“I don’t think you’re crazy,” Iain said, though he didn’t sound fully convincing, especially not with that smile on his lips as he brought his leather suitcase onto the table. “I just don’t know what that concept entails.”
“It’s just like a catch-up day with yourself,” I said simply, with a shrug.
“And what exactly do you do to catch up with yourself?”
“Well, the point is it’s different for everyone. It depends on what type of self-care you need or respond to. You know.”
Iain looked at me like he very much didn’t know. “So tell me what your me time looks like,” he said before slipping a folder out from his briefcase and flipping it open. His eyebrows pulled together as he read something off the papers inside, and I could tell he was busy, so I spared him a half-hearted answer.
“I’d tell you but it would probably sound silly to someone who isn’t me, so…” I gave a quiet laugh as I smoothed my hands over the comforter and eyed my phone on the nightstand. My screen was lit with texts from Mia but I knew they’d make me snort, so I decided to save them for later. “I’m going to keep that to myself for now,” I said quietly, mostly to myself since I was pretty sure Iain had stopped listening.
But when I turned back to him, he was closing his folder and looking at me as he tucked it back into his briefcase.
“Tell me,” he said sincerely.
His voice was soft an warm and it made my heart both hurt and sing, because the look in his eyes combined with his undivided attention reminded me suddenly of how he used to be with me. How special he used to make me feel.
I smiled, feeling my cheeks warming up as I explained.
“Well… basically, I have a weekly FaceTime with a good friend. Same time every week. Then I pick a place to have tea or coffee with a pastry, or if the weather is nice, I bring a little lunch to the park. And then I do a little ritual there that I’m not going to tell you about, because you’re going to make fun of it, but it’s good for me. It makes me happy. And that’s the whole point of it. Having some time every week where you prioritize strictly yourself. It’s like…” My gaze drifted as I trailed off, trying to think of the right word. “Maintenance, I guess. For you. And your mind,” I finished, fully behind my words but just a little embarrassed as I turned back to Iain to find him looking at me, smiling like he found me interesting, but mostly peculiar.
“I see,” he said before returning his attention to the papers in his briefcase. He was still smiling, looking maybe charmed but definitely not swayed into adopting this habit of mine. But that was okay. It made tons of sense to me—like my own personal religion. But not everybody got it.
“I mean do you actually need to work every weekend?” I asked from the bed as I watched Iain get ready. “Or do you just do it out of habit?”
Iain only glanced at me this time. “It’s my preference.”
“Because?”
“Because I enjoy being at the top of my industry. Bringing success to this agency that it never achieved before I took over,” he said, making my lips form an O as I nodded quietly to myself, realizing the probable reason for that motivation.
A post-mortem fuck you to his dad.
“Okay. I get that,” I said understandingly. “But what about holidays? What about your birth—” My eyes went wide before I could even finish my question. “Oh my God, it’s your birthday’s this month. It’s in two weeks!” I realized, looking at the date on my phone. “Are you going to do something? What are you going to do?”
Iain smirked at my unbridled excitement. “I’ll be working. Especially hard, in fact, since your brother will be in New York shortly after, and he’ll expect me to give him a full night of my time,” he said before asking, “What are you doing?”
I didn’t even realize I was already on my phone, suddenly looking at my calendar and my weather app. “The weather is perfect this weekend and next. It’s going to be like, eighty and sunny.”
I looked up to find him watching me with amusement. “Your point being what?”
“That you shouldn’t spend such a nice weekend in a totally landlocked state.”
“I appreciate your concern, but I very much prefer to get my work done.”
“Mm.” I crinkled my nose and teased him with a dubious sound. “I think deep down, you know you could use a weekend off. And you know what? I’m going to convince you to take it,” I said brightly, though I wasn’t even fully sure I meant it till Iain looked at me and laughed.
“Well, good luck with that.”
“What, you don’t think I can do it?”
“No. But I like that you believe in yourself,” he said as he went out to the living room.
Asshole, I thought as I tossed the pillow aside and threw the sheets off me, getting out of bed to follow I
ain outside.
I had my panties on, but I couldn’t find my bra since last night, so I went hunting for it as Iain put a pod in the sleek little espresso machine sitting in the corner.