The Reluctant Assistant - Book One

Dilemma Part 9

"So you've met him before?!" Tilly shrieked, dropping her half-eaten wing on her plate. They were sitting in their usual spot in the pub, hot wings and beer on hand. 

"Yeah, around the time we graduated high school." he takes a deep swig of his beer. He kept the details vague.

"And did you recognize him? And if you did, why did you go through such hell, when you could have had a cushy job from the get-go?" She brought another spicy wing to her mouth, "I will also have follow-up questions, so details would help." she smirked at him, taking a bite.

"Of course I didn't recognize him. Why would I? He looked nothing like that kid I'd met. I mean, back then he was all dark and broody, wearing a lot, and I mean a lot of black. And that was the summer everything fell to shit remember?" he raised his eyebrow at her. His thoughts skimming over parts of that summer he'd rather forget.

"But you remember him now?" she pressed.

"Now I remember, of course." he smiled into his beer. Was Jackson really that sad and lonely man that he had met? Knowing Jackson now, he had a hard time reconciling the two.

"So was he the college guy you were crushing on, then?" Hector's question threