Fifty Shades of Newt

by itmezoelicious1004

When psychology student Thomas Steele goes to interview the British entrepreneur Newt Isaac, they collide and goes to an erotic adventure together. What do will happen with Newt's coldness and Thomas spirit?Will it have a happy ending?

2. Chapter 2

p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"My heart is pounding. The elevator arrives on the first floor, and I scramble out as soon as the doors slide open, stumbling once, but fortunately not sprawling on to the immaculate sandstone floor. I race for the wide glass doors, and I'm free in the bracing, cleansing, damp air of Seattle. Raising my face, I welcome the cool refreshing rain. I close my eyes and take a deep, purifying breath, trying to recover what's left of my equilibrium./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"No /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"boy /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"has ever affected me the way /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"Newt Isaac/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" has, and I cannot fathom why. Is it his looks? His civility? Wealth? Power?/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" His British accent?/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" I don't understand my irrational reaction. I breathe an enormous sigh of relief. What in heaven's name was that all about? Leaning against one of the steel pillars of the building, I valiantly attempt to calm down and gather my thoughts. I shake my head. Holy /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"klunk/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" – what /spanemspan style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 10pt;"was /span/emspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"that? My heart steadies to its regular rhythm, and I can breathe normally again. I head for the car./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"As I leave the city limits behind, I begin to feel foolish and embarrassed as I replay the interview in my mind. Surely, I'm over-reacting to something that's imaginary. Okay, so he's very attractive, confident, commanding, at ease with himself – but on the flip side, he's arrogant, and for all his impeccable manners, he's autocratic and cold. Well, on the surface. An involuntary shiver runs down my spine. He may be arrogant, but then he has a right to be – he's accomplished so much at such a young age. He doesn't suffer fools gladly, but why should he? Again, I'm irritated that /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"Minho /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"didn't give me a brief biography/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"While cruising along the I-5, my mind continues to wander. I'm truly perplexed as to what makes someone so driven to succeed. Some of his answers were so cryptic – as if he had a hidden agenda. And /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"Minho's /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"questions – ugh! The adoption and asking him if he was gay! I shudder. I can't believe I said that. /spanemspan style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 10pt;"Ground, swallow me up now!/span/emspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" Every time I think of that question in the future, I will cringe with embarrassment. Damn/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" Minho Kamayaki/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"!/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"I check the speedometer. I'm driving more cautiously than I would on any other occasion. And I know it's the memory of two penetrating /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"brown /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"eyes gazing at me, and a stern voice telling me to drive carefully. Shaking my head, I realize that /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"Minho's /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"more like a man double his age./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"emspan style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 10pt;" /span/em/p
p class="MsoNormal"emspan style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 10pt;"Forget it, /span/ememspan style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 10pt;"Thomas/span/emspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;", I scold myself. I decide that all in all, it's been a very interesting experience, but I shouldn't dwell on it. /spanemspan style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 10pt;"Put it behind you/span/emspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;". I never have to see him again. I'm immediately cheered by the thought. I switch on the MP3 player and turn the volume up loud, sit back, and listen to thumping indie rock music as I press down on the accelerator. As I hit the 1-5, I realize I can drive as fast as I want/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: SimSun; font-size: 12.0000pt;" /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"We live in a small community of duplex apartments in Vancouver, Washington, close to the Vancouver campus of WSU. I'm lucky – /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"Minho's /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"parents bought the place for h/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"im/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;", and I pay peanuts for rent. It's been home for four years now. As I pull up outside, I know /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"Minho /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"is going to want a blow-by-blow account, and he is tenacious. Well, at least he has the minidisc. Hopefully I won't have to elaborate much beyond what was said during the interview./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"Thomas/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"! You're back." /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"Minho /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"sits in our living area, surrounded by books. /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"H/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"e's clearly been studying for finals – though he's still in her /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"blue /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"flannel pajamas decorated with cute little /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"robots/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;", the ones he reserves for the aftermath of breaking up with /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"girl/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"friends, for assorted illnesses, and for general moody depression. /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"H/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"e bounds up to me and hugs me hard."I was beginning to worry. I expected you back sooner." /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""Oh, I thought I made good time considering the interview ran over." I wave the minidisc recorder at h/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"im./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""Thomas/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;", thank you so much for doing this. I owe you, I know. How was it? What was he like?" Oh no – here we go, the /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"Minho/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" Ka/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"mayaki/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" Inquisition./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"I struggle to answer h/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"is/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" question. What can I say?/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""I'm glad it's over, and I don't have to see him again. He was rather intimidating, you know." I shrug. "He's very focused, intense even – and young. Really young."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"Minho /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"gazes innocently at me. I frown at h/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"im/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""Don't you look so innocent. Why didn't you give me a biography? He made me feel like such an idiot for skimping on basic research." /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"Minho /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"clamps a hand to h/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"is/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" mouth/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""Jeez, /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"Thomas/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;", I'm sorry – I didn't think."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"I huff/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""Mostly he was courteous, formal, slightly stuffy – like he's old before his time. He doesn't talk like a man of t/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"een/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;". How old is he anyway?/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"Seventeen/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;". Jeez, /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"Thomas/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;", I'm sorry. I should have briefed you, but I was in such a panic. Let me have the mini-disc, and I'll start transcribing the interview."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""You look better. Did you eat your soup?" I ask, keen to change the subject/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""Yes, and it was delicious as usual. I'm feeling much better."/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"H/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"e smiles at me in gratitude. I check my watch./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""I have to run. I can still make my shift at /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"the Maze/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"Thomas/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;", you'll be exhausted." /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""I'll be fine. I'll see you later."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"I've worked at /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"the Maze/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" since I started at WSU. It's the largest independent hardware store in the Portland area, and over the four years I've worked here, I've come to know a little bit/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" more/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" about most everything we sell – /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"even /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"though, I'm /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"good /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"at any DIY. /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"My mom would always/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" leave all that to/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" me and/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" my dad. I'm much more of a /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"hammer and some nails /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"kind of /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"boy/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;". I'm glad I can make my shift as it gives me something to focus on that isn't /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"Newt Isaac/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;". We're busy – it's the start of the summer season, and folks are redecorating their homes. Mrs. /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"O' Brien /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"is pleased to see me./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"Thomas/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"! I thought you weren't going to make it today."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""My appointment didn't take as long as I thought. I can do a couple of hours."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""I'm real pleased to see you."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"She sends me to the storeroom to start re-stocking shelves, and I'm soon absorbed in the task./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"When I arrive home later, /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"Minho /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"is wearing headphones and working on h/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"is/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" laptop. H/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"is/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" nose is still pink/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" and sore/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;", but/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"he has h/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"is/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" teeth into a story, so he's concentrating and typing furiously. I'm thoroughly drained – exhausted by the long drive, the grueling interview, and by being rushed off my feet at /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"the Maze/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"'s. I slump on to the couch, thinking about the essay I have to finish and all the studying I haven't done today because I was holed up with… /spanemspan style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 10pt;"him/span/emspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""You've got some good stuff here, /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"Thomas/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;". Well done. I can't believe you didn't take him up on his offer to show you around. He obviously wanted to spend more time with you." /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"H/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"e gives me a fleeting quizzical look./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"I flush, and my heart rate inexplicably increases. That wasn't the reason, surely? He just wanted to show me around so I could see that he was lord of all he surveyed. I realize I'm biting my lip, and I hope /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"Minho /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"doesn't notice. But he seems absorbed in h/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"is/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" transcription/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""I hear what you mean about formal. Did you take any notes?" he asks./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""Um… no, I didn't." /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""That's fine. I can still make a fine article with this. Shame we don't have some original stills. Good-looking son of a bitch, isn't he?"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"I flush. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""I suppose so." I try hard to sound disinterested, and I think I succeed/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"Oh come on, /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"Thomas/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" – even you can't be immune to his looks." /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"H/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"e arches a perfect eyebrow at me./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"emspan style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 10pt;"Klunk/span/ememspan style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 10pt;"!/span/emspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" I distract h/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"im/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" with /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"cuteness/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;", always a good ploy./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""You probably would have got a lot more out of him."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""I doubt that, /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"Thomas/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;". Come on – he practically offered you a job. Given that I foisted this on you at the last minute, you did very well." /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"H/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"e glances up at me speculatively. I make a hasty retreat into the kitchen/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.5000pt;""So what did you really think of him?" Damn, he's inquisitive. Why can't he just let this go? /spanemspan style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 10.5pt;"Think of something – quick/span/emspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.5000pt;"./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""He's very driven, controlling, arrogant – scary really, but very charismatic. I can understand the fascination," I add truthfully, as I peer round the door at her hoping this will shut h/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"im/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" up once and for all./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""You, fascinated by a man? That's a first," he snorts./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"I start gathering the makings of a sandwich so he can't see my face./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""Why did you want to know if he was gay? Incidentally, that was the most embarrassing question. I was mortified, and he was pissed to be asked too." I scowl at the memory/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""Whenever he's in the society pages, he never has a date."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""It was embarrassing. The whole thing was embarrassing. I'm glad I'll never have to lay eyes on him again."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""Oh, /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"Thomas/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;", it can't have been that bad. I think he sounds quite taken with you."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"emspan style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 10pt;"Taken with me?/span/emspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" Now /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"Minho/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"'s being ridiculous./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""Would you like a sandwich?" /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""Please."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"We talk no more of /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"Newt Isaac/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" that evening, much to my relief. Once we've eaten, I'm able to sit at the dining table with /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"Minho /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"and, while he works on h/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"is/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" article, I work on my essay on /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"Social Psychology/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;". /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" By the time I finish, it's midnight, and /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"Minho /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"has long since gone to bed. I make my way to my room, exhausted, but pleased that I've accomplished so much for a Monday. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"I curl up in my white iron bed, wrapping my mother's quilt around me, close my eyes, and I'm instantly asleep. That night I dream of dark places, bleak white cold floors, /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"brown /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"eyes/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;", and the word /spanemspan style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 10pt;"Tommy /span/emspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"echoing it/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"For the rest of the week, I throw myself into my studies and my job at /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"the Maze/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;". /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"Minho/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" is busy too, compiling h/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"is/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" last edition of h/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"is/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" student magazine before he has to relinquish it to the new editor while also cramming for h/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"is/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" finals. By Wednesday, he's much better, and I no longer have to endure the sight of her /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"blue/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"-flannel-with-too-many-r/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"obot/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"s PJs. I call my mom in Georgia to check on her, but also so she can wish me luck for my final exams. She proceeds to tell me about her latest venture into candle making – my mother is all about new business ventures. Fundamentally she's bored and wants something to occupy her time, but she has the attention span of a goldfish. It'll be something new next week. She worries me. I hope she hasn't mortgaged the house to finance this latest scheme. And I hope that /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"Robert/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"– her relatively new but much older husband – is keeping an eye on her now that I'm no longer there. He does seem a lot more grounded than Husband Number Three./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""How are things with you, /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"Thomas/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"?"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"For a moment, I hesitate, and I have Mom's full attention./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""I'm fine./spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"Thomas/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"? Have you met someone?" Wow… how does she do that? The excitement in her voice is palpable./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""No, Mom, it's nothing. You'll be the first to know if I do."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""Thomas/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;", you really need to get out more, honey. You worry me."