Page 49 of Not As Advertised

“Hey, hey. Just wait. There are some interesting images here. It’s hard to see a personal style when you’ve been mostly taking pictures prescriptively for a class. When I spoke to Aiden yesterday, he said this might be a better fit for you than the EA position.”

“What?” My stomach clenched with nerves.

Ethan’s lifted in his hands in a don’t-shoot-the-messenger gesture. “He didn’t say you were doing a bad job over there. If anything, it’s the opposite. I’ve only worked with him less than two months, and I could tell from that first meeting that he was hard to impress, yet you’ve done it.”

“Okay. Thank you. That means a lot that you would say that. It wasn’t smooth sailing in the beginning.” I made an effort to relax some of the tension in my muscles.

“I’m not just saying it to make you feel better. I believe he is impressed with you. What I can’t figure out is why he would encourage you to change teams, even temporarily, when you’ve obviously become an asset to him?” He looked at me curiously.

“Are you asking me?” I raised my eyebrows in surprise. How was I supposed to answer him? It wasn’t like I could share the heartfelt conversations I’d had with Aiden while inmy bed during our business trip!

Ethan nodded, seemingly content to wait for me to answer this mystery for him.

“Uh, he doesn’t seem like the type of boss to stop someone from trying something new?”

“That’s true.” He nodded in agreement. “It’s just surprising. That’s all. Leave this with me, and I’ll go through it with Avi. We won’t keep you waiting for an answer.”

Ethan seemed to enjoy bouncing ideas off Avi, almost like he was an assistant department head.

“Okay, thank you so much. I totally understand whatever direction you guys choose to go. But I would really be excited to have this opportunity.”

There you go. You showed some enthusiasm instead of just blind terror. Gold star for you!

Getting up from the chair, I left Ethan to get back to his work, feeling a little bit like I was leaving a piece of myself behind in that binder on his desk.

I was starting to see what Aiden had meant about the difficulties in being involved with someone at work, especially when the relationship couldn’t be public knowledge. If Ethan had been a different person, he could have pushed harder for an answer from me. I was just lucky he seemed happy enough to accept my thoughts.

A boulder took up residence in my stomach. This situation with Aiden could make things difficult at work very quickly. And I wasn’t even factoring in how vulnerable my heart was in this whole situation.

It should have stopped me from saying yes to him. I should focus on the potential pitfalls likely before us, but my mind wouldn’t let me forget how supportive Aiden had sounded when I talked about my photography in that hotel room. Other than Indie and Emery, I’d never experienced someone in my life believing in me and making me want to aim for more for myself. I felt special and cared for, a deep hole inside me filling in just a little.

Ethan’s comment just now reinforced how different Aiden was from so many other bosses, truly putting my ambitions ahead of another period of inconvenience while he adjusted to a temporary EA.

I felt heady knowing he supported me. It emphasized how much I’d been lacking in support as I grew up. The only thing I ever achieved in my mother’s eyes was being top-notch at disappointing her.

Who was I kidding? I didn’t have it in me to resist him. Next time I could get him alone, I’d tell him yes.

I hoped to make that moment happen soon.

The trip to LA had me missing my weekly girls’ night with Indie and Emery. Other than a few text messages about the basics of arriving home and being tired, I’d been too nervous to put anything about Aiden in writing.

Despite being a college town, Amado was not just a city full of bars with a party scene. I appreciated the calmer, quieter choices of the many independent cafés and restaurants. Since it was my turn to pick the venue, I’d chosen a cat café where the owners fostered rescue cats until they could get adopted. It was halfway between Appealand Almaden University, so I’d decided to walk to give myself time to think.

Distracted by my meeting with Ethan, I hadn’t thought about what I was going to actually share with my friends. I knew Aiden insisted that everything between us be kept private, but I didn’t want to be alone in thinking through the consequences of pursuing a romantic relationship with him.

He might be able to compartmentalize his emotions that way, but I wasn’t built like that. If one part of my life was out of balance, all the other parts were affected. I didn’t want to shoulder all this pressure on my own. Indie and Emery would never disclose what I shared with them to anyone else.

Before Aiden came into my life, they were the only safe space I could count on.

When I arrived at the front door of the café, I couldn’t help but smile at the cat trees behind the windows, each with a dozing cat or two enjoying the late-day sun.

Leaving the office a little later than usual meant that Indie and Emery had already beaten me there. I could see them through the café’s glass door as I pulled it open and went inside.

Making my way to the table, I saw Emery’s sunny smile, joined by Indie’s disgruntled expression.

As I sat down, Indie kept up her ruse. “Why do I want cat hair in my coffee again?” She slid me the third cup of coffee that was already on the table.

“It gives it extra flavor.” Emery laughed. “Hey, Abs.”

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