48
Ginny
Michael visiting me with soup was a small gesture, and I didn’t get small gestures very often. It was so incredibly sweet that I felt closer to him than I ever had before.
I was embarrassed about my apartment, and about where I lived in a broader sense. I never would have invited Michael—or August, for that matter—to my place because I didn’t want them to see it. But now that he was here, I didn’t care anymore. If anything, now he would understand why I was obsessed with buying a nice house for me and my family.
It was like he was getting to know another side of me. It made me feel vulnerable with him, but that didn’t scare me. Letting him in was strangely comforting.
It’s because I’m falling for him.
As we ate our soup, I knew I was in trouble. I had told Michael that this was supposed to be casual. We weren’t exclusive. Now that he was my boss, that boundary was even more important. If I developed feelings for him, everything would get very complicated, very quickly. We should keep our relationship physical.
But being sick together had nothing to do with sex. It was another level of intimacy. The kind most people didn’t reach until months and months of dating.
This is getting serious.
And the craziest part: I thought he felt the same! The way he looked at me while I ate my soup, the softening of his sapphire blue eyes as he took me in, promised much more than a physical-only relationship. Seeing him look at me that way made me feel safe.
Speaking of safety…
I was certain I was being watched. That black SUV had appeared everywhere I went for the past few days. When I was by myself, it was terrifying—wondering if I was going crazy or not. But now that Michael was here, I had someone to lean on.
I quickly dismantled all my recording equipment—the expensive microphone, high-resolution camera, and two stand lights. The last thing I needed was him asking questions about all of that. We definitely weren’t close enough for me to show himthatpart of my life. I probably never would be. That was a secret I would happily take to my grave.
Then I invited him inside and went to the window. I pulled back the curtain. The SUV was still there, across the street, facing my window. The sun was reflecting off the windshield right now, and the glare made it impossible to see if anyone was inside.
Michael was still standing in the doorway, looking around. “Over here,” I told him.
He moved carefully, like he was in a daze. The cough medicine had probably kicked in. I always felt like a zombie when I was on the stuff. Michael leaned toward the window as I pulled the curtain back further.
“Yeah,” he said, weirdly faint. “That looks like the same car we saw at the pink house.”
“It doesn’t just look like it. Itisthe same car! The license plate ends in DTX. I made sure to note it.” I shook my head. “Why would someone follow me?”
I had been wondering if I had an online stalker. There were plenty of weird guys that subscribed to my OnlyFans page. I reported roughly ten creeps per week to the OnlyFans administrators. But how could someone find out my identity? I had been careful.
“You look shaken,” I said. “Do you believe me now?”
“I don’t know what to believe,” he muttered, looking around my room again with wide eyes. “But yeah, that’s the same van. I’ll talk to August about it.” He looked at his watch. “I have to go.”
“You’re leaving?” I asked. “I thought we were going to cuddle up on the couch and pretend to work together.”
“I know, but I just remembered something I have to do.” He grabbed his coat without looking at me. “I’ll message you later.”
“Don’t you want to take some soup with you?”
He rushed out the door without answering.
As I locked up behind him, I wondered about his reaction. Hemustknow who was following me if he was that shaken by seeing the SUV. Michael didn’t strike me as the kind of man who was easily rattled.
That made me even more afraid than I was before.
So I turned to one of myothermen.
Me: Hi. How’s work going?
Kai: It’s going. Pretty normal week, all things considered. Been thinking about you ;-)