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""Mom, I'm fine. How's /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"Robert/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"?" As ever, distraction is the best policy./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" Later that evening, I call /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"Carl/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;", my stepdad, Mom's Husband Number Two, the man I consider my father, and the man whose name I bear. It's a brief conversation. In fact, it's not so much a conversation as a one-sided series of grunts in response to my gentle coaxing. /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"Carl/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" is not a talker. But he's still alive, he's still watching soccer on TV, and going bowling and fly-fishing or making furniture when he's not. /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"Carl/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" is a skilled carpenter and the reason I know the difference between a hawk and a handsaw. All seems well with him./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"Friday night, /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"Minho /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"and I are debating what to do with our evening – we want some time out from our studies, from our work, and from student newspapers – when the doorbell rings. Standing on our doorstep is my good friend /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"Teresa/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;", clutching a bottle of champagne./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"Teresa/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"! Great to see you!" I give him a quick hug. "Come in."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"Teresa /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"is the first person I met when I arrived at WSU, looking as lost and lonely as I did. We recognized a kindred spirit in each of us that day, and we've been friends ever since. Not only do we share a sense of humor, but we discovered that both /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"Carl/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" and /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"Angelo, Teresa's father/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" were in the same army unit together. As a result, our fathers have become firm friends too./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"Teresa /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"is studying engineering and is the first in h/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"er/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" family to make it to college. /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"She's/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" pretty damn bright, but /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"her/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" real passion is /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"arts specifically paintings and photography/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;". /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"Teresa/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" has a great eye for a good /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"scenery/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: SimSun; font-size: 12.0000pt;" /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""I have news." /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"Sh/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"e grins, h/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"er/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" dark eyes twinkling/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: SimSun; font-size: 12.0000pt;"./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""Don't tell me – you've managed not to get kicked out for another week," I tease, and /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"s/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"he scowls playfully at me. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""The Portland Place Gallery is going to exhibit my photos next month."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""That's amazing – congratulations!" Delighted for h/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"er/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;", I hug h/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"er/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" again. /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"Minho/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" beams at h/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"er/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" too./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""Way to go /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"Teresa/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"! I should put this in the paper. Nothing like last minute editorial changes on a Friday evening." /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"H/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"e grins./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""Let's celebrate. I want you to come to the opening." /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"Teresa /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"looks intently at me. I flush. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""Both of you, of course," /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"s/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"he adds, glancing nervously at /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"Minho./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"Minho /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"and I are good friends, but I know deep down inside, /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"s/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"he'd like to be more. /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"Sh/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"e's cute and funny, but /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"s/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"he's just not for me. /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"Sh/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"e's more like the /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"sister/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" I never had. /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"Minho /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"often teases me that I'm missing the need-a-boyfriend gene, but the truth is – I just haven't met anyone who… well, whom I'm attracted to, even though part of me longs for those trembling knees, heart-in-my-mouth, butterflies-in-my-belly, sleepless nights./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"Sometimes I wonder if there's something wrong with me. Perhaps I've spent too long in the company of my /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"famous psychologist/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;", and consequently my ideals and expectations are far too high. But in reality, nobody's ever made me feel like that./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"emspan style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 10pt;"Until very recently/span/emspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;", the unwelcome, still small voice of my subconscious whispers. NO! I banish the thought immediately. I am not going there, not after that painful interview. /spanemspan style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 10pt;"Are you gay, Mr. /span/ememspan style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 10pt;"Newt/span/emspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"? I wince at the memory. I know I've dreamt about him most nights since then, but that's just to purge the awful experience from my system, surely?