry about last night. I had such a good time and I really didn't show you that. Your captain asking whether you want the usual route made me feel like you take girls out on dates like that all the time which kind of made me feel uncomfortable. And in reality it shouldn't have because it's none of my business what you do and who you do it with."

"Skye." Nathanial took my hand. "I've never taken another woman on my yacht. You were the first person I have done that with, although I will admit that I go on my own on a regular basis."

I smiled, relieved. He didn't owe me an explanation, but I felt thankful for it nonetheless. "Well then this thank you needs to be extra big because I loved that you took me last night."

Nathanial was rubbing his thumb across my hand, and I was completely lost in his eyes when the doorbell rang. A second later the door flew open and Chris came in.

"Morning, babe. Came over to grab some coffee and see how your big date went last night." He noticed Nathanial sitting at the breakfast table. "And now I have my answer because your date is still here. Hey, Nate-Dog."

I suppressed a giggle at the nickname and poured Chris a cup of coffee and filled a plate with food. He had made himself comfortable in true Chris-fashion and winked at me. "So I take it went well if you're still here this morning."

"You're so nosy. And FYI, he came back this morning for breakfast but we did have a fantastic time last night." I answered.

Nathanial eyed Chris suspiciously before getting up and putting his plate in the sink. "I should get going, Skye. Thank you for the lovely breakfast." Formal Nathanial was officially back. He kissed me gently on the cheek. "I'll call you."

I nodded and smiled up at him. Formal or not, he was delicious. Chris pushed his chair back. "I'll walk you out, man. I'll be back in a second."

They disappeared around the corner and I could hear Chris' voice but couldn't make out what he was saying. He shut the door behind Nathanial and sat back down, eating as if nothing happened.

"What'd you say?" I asked, kicking Chris under the table.

"Not much. I saw the look he gave me when I sat down, so I just told him that I would rather sleep with him than with you which pretty much got the message across that I was in no way the competition he saw me as."

I burst out laughing and stood up to give him a hug. "That's hilarious. I totally adore you." I kissed him on the top of the head then went upstairs to grab my laptop to check my mail.

I had one from my mom and dad filling me in on everything that was going on at home, a few advertisements (hello, fall boots), and one from Steel Publishing. I read it and my heart beat faster.

"What's wrong?"

I looked up at Chris anxiously. "Steel Publishing is having a company-wide meeting to discuss the policy on relationships between employees, and Spencer wants to see me in his office first thing Monday morning before the meeting."

First date

I was giddy all week for my date with Nathanial. To top off my good mood he had sent me flowers on Wednesday and we had been texting back and forth quite a bit.

As promised he picked me up on Saturday night at 6 o'clock. I had been antsy all day and was ready to go an hour before he even got to my house. But he was on time which I really liked. For once he didn't show up with his driver, instead pulling up in a sleek white sports car. I answered the door probably a little too quickly when he rang the bell but I didn't really care.

"You look amazing." Nathaniel said, taking in my navy blue jersey dress and heels.

I grinned. "Thanks, you're looking pretty handsome yourself." He really did look delish in dressy jeans and a simple white shirt. Let's skip the date and have sex? Just kidding (sort of).

"Want to bring your dog?" He asked taking me surprise.

"Really?" I had thought we were doing the standard dinner date but apparently not.

"Yup. I planned a some-what dog friendly date."

I was so touched and showed him by planting a kiss on his cheek. Koda was more than excited to come. I got his leash and carried him to the car. Like a gentleman, Nathanial opened the door for me. Chivalry was so not dead.

We took off towards an area I had never been before. I talked about Koda and my week at work while Nathanial mostly listened. Soon we slowed down to turn into the Shilshole Bay Marina.

"Are we going on a boat?" I asked, excited. Koda had his nose pressed up against the window and was leaving a nice little nose print on the glass but thankfully Nathanial didn't seem to care.

Nathanial grinned at me. "We are. Want to see Seattle at sunset from the water?"

I think I literally swooned. How perfect was this for a first date!  The boat (yacht? I don’t even know) was flawless. Everything was white and cream coloured, with the name 'Susanne' in beautiful writing on the side. We walked up a ramp onto the main deck that had stairs to go on the upper and lower decks. I was seriously excited.

The first thing I did was ditch my shoes, I didn't think I was going to be too steady in heels on the water. Nathanial led to me the upper deck and it was high enough to give me a good view of the marina. He came up behind me and placed his hands on either side of me on the railing. I had butterflies in my stomach and my heart was racing.

"Ready to go?" He asked, trailing kisses over my shoulder, giving me goose bumps.

I nodded my head and Nathanial signaled to someone. We started moving out of the marina and towards the water. It was still relatively light out but lots of boats were heading in already. Nathanial opened a bottle of champagne for us. We spent some time exploring the bay, Koda perched on a seat on the upper deck with us, his nose pointed in the air, clearly enjoying the ocean breeze. After about an hour of zigzagging through the water, Nathanial said dinner would be served on the main deck.

Fresh cooked crab, scallops, shrimp, lobster, and salmon had been prepared for us. The entire time I had been on Nathanial's boat I hadn't seen a person other than us around but apparently there wasn’t just someone manning the boat, but also a chef. I was a little overwhelmed with the fact that this was our first date when usually my first dates include movies and a burger. Koda even had his own side dish of chicken and vegetables. Hello, spoiled!

Dinner was fantastic and the conversation flowed easily. He asked me questions about myself and seemed genuinely interested in the answers I gave. Nathanial shared that his yacht (I checked) was named after his grandmother whom he had spent most of his time with growing up. I wanted to ask where his parent's were but didn’t want to intrude on something that was private. After dinner, we got a blanket, settled on the upper deck loveseat with a bottle of wine and dessert, and prepared to watch the sunset that would be casting it's magic on Seattle.

"Koda must have been on a boat before." I thought out loud. He was sitting on my lap, his nose in the air again enjoying the ride. "And he seems to like you, he hasn’t barked once at you."

"He's pretty cute." Nathanial tucked a stray strand of hair behind my ear. "Have I told you that you look absolutely stunning tonight?"

I smiled and leaned in for a kiss that sent heat straight through me. "You did, but I don’t mind hearing it again." I felt like a princess who was getting swept off her feet. He had been nothing but charming all night and I was seriously starting to move from infatuation to really liking him. 

He wrapped his arm around me, pulled me close to him and kissed the top of my head. "Perfect."

I couldn't agree more. The captain of the yacht came up just as the sun was setting behind us, bathing the city in an orange glow that Nathanial and I almost missed because we couldn't seem to stop kissing.

"Excuse me, sir?" The man cleared his throat awkwardly and I reluctantly broke away from Nathanial. "Will you be wanting the same route as usual or will you be adding any detours?"

Nathanial answered that the normal route would be fine while I froze. Same route as usual? As in the same one as all the other time's he's taken girls on here?  And what happened when there was a detour added? The thought wouldn't leave my mind as the evening progressed. We spent another hour on the yacht once the sun had set, enjoying the Seattle skyline at night time. Nathanial dropped me off at home and walked me to the door like a gentleman, ending the night with a kiss that made me want to invite him in for more. I couldn't shake the feeling though that, while this date was totally out of the ordinary and very special to me, Nathanial had done this many times before. On that note I said good night quickly and carried Koda inside. The last thing I saw  before I closed the door was the slightly puzzled look on Nathanial's face. 

Posting schedule

Hey lovely readers,
I am changing the posting schedule to Monday and Friday for now. I work full time and just started night classes again so I'm having a hard time finding time to write. We'll see how this works! Come back Friday and check for a new post!
Xo,
S.

Got Myself a Date

Nathanial rolled over, shirtless, sleep-rumpled, and so sexy. I thought for sure I was dreaming. "You're up early." He mumbled, his eyes searching my face.

I sat up and sent Koda scrambling over the covers from the bottom of the bed to shower me with puppy kisses (the puppy bed didn’t last long and this had turned into our morning ritual). I ignored Nathanial for a second to pick up my puppy for some snuggles, I have priorities after all. In the process I noticed my lack of clothing. All I was wearing was underwear that was so small it barely warranted the name, and a skimpy tank top. I snuggled back under the covers, cuddling Koda to my chest.

"How much do you remember from last night?" Nathanial asked, brushing a stray strand of hair away from my face.

