Page 51 of Not As Advertised

“I just don’t want it to be a disaster. He could end it. There are so many potential complications with work. We signed conduct clauses in our contracts, Indie. It’s not specifically spelled out, but I can’t imagine an intimate relationship with one’s boss is considered aboveboard by any company.”

“It’s true. And it’s not just him that has all the say either. You get to decide whether it’s working for you too.” Emery nodded. “But if it did, couldn’t you figure out something with the work situation?” She always looked for the silver lining.

“Yeah…” I conceded. “I guess we could? It’s hard to think too far ahead. I’m not sure it’s even going to work out in the short term.”

“What are you most worried about here?” Indie said.

I dropped my voice. Despite the café being relatively empty, I was hypersensitive to talking about anything private in public. “Everything to do with struggling with my mood sometimes.”

Saying the words aloud made me feel insecure. Even though Indie and Emery had been with me in high school when my earliest mood changes started, I still felt like my constant anxiety was something about me that other people wouldn’t like. They had never been anything but supportive, Indie being the one who encouraged me to see my doctor when my mood first got too low to cope with, but I couldn’t help feelinglessin some way.

I didn’t want to have this vulnerability that others around me didn’t seem to have. Logically, I knew that lots of people did experience mental health challenges, but for someone else finding out, my fear of rejection outweighed all my positive feelings.

“I don’t think you have to tell him anything right away. No one would expect you to share something so personal without being sure you could trust your partner first. You could just take it day by day,” Indie suggested.

“I think I’m going to need to do that. Right now, we’re just getting to know each other, and I’m not ready to tell him that.”

“Then don’t. You decide when. And we can be here as sounding boards if you need us.” Emery’s support eased my nerves further.

“Okay. That makes sense and makes me feel a bit better.” I had control over what I shared with Aiden and when I shared it.

“Abs, I know you see your anxiety and low moods as this major personal flaw, but they aren’t. We’ve both said this before, but people go through all sorts of stuff, and anyone who would judge you for being strong and coping the best you can doesn’t deserve to be in your life.” Indie reached across the table to squeeze my hand. “Plus, if he turns out to be a jerk, I’ll kick his ass.”

“Thank you for saying that.” I couldn’t fully make myself feel the truth of Indie’s words, but I appreciated her support and tried to believe Indie as much as I could.

“Now. I have a feeling that we’re not going to get any good details while we’re here. How about we go to my apartment, and you can really tell us what happened in LA?” Emery’s expression turned imploring. “Nothing this good has happened to any of us in ages. I want to know everything.”

“Yeah, fine. Let’s go.” I laughed.

I was lucky to have friends I could lean on. I would decide on the way just “how” detailed I was willing to get.

Ethan had offered Abbie the temporary position on his team. She’d been working for the digital arts team for two weeks, and we’d barely had a chance to check in with each other. I was drowning in work, with new client inquiries coming in so frequently that I was considering hiring more employees.

My new EA, Miles, was the only thing going smoothly for me. I knew even that was due to Abbie’s careful recommendation of who she knew in the company would do the best job.

Before Miles started, Abbie recommended a change to a particular EA duty.

“I just have one suggestion for you with Miles if you want things to go smoothly.”

“What’s that?” I asked.

“Maybe make your own coffee? Or send him down to Dean’s cart at the very least. No one needs that kind of stress on their shoulders.”

I smiled, recalling the moment she handed over the infamous admin manual. She had faked being out of breath as shereturned it to me, not so subtly reminding me it might be a tad too detailed.

In the present, I was seated in my office, talking myself out of going to Abbie’s new desk for no reason other than to see her. It was harder than I thought, giving her the space to think about my request. The combination of our incompatible schedules had left me in a miserable kind of limbo.

I tried to be aware that the ball was firmly in her court on this one. I’d told her I wanted to continue our relationship and knew that the circumstances were less than ideal. She had to be the one to come to me, even as it pained me to wait for her answer.

My phone rang, with the CEO’s extension showing on its display.

“Hi, Jack.”

“Aiden. Listen, I wouldn’t normally ask this of you, especially after all the catch-up you’ve had to do after your trip. But there’s a fundraiser in San Jose that I was meant to attend. Lots of big corporate companies will be there. Something with the family has come up. I need you to go in my place.”

“Sure. No problem.” It wasn’t as if I had anything planned for the weekend other than overtime and thinking about Abbie.

“You’re a lifesaver. There are two tickets. Take whoever you think makes the most sense from the team. I’ll have my admin deliver them to you by day’s end.”

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