/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"I watch /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"Teresa /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"open the bottle of champagne. /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"Sh/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"e's tall, and in h/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"er/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" jeans and t-shirt /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"s/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"he's all shoulders and muscles, tanned skin, dark hair and burning dark eyes. Yes, /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"Teresa/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"'s pretty hot, but I think /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"s/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"he's finally getting the message: /spanemspan style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 10pt;"we're just friends/span/emspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;". The cork makes its loud pop, and /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"Teresa/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" looks up and smiles./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"Saturday at the store is a nightmare. We are besieged by do-it-yourselfers wanting to spruce up their homes. Mr. and Mrs. /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"O'Brien/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;", John and Patric/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"ia/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" – the two other part-timers – and I are all rushed off our feet. But there's a lull around lunchtime, and Mrs. /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"O' Brien/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" asks me to check on some orders while I'm sitting behind the counter at the till discreetly eating my bagel. I'm engrossed in the task, checking catalogue numbers against the items we need and the items we've ordered, eyes flicking from the order book to the computer screen and back as I check the entries match. Then, for some reason, I glance up… and find myself locked in the bold /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"brown /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"gaze of/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" Newt Isaac/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" who's standing at the counter, staring at me intently/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"emspan style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 10pt;"Heart failure/span/ememspan style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 10pt;"./span/em/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""Mis/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"ter/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" Steele. What a pleasant surprise." His gaze is unwavering and intense/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"Holy /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"klunk/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;". What the hell is /spanemspan style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 10pt;"he /span/emspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"doing here looking all tousled-hair and outdoorsy in his cream chunky-knit sweater, jeans, and walking boots? I think my mouth has popped open, and I can't locate my brain or my voice./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""Mr. /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"Isaac/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"," I whisper, because that's all I can manage. There's a ghost of a smile on his lips and his eyes are alight with humor, as if he's enjoying some private joke./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""I was in the area," he says by way of explanation. "I need to stock up on a few things. It's a pleasure to see you again, Mis/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"ter/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" Steele." His voice is warm and husky like dark melted chocolate fudge caramel… or something/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" and it makes it more sweeter with that British accent/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: SimSun; font-size: 12.0000pt;"./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"I shake my head to gather my wits. My heart is pounding a frantic tattoo, and for some reason I'm blushing furiously under his steady scrutiny. I am utterly thrown by the sight of him standing before me. My memories of him did not do him justice. He's not merely good-looking – he's the epitome of male beauty, breathtaking, and he's here. Here in /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"Maze /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"Hardware Store. Go figure. Finally my cognitive functions are restored and reconnected with the rest of my body/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"Thomas./spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" My name's /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"Thomas/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"," I mutter. "What can I help you with, Mr. /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"Isaac/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"?"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"He smiles, and again it's like he's privy to some big secret. It is so disconcerting. Taking a deep breath, I put on my professional I've-worked-in-this-shop-for-years facade./spanemspan style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 10pt;" I can do this/span/emspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: SimSun; font-size: 12.0000pt;" /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""There are a few items I need. To start with, I'd like some cable ties," he murmurs, his /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"brown /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"eyes cool but amused./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"emspan style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 10pt;"Cable ties?/span/em/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""We stock various lengths. Shall I show you?" I mutter, my voice soft and wavery. /spanemspan style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 10pt;"Get a grip, /span/ememspan style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 10pt;"Thomas/span/emspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;". A slight frown mars /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"Newt's /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"rather lovely brow/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""Please. Lead the way, Mis/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"ter/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" Steele," he says. I try for nonchalance as I come out from behind the counter, but really I'm concentrating hard on not falling over my own feet – my legs are suddenly the consistency of Jell-O. I'm so glad I decided to wear my best jeans this morning/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""They're in with the electrical goods, aisle eight." My voice is a little too bright. I glance up at him and regret it almost immediately. Damn, he's handsome. I blush./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""After you," he murmurs, gesturing with his long-fingered, beautifully manicured hand./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"With my heart almost strangling me – because it's in my throat trying to escape from my mouth – I head down one of the aisles to the electrical section. /spanemspan style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 10pt;"Why is he in Portland? Why is he here at /span/ememspan style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 10pt;"the Maze? /span/emspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"And from a very tiny, underused part of my brain – probably located at the base of my medulla oblongata where my subconscious dwells – comes the thought: he's here to see you. No way! I dismiss it immediately. Why would this beautiful, powerful, urbane man want to see me? The idea is preposterous, and I kick it out of my head./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""Are you in Portland on business?" I ask, and my voice is too high, like I've got my finger trapped in a door or something. /spanemspan style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 10pt;"Damn! Try to be cool /span/ememspan style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 10pt;"Thomas/span/ememspan style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 10pt;"!/span/em/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""I was visiting the WSU farming division. It's based at Vancouver. I'm currently funding some research there in crop rotation and soil science," he says matter-of-factly. /spanemspan style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 10pt;"See? Not here to find you at all/span/emspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;", my subconscious sneers at me, loud, proud, and pouty. I flush at my foolish wayward thoughts./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""All part of your feed-the-world plan?" I tease. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""Something like that," he acknowledges, and his lips quirk up in a half smile./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"He gazes at the selection of cable ties we stock at /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"the Maze/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;". What on Earth is he going to do with those? I cannot picture him as a do-it-yourselfer at all. His fingers trail across the various packages displayed, and for some inexplicable reason, I have to look away. He bends and selects a packet/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""These will do," he says with his oh-so-secret smile, and I blush. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""Is there anything else?" /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""I'd like some masking tape."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"emspan style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 10pt;"Masking tape?/span/em/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""Are you redecorating?" The words are out before I can stop them. Surely he hires laborers or has staff to help him decorate?/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""No, not redecorating," he says quickly then smirks, and I have the uncanny feeling that he's laughing at me. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"emspan style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 10pt;"Am I that funny? Funny looking?/span/em/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""This way," I murmur embarrassed. "Masking tape is in the decorating aisle."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"I glance behind me as he follows./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" "Have you worked here long?" His voice is low, and he's gazing at me, /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"brown /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"eyes concentrating hard. I blush even more brightly. Why the hell does he have this effect on me? I feel like I'm fourteen years old – gauche, as always, and out of place./spanemspan style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 10pt;" Eyes /span/ememspan style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 10pt;"in /span/ememspan style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 10pt;"front /span/ememspan style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 10pt;"Thomas!/span/em/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""Four years," I mutter as we reach our goal. To distract myself, I reach down and select the two widths of masking tape that we stock/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""I'll take that one," /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"Newt /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"says softly pointing to the wider tape, which I pass to him. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"Our fingers brush very briefly, and the current is there again, zapping through me like I've touched an exposed wire. I gasp involuntarily as I feel it, all the way down to somewhere dark and unexplored, deep in my belly. Desperately, I scrabble around for my equilibrium/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""Anything else?" My voice is husky and breathy. His eyes widen slightly. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""Some rope, I think." His voice mirrors mine, husky. "This way." I duck my head down to hide my recurring blush and head for the aisle. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""What sort were you after? We have synthetic and natural filament rope… twine… cable cord… " I halt at his expression, his eyes darkening. Holy cow/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""I'll take five yards of the natural filament rope please." /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"Quickly, with trembling fingers, I measure out five yards against the fixed ruler, aware that his hot /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"brown /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"gaze is on me. I dare not look at him. Jeez, could I feel any more selfconscious? Taking my Stanley knife from the back pocket of my jeans, I cut it then coil it neatly before tying it in a slipknot. By some miracle, I manage not to remove a finger with my knife/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""Were you a /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"Boy /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"Scout?" he asks, sculptured, sensual lips curled in amusement. Don't look at his mouth! /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"Yes, o/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"rganized, group activities are really my thing, Mr. /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"Newt/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"He arches a brow. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""What /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"else /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"is your thing, /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"Thomas/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"?" he asks, his voice soft and his secret smile is back. I gaze at him unable to express myself. I'm on shifting tectonic plates. Try and be cool, /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"Thomas/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;", my tortured subconscious begs on bended knee./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"Outdoors and maybe some books/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"," I whisper, but inside, my subconscious is screaming: You! You are my thing! I slap it down instantly, mortified that my psyche is having ideas above its station./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""What kind of books?" He cocks his head to one side. Why is he so interested? /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""Oh, you know. The usual. The classics. /spanemspan style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 10pt;"British /span/emspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"literature, mainly."/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" I emphasize the word /spanemspan style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 10pt;"British /span/emspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"so he could blush but no./spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"H/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"e rubs/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" just/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" his chin with his long index finger and thumb as he contemplate/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;". /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"Or perhaps he's just very bored and trying to hide it./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""Anything else you need?" I have to get off this subject – those fingers on that face are so beguiling./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""I don't know. What else would you recommend?"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"What would I recommend? I don't even know what you're doing. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""For a do-it-yourselfer/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: SimSun; font-size: 12.0000pt;"?