“So, how did you find your first day?” he asked, leaning back against the countertop.
“Great. You weren’t nearly as terrible as everyone made you out to be.” I grinned. It felt kind of strange to be joking around with Rowan already, but as I had discovered throughout the day, he was incredibly easy-going. He had one of those airs about him that made people comfortable – patients and colleagues alike.
He smiled. “You did really well today. You’re a quick learner. I much prefer working with a younger assistant, some of the older ones think they know more than they do. Mandy is only twenty-one.”
“That’s young to have a baby,” I replied. “I’m twenty-six and I couldn’t imagine having that sort of responsibility.”
“Well, I had my daughter when I was seventeen, so perhaps I’m not one to judge,” Rowan chuckled.
“You have kids?” I asked, ignoring the alarming flare of disappointment in my chest.
“Just the one, although she’s not really a kid anymore. Teegan is seventeen now, lord help me.”
“Yeah, sure. Totally,” I replied, feeling strangely uncomfortable. My eyes drifted to Rowan’s hands on the countertop, glad that I hadn’t over-looked a wedding ring. He definitely wasn’t wearing one. I quickly ran the numbers through my head – he was seventeen when he had his daughter, who was now also seventeen, that brought Rowan out at thirty-four, maybe thirty-five.
I shook myself. He was nine years my senior, potentially married, with a kid... And yet I wouldstillclear that desk in the office and fuck him ’til neither of us could walk. Did that make me a bad person?
???
“Hey Ol,” I shouted, letting myself into the flat.
“Oh, hey. How’d it go?” Oliver asked, not looking away from the racing game he was playing on the Xbox. I kicked off my shoes and dumped my bag down before joining him on the sofa.
“Yeah, it was fine,” I replied quickly, keen not to get into any details of just howfinemy day had been. Luckily, Oliver was too absorbed in his game to care.
“That’s cool.” He twisted his body suddenly, responding to how the car on the screen skidded around a hairpin bend.
“Have you had dinner?”
“Not yet, but I’m not really that hungry to be honest. I’ve been feeling pretty shit all day.”
“Did you have fun last night?” I asked, getting up to see what food we had in the fridge. I chose a tub with leftover pasta from the night before. Removing the lid, I put it into the microwave and dialled in three minutes on the timer.
“Yeah, it was pretty good. Evan got us kicked out, as usual, but we just went back to his place and smoked some weed.” Oliver fist pumped the air as his race finished and finally looked away from the screen.
“Pot head,” I scolded him.
I’d known Oliver practically all my life; since nursery school. Our parents were firm friends and we’d grown up together. As we’d gotten older, Oliver and I had begun to walk different paths. Whilst I focused on my schoolwork, going to university and getting a job, Oliver remained stagnant. He started mixing with the wrong crowds and struggled to hold down any form of permanent work.
I never really understood how someone could find satisfaction in partying day and night, but it wasn’t my place to judge. Oliver wasn’t going to win any awards for the best flatmate, but he made his share of the rent on time and was generally pretty courteous whenever he rolled in during the early hours, so I couldn’t complain.
“Whatever. You should try it sometime, before you judge.”
I laughed. “You’re alright, thanks.” The microwave beeped, giving me a good reason to turn away and hide how uncomfortable I was. I wasn’t a killjoy by any means, but Oliver’s stoner lifestyle made me uneasy. I plated up my pasta and joined him on the sofa again. I shovelled my food down as fast as I could, eager to sate my hunger. Once my plate was clear, I sat back and watched Oliver race a bright yellow sports car around a track until I could contain my weariness no longer.
“Want to play?” he asked.
I shook my head and yawned widely, getting up from the sofa. “Nah, I’m shattered. Are you working tomorrow?”
“I think so, yeah,” Oliver replied. He didn’t have ‘a career’ so to speak and tended to drift through life, picking up the odd job here and there – a lifestyle that gave me anxiety just thinking about it. His latest venture was helping a family friend with painting and decorating. He seemed to be enjoying it so far.
“Want to go to the gym after I get in?” I asked, my thoughts immediately turning to Rowan. If nothing else, his knock-out body had served as a stark reminder of how lazy I had become over the winter. I needed to get back into my fitness, even if just thethoughtof working out after a long day at work felt exhausting.
“Nah, but knock yourself out,” Oliver laughed, starting up another race.
“Alright, night then.” I stretched my arms above my head with a yawn. My back ached, desperate for my bed. I closed my bedroom door behind me, threw my uniform over the back of a chair and tumbled beneath the duvet.
Although I was worn out, my thoughts kept me awake for a while. I wrestled with confused feelings about Rowan. I shouldn’t even be entertaining thoughts of him – Christ knew I had more than enough reasons not to. He was a nice guy and undeniably sexy, but he was not only my boss, but also married with a kid. The great guys always were. I sighed.