I had no idea how to act. I didn’t know if we had had sex (I hoped we didn’t if I didn't remember anything), I don’t know why he was here, or how he got here, and I was still confused as to why he hadn't called me. "Apparently not very much. Why and how are you here?"

He grinned and looked much more carefree than he usually does.  "I called you, and you ordered me to come out if I ever wanted to have a chance to be 'your boyfriend'." He air-quoted that and I groaned, thank you drunk-Skye! So embarrassing. "You told me where you were and hung up. I headed over, you were mad at me, but happy at the same time. Very confusing." He winked and I couldn't help but giggle (seriously, I'm not sixteen). "I met some of your friends, that I think are all spread out over the house and still asleep. Cody picked us all up and we came here for another drink."

"Cody?"

"My driver." Nathanial clarified.

"Ah, I see. Did…did you put me to bed?" I asked, suddenly finding Koda's ears very interesting and looking anywhere but at the gorgeous man in bed next to me.

"Nope. You changed into whatever you're wearing in your bathroom, told me to undress, put your dog between us in the bed, and passed right out. Your friend Katie is actually sleeping on the floor right there and refused to sleep in the bed but wouldn't leave the room." Sure enough, Katie was curled up in a pile of blankets on the floor by the window still sound asleep.

I laughed, it must have been so awkward for him. What a random night. "Well, I'm sorry about the drunken inconvenience last night."

"You saved me from a night of work and starring out the window thinking about you."

I looked up at him. "Yeah, right. You promised me a call and that never happened. Well, until last night anyways."

Nathanial ran his hand through his hair. "I'm sorry. I wasn't sure how to go about this."

"Um, you pick up the phone, dial my number and call me?"

He kicked me under the covers. "I know that part. I haven't dated a lot, so I'm a little awkward in this aspect."

"Well, I'm the master of awkward so I wouldn't even worry about it. Just call me when you say you want to get to know me. I was starting to think I had just imagined your visit the other night." I felt shy all of a sudden. "If you're not sure about this anymore…"

"No." He firmly cut me off. "Let's set a date right now. I want to do this, I want to get to know you better. Saturday, 6 o'clock, I'm coming to pick you up."

"Sounds good to me." My late night and drinks were catching up to me. "Want to go back to sleep for a bit longer?"

"Guessing your hangover is kicking in?" Nathanial reached over to pet Koda who seemed to enjoy it. "Pretty good little guard dog."

"Yeah, he's usually not that friendly with strangers. I just got him a couple weeks ago from the shelter and he seems to be adjusting well." I rolled over so my back was to Nathanial. Koda climbed over me and snuggled up again. "Feel free to be the big spoon."

Nathanial chuckled and scooted closer, his arm snaking firmly around my midsection. I could feel the cotton of his boxers against my butt and so appreciated that despite his billions he wore normal-guy underwear. I cuddled into him, briefly wondered if I was still drunk to be this okay with having a virtual stranger in my bed, and promptly fell asleep.

I woke up a few hours later alone in bed. Clearly this all must have been a very vivid dream. Katie was still asleep in her pile of blankets. My headache had worn off considerably, but I felt like I needed to chug 100 bottles of water. Throwing back the blankets, I got out of bed, pulled on a random, hopefully clean, pair of shorts, and tiptoed around Katie and downstairs. I let Koda out first to do his business, and got some water for myself. Katie's friend Hannah was asleep on the couch with no blankets (glad to see I could be such a good host once I started drinking). I covered her with a blanket before calling Koda back inside and heading back upstairs. Jess' door was open so I peaked inside to see her sitting up in bed.

"Morning, sunshine."

She covered her eyes with one hand and flipped me off with the other. "Why are you so happy and not hung over?"

"I'm dying on the inside but you look worse than I feel." I sat down on the bed and handed her my bottle of water.

She gratefully accepted the bottle of water. "Is Nathanial still here? I vaguely remember sitting in a car with him."

So he really had been here. "He's not here anymore, but we talked this morning, and unless I was too drunk for this conversation too, we have a date next weekend."

Jess face lit up. "Really? That’s so exciting. I'm so happy for you!"

We talked for a while longer before I went back to lay in bed a little longer and do my routine, morning Facebook and Instagram creep session (you do it to). I picked my phone off my nightstand, and underneath it was a note.

Saturday, 6:00pm and what must be Nathanial's phone number.

I couldn't wait for Saturday!

Sunday Funday

*Thanks for the patience everyone!! XO*

Nathanial didn't call.

I was seriously starting to think that this had all been a dream but Chris, Katie, and Jess had assured me it wasn't. In the matter of a few days I had turned into one of those people that checked their phones every two seconds and I swear I had heard my phone ring when in reality it hadn't… #crazy

The Sunday of the long weekend  Jess, Koda, and I decided to take the day to explore Mt Rainier National Park. Beyond amazing, if you get a chance to go, pack up the car for a day or two and do it. Koda seemed to enjoy the outing as well and slept the entire way home on my lap while Jess drove.

"Rheece sent me a text." She said after a pit stop at Jack in the Box (Jess complained about the calories but one glare from me and she ordered a chicken burger with curly fries).

I raised my eyebrows at her. "First time since you left?" I suspected that they had talked a couple of times but this is the first time she talked to me about it.

"No." She confirmed my thoughts. Her eyes were on the road and although we were in an area of light traffic she completely avoided looking at me.

"Okay...." I waited for her to continue.

"He wants to see me." She said stealing a glance in my direction.

Part of me wanted to tell her not to, but I also knew it was ultimately her decision. "And how do you feel about that?"

She laughed. "Easy there, Dr. Freud. I don't know how I feel about it, that's why I'm telling you." 

"I'm not sure what to tell you. My first instinct is to say don't do it, but then again I also don’t know much about your relationship. He scared you enough last time and the time before that you had to lock yourself away in a room so he wouldn't hurt you, I think it would be hard to face him again after that."

She nodded, her hands tight on the steering wheel. "It is hard, that's why I don't know what to do. I love him, but this isn't the Rheece I know, and I don't know how to go back to that."

"How did the last time you talked to him go?"

"He apologized and wanted to know where I was." I shot Jess a look and she quickly shook her head. "I didn't tell him where I was. And then he sent me a text me in the middle of the night the other day and was pissed about the whole situation. I think he was drinking because he was mad about everything and nothing really made sense. His co-worker asked me where he was yesterday so he must not have been going to work."

I thought about what to say to her for a moment. "I don't think you should see him yet. I don't know everything that’s been going on, but Rheece obviously has a problem and he needs to seek help for it."

She agreed and we stayed silent for the remainder of the drive home, Jess looking to be deep in thought and me busy checking my phone and Instagramming pictures of Koda and I in front of Mt. Rainier (we had decided to keep Jess off social media in case Rheece was doing some creeping to see where she was). I hoped she made a smart decision, and also hoped she stayed with me longer. She worked quite a bit but it was nice having someone to hang out with in the evenings. Also since she had moved in she had gotten a lot less uptight and her company was actually enjoyable.

We called Katie to see if she wanted to go out for dinner once we got home and I checked my phone for the millionth time. Still no text or call from Nathanial. I turned my phone on silent, put it on my dresser and decided to forget about him. He obviously wasn't wasting any time thinking about me, so I wasn't going to either.

It ended up being an impromptu girl's night. Katie brought her former roommate, a super bubbly girl named Hannah who took education at university with Katie. We went for a late dinner by the Pike Place Market called Hook and Plow that had delicious fish and chips. After a couple hours of drinks and people-watching we went to a club that Jess had been to before but the rest of us hadn't. I know I drank more than I should because I had no problem dancing with everyone that was willing which was normally not my style at all. The rest of the night was a blur of laughing, dancing, shots, and some more shots.

I had Monday off for Labour Day, but my alarm still went off at 6 am like it did every weekday. I rolled around in my bed looking for my phone to turn the stupid alarm off, my head pounding. I couldn't even open my eyes and I was pretty sure that if I opened my mouth I would throw up. My hand connected with something that didn't feel like my bed, my phone, or Koda. I slowly blinked open one eye and looked at the shirtless, muscular, dark-haired figure that was in bed beside me.

"Nathaniel?"

Message from S.

New post will be up later today or tomorrow morning. I caught the flu from hell this weekend and am just starting to feel better now so I will finish the post as soon as I can!
Xo,
S.