Page 35 of Over My Dead Boss
Deservedly uncomfortable by what his comment caused, Mr. Jackson nods without saying anything and quickly rings us up, which is when I see just how much that pair of glasses, the corrective lenses and the examination actually cost. It is almost as much as Sienna and I pay for three months of rent. I hold my breath but before I can interject, Phoenix has already handed over his credit card and guides me out of the store and towards the parking lot.
“Thanks,” I say once we step outside. “I mean, I could have defended myself, but thanks.”
Phoenix laughs a little and I notice that his hand has been resting on my neck the entire time. “I know you could have. It’s just that… I have a bad temper, you know.”
“We really shouldn’t neglect your Grumpy Time. Wouldn’t want you to end up in prison for assaulting rude store clerks.” Apparently, Phoenix notices as well and withdraws his hand, making me feel oddly exposed. We walk the rest of the way separately. “About those glasses though, I am going to pay you back. It might take me a minute, but I can’t have you pay for all of that. It’s much more than just a pair of reading glasses.”
“Do you still want to have my book once it’s done?”
“Well, of course I do. What does that have to do with anything?”
“The book needs to get edited. You can’t do that without glasses or when you’re blind and it is my book after all, so it’s only right that I pay for your glasses as long as you work for me. Also, I have heard rumors of unionizing, and apparently that’s bad for business.”
“No, but…” I grumble because this feels a little too much like charity.
“Unless that butt has two t’s, I don’t wanna hear it.”
I can’t hold back a chuckle when getting into the car. “Sounds like something your grandpa could have said. At least according to your grandma’s stories.”
“I’m just gonna ignore that,” Phoenix says, starts the car and drives us a little further into the city until we park on a nondescript street and he leads me to a restaurant where we have lunch. The Chinese food they serve is to die for, but I only understand why he brought me here when we are given two fortune cookies along with the check. I must look somewhat disappointed because Phoenix asks if anything is wrong and of course there isn’t. I’ve had a wonderful day and the hottest guy I’ve ever known defended my honor like a knight in one of my fanfics and he was even considerate enough to take me to a restaurant he thought I would enjoy because he knows how much I love my fortune cookies. But those aren’tmyfortune cookies anymore. Those are fortune cookies for anyone.
“No,” I answer, trapped in thoughts. “Nothing is wrong. It’s very thoughtful of you.” I open the packing and read out loud, “You will know it when you see it.” Phoenix looks at me with expecting eyes and I muster a little smile. “I guess it’s good I’m getting new glasses then.”
His eyes narrow a little as he cocks his head, making his impeccable waves of hair fall to the side. “You look disappointed. It’s just a fortune cookie. Besides, it sounds like a pretty good one, no?”
“I know. That’s not what I’m disappointed about. I mean, I’m not disappointed at all.”
Phoenix fumbles in the inside pocket of his jacket and slides his giant hand across the table, opening it when he reaches my own hand. “Figured they’d be amateurs.” He reveals a Peanut Butter Cup and I try hard to hold back a squeal as a tear forms in my eye. Quick to wipe it away, I grab the piece of candy and inspect the packaging. “Solid work. Can’t see any tears or anything.” I open it carefully and pull out the one Peanut Butter Cup on the inside. Between the candy and the liner, I find a little piece of paper rolled up. “Fortune’s Peanut Butter Cup. I love it.”
Phoenix’s adorable eyes are smiling as he watches me, something I can’t get hung up on at the moment, because I am too eager to find out what it says, so I unroll the paper and read. “It's ok, I'm sure the next cookie will be better!” My grin widens even more, if that is even possible. “Thank you.” I touch his hand that’s still resting on the table and wish I could touch so much more than that.
He doesn’t pull away, instead he smiles as well and gives a brief nod. “No, thank you. It’s… uh, been nice having you around.”
On our drive back, I mostly lean against the passenger door instead of my seat, since it allows me to get a better view of Phoenix. I could stare at him for hours. If there was a Madam Ray’s Wax Museum, I’d fill it with statues of him and they’d probably have to get replaced quite often. For some reason, the image of him in nothing but his boxers springs to mind. It would probably be the highlight of the museum. “Do your tattoos mean anything?” I ask what must appear to him to be out of the blue.
Phoenix gives me a quick side-glance and focuses back on the road. He still seems a little hesitant to divulge information about himself. I think he’s just not used to it, but eventually he answers nonetheless. “The first one I got meant that I had a troubled relationship with my father and the rest just kind of happened. He very much disapproved of body art, which is why I got the first one.”
“Which one was the first one?”
“I’d rather not say. You can’t really tell anymore anyway. It’s since been covered up.”
Now I have to know. I make the doe-iest eyes of them all and beg him to tell me. After a bit, he gives in. “Fine, but you have to promise not to make fun of it.”
“Promise!”
Phoenix looks at me, obviously considering if I am to be trusted (which I usually am, just not in this situation probably). “My dad didn’t just hate tattoos, he also really hated piercings.”
“Oh, so you got both? A tattoo and a piercing?”
“So to speak… I got a tattoo of a piercing through my nipple.”
It takes a second until I break out in the loudest laughter I have ever laughed. My sides begin to hurt after a while and yet I can’t stop. “It hurts so much.” I wheeze and laugh some more. “That was a great idea!” I finally admit. “Truthfully, I was already thinking of ways to torture you, but that’s probably the greatest tattoo anyone has ever gotten.”
Phoenix himself is laughing as well and I love how unburdened he seems in that moment. “Yeah, well, my dad didn’t think so. Really put a damper on our family trip to Hawaii. If it hadn’t been for my mom, I probably wouldn’t have been allowed to leave the hotel room. Granted, I was only 14 at the time and it probably wasn’t the best way to rebel, but kids do dumb things.”
“You were only 14?”
“Yeah, went to a really shady tattoo —I wanna call him person because artist seems a little far fetched— and I paid a whole lot of my dad’s money.”