/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"He nods, /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"brown /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"eyes alive with wicked humor. I flush, and my eyes stray of their own accord to his snug jeans/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""Coveralls," I reply, and I know I'm no longer screening what's coming out of my mouth./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" He raises an eyebrow, amused, yet again. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""You wouldn't want to ruin your clothing," I gesture vaguely in the direction of his jeans./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""I could always take them off." He smirks./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""Um." I feel the color in my cheeks rising again. I must be the color of the communist manifesto. /spanemspan style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 10pt;"Stop talking. Stop talking NOW/span/ememspan style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 10pt;"!/span/em/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""I'll take some coveralls. Heaven forbid I should ruin any clothing," he says dryly/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"I try and dismiss the unwelcome image of him without jeans. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""Do you need anything else?" I squeak as I hand him the blue coveralls./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"He ignores my inquiry. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""How's the article coming along?"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"He's finally asked me a normal question, away from all the innuendo and the confusing double talk… a question I can answer. I grasp it tightly with two hands as if were a life raft, and I go for honesty/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""I'm not writing it, /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"Minho /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"is. Mis/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"ter/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" Ka/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"mayaki/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;". My roommate, he's the writer. /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"H/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"e's very happy with it. /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"H/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"e's the editor of the magazine, and he was devastated that he couldn't do the interview in person." I feel like I've come up for air – at last, a normal topic of conversation. "H/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"is/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" only concern is that he doesn't have any original photographs of you."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"Newt /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"raises an eyebrow/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""What sort of photographs does he want?"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"Okay. I hadn't factored in this response. I shake my head, because I just don't know. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""Well, I'm around. Tomorrow, perhaps… " he trails off/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""You'd be willing to attend a photo shoot?" My voice is squeaky again. /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"Minho /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"will be in seventh heaven if I can pull this off. /spanemspan style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 10pt;"And you might see him again tomorrow/span/emspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;", that dark place at the base of my brain whispers seductively at me. I dismiss the thought – of all the silly, ridiculous…/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"Minho /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"will be delighted – if we can find a photographer." I'm so pleased, I smile at him broadly. His lips part, like he's taking a sharp intake of breath, and he blinks. For a fraction of a second, he looks lost somehow, and the Earth shifts slightly on its axis, the tectonic plates sliding into a new position./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"O/spanemspan style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 10pt;"h my/span/ememspan style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 10pt;"./span/ememspan style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 10pt;" /span/ememspan style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 10pt;"Newt Isaac/span/ememspan style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 10pt;"'s lost look./span/em/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""Let me know about tomorrow." Reaching into his back pocket, he pulls out his wallet. "My card. It has my cell number on it. You'll need to call before ten in the morning."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""Okay." I grin up at him. /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"Minho/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" is going to be thrilled. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"THOMAS/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"!"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"Dylan /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"has materialized at other the end of the aisle. He's Mr. /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"O'Brien's son/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;". I'd heard he was home from Princeton, but I wasn't expecting to see him today./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""Er, excuse me for a moment, Mr. /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"Newt/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"." /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"Newt/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" frowns as I turn away from him. /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"Dylan/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" has always been a buddy, and in this strange moment that I'm having with the rich, powerful, awesomely off-the-scale attractive control-freak /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"Newt/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;", it's great to talk to someone who's normal. /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"Dylan /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"hugs me hard taking me by surprise./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"Thomas/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;", hi, it's so good to see you!" he gushes/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""Hello /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"Dylan/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;", how are you? You home for your /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"dad's /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"birthday?"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""Yep. You're looking well, /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"Thomas/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;", really well." He grins as he examines me at arm's length. Then he releases me but keeps a possessive arm draped over my shoulder. I shuffle from foot to foot, embarrassed. It's good to see /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"Dylan/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;", but he's always been over-familiar./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"When I glance up at/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" Newt Isaac/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;", he's watching us like a hawk, his /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"brown /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"eyes hooded and speculative, his mouth a hard impassive line. He's changed from the weirdly attentive customer to someone else – someone cold and distant./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"Dylan/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;", I'm with a customer. Someone you should meet," I say, trying to defuse the antagonism I see in /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"Newt's /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"eyes. I drag /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"Dylan /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"over to meet him, and they weigh each other up. The atmosphere is suddenly arctic./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""Er, /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"Dylan/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;", this is /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"Newt Isaac/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;". Mr. /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"Isaac/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;", this is /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"Dylan O' Brien/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;". His /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"fa/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"ther owns the place." And for some irrational reason, I feel I have to explain a bit more./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""I've known /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"Dylan /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"ever since I've worked here, though we don't see each other that often. He's back from Princeton where he's studying business administration." I'm babbling… /spanemspan style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 10pt;"Stop, now!/span/em/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""Mr. /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"O' Brien/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"." /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"Newt/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" holds his hand out, his look unreadable/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""Mr. /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"Isaac/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"," /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"Dylan/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" returns his handshake. "Wait up – not /spanemspan style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 10pt;"the /span/emspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"Newt Isaac/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"? Of /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"Isaac/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" Enterprises Holdings?" /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"Dylan /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"goes from surly to awestruck in less than a nanosecond. /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"Newt /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"gives him a polite smile that doesn't reach his eyes./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""Wow – is there anything I can get you?"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"Thomas /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"has it covered, Mr. /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"O' Brien/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;". /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"H/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"e's been very attentive." His expression is impassive, but his words… it's like he's saying something else entirely. It's baffling./spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""Cool," /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"Dylan /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"responds. "Catch you later,/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" Thomas/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""Sure, /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"Dylan/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"." I watch him disappear toward the stock room. "Anything else, Mr. /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"Newt/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"?"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""Just these items." His tone is clipped and cool. Damn… have I offended him? Taking a deep breath, I turn and head for the till. /spanemspan style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 10pt;"What is his problem?/span/em/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"I ring up the rope, coveralls, masking tape, and cable ties at the till./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""That will be forty-three dollars, please." I glance up at /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"Newt/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;", and I wish I hadn't. He's watching me closely, his /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"brown /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"eyes intense and smoky/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;", burning a hole in my skull/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;". It's unnerving./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""Would you like a bag?" I ask as I take his credit card./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""Please, /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"Thomas/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"." His tongue caresses my name/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;" /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;", and my heart once again is frantic. I can hardly breathe. Hurriedly, I place his purchases in a plastic carrier./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""You'll call me if you want me to do the photo shoot?" He's all business once more. I nod, rendered speechless yet again, and hand back his credit card./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;""/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.5000pt;"Good. Until tomorrow perhaps." He turns to leave, then pauses. "Oh – and /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.5000pt;"Thomas/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.5000pt;", I'm glad Mis/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.5000pt;"ter/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.5000pt;" Ka/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.5000pt;"mayaki/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.5000pt;" couldn't do the interview." He smiles, then strides with renewed purpose out of the store, slinging the plastic bag over his shoulder, leaving me a quivering mass of raging male/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.5000pt;" gay/spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.5000pt;" hormones. I spend several minutes staring at the closed door through which he's just left before I return to planet Earth./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"emspan style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 10pt;"Okay – I like him/span/emspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;". There, I've admitted it to myself. I cannot hide from my feelings anymore. I've never felt like this before. I find him attractive, very attractive. But it's a lost cause, I know, and I sigh with bittersweet regret. It was just a coincidence, his coming here. But still, I can admire him from afar, surely? No harm can come of that. And if I find a photographer, I can do some serious admiring tomorrow. I bite my lip in anticipation and find myself grinning like a schoolgirl. I need to phone /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"Minho /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: 'yes'; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: SimSun; font-size: 10.0000pt;"and organize a photo-shoot./span/p