Page 51 of Over My Dead Boss
Am I going to ask him to move back to the city from which he is hiding?
Am I going to move into this small town and abandon the job I have worked so hard for to be with him?
Could we make a long-distance thing work?
But most of all, am I putting the cart before the horse again?
Who says he would even want to be with me in the first place?
“Yeah,” I let out but quickly try to move on to not get bogged down by all those thoughts. “So, I wanted to have a nice date-night. For old times’ sake, so to speak.”
Phoenix nods and finally talks, “You really don’t have to apologize. I very much enjoyed having you here. I mean, I didn’t at first,” his eyes squint, lit with an inner twinkle, “but you grew on me. And thank you for wanting to protect me from Isabella, but it’s ok. You were right. I have obligations and I ought to fulfill them, whether I want to or not. So you can give the manuscript to Isabella as soon as it’s done. I’ll figure something out for an ending. It probably won’t be aliens, but it will have to do. I don’t now if Rosa will be disappointed but I hope you won’t.”
I nod without commenting, but decide right then and there that I can’t. I cannot give the manuscript to Isabella. She doesn’t deserve to profit off this and now that the jobs at CY Publishing are secure, there is no reason for me to sell Phoenix out. I will get myself a book deal eventually. One that is based on my writing, rather than my shoddy work as a make-believe P.I.
“Also,” Phoenix looks over his shoulder, “what did you do to the living room?”
“Ah, right. Almost forgot.” I get up and walk around the table, offering Phoenix my hand. “I was hoping you would allow me this dance.”
He reaches for my hand with a smile, then follows me to the middle of our personal dance floor. “Let me put on some music,” he says and fumbles in his pocket, looking for his phone.
“No need,” I explain and walk over to the little pillow fort on the couch. Underneath, the record player, that I had ordered along with the sewing kit and the sleeve garters, appears. “I got you this so your terrible internet connection won’t ruin your classical music experience anymore.”
His eyes light up when I pull a vinyl titled ‘The Quintessential Classical Music Collection’ out of a pillowcase. That gleam makes my insides burn. It’s a bitter-sweet sensation, one that I never expected to occur when I first came here and one that I don’t really know how to deal with, so I just ask him with which song we should begin.
Phoenix chuckles a little and adjusts his cuffs. “Let’s start at the beginning and see how it goes. I have to warn you though. I am a terrible dancer and might crush your tiny little feet.”
“That’s ok,” I say as I put the needle on the record and press play. I kick off my high heels and sigh with relief. “Those shoes are killing me anyway. Here, you can’t step on my feet if I do this.” I run towards him and leap into his arms, wrapping my arms around his neck and my legs around his torso like a spider monkey.
Phoenix smiles, puts his hands under my butt and pulls me close, allowing my head to rest in the crook of his neck as Chopin quietly reverberates through the room.
Neither of us dares to say another word. Instead, we just remain there, Phoenix moving us slowly across the floor. Outside, the sun has almost set entirely, leaving a dark crimson behind on the horizon. One song fades into another and I wish this moment could last forever, me wrapped in his arms, absorbing his captivating smell. Even the ringing of my phone can’t keep us from relishing this moment.
Until Phoenix eventually clears his throat. “There’s something I need to say, too.” He puts me back down on my feet. “But maybe you should get that call first. This is like the fourth time it’s ringing.”
“It’s probably just Isabella.” I shake my head as I tiptoe to my phone to turn it off. My heart begins to pound when I seeMomwritten on the screen. She rarely calls during the week, we only talk on weekends unless it’s something urgent or if something has happened. Quickly, I click the green button. A short sob confirms my worst suspicions.
31
She obviously tries to remain calm so as not to alert me. “Hey honey,” she says, trying to hold herself together. “I don’t want you to get alarmed,” another sob, “but it’s dad. He had… an episode, and it’s not looking good. He’s in the hospital and they don’t know if he will make it through the night. If you…”
“I’ll be there as soon as I can.” I cut her off and rush to my room, jamming all my belongings into my bag. I know Phoenix is standing behind me, saying something, but his words don’t come through. Unable to say anything, I hoist the bag over my shoulder and walk towards the door.
Phoenix stops me before I leave the house. “It’s your dad, isn’t it?”
I nod as the tears begin to fall.
“Ok,” he says and takes the luggage from me. “Come on. In the back of my car.” Without losing time, he grabs his keys, ushers me outside, into his car and throws the bag next to me. He’s making a call as we drive off, spinning wheels causing the gravel to fly through the air. “No time to explain. Need a plane.” I zone out for a moment, imagining the worst. Replaying in my head the last time dad came close to dying. “Too long. You’ve got thirty minutes. We’re on our way.”
The trees fly past us as the night sets. My tears refract the incoming light, making the stars in the distance sparkle brightly. A familiar voice drags me from my thoughts back into the here and now. “I would love to tell you that you don’t need to worry but I don’t know what’s happening, so instead, I’ll just tell you what you have to do, ok? You need to get changed, put on something comfortable and some shoes. We will arrive at a small airfield soon. Ryker has a plane standing by. It will take you to an airport near your hometown. From there I will arrange for a driver to take you to the hospital.”
I nod silently and rummage through my stuff until I find some pants and a shirt that I put on. We drive for another twenty minutes without saying a word until we pull into what appears to be an abandoned military airfield. When we stop the car, a small plane is standing close by, its lights already on, a man, who I assume must be the pilot, busily walking around it. Phoenix opens my door and helps me out of the car before retrieving my bag and handing it to the pilot.
“We’ll be ready for take-off in five minutes, Sir,” he says and gives us a polite nod, then vanishes into the aircraft.
Phoenix thanks him and turns towards me, examining my face carefully. “Do you want me to come with you? This plane only seats two people, but I could order another one and be with you in the morning.”
More tears stream down my face and I let my head fall into his chest, ruining his tux with my running make-up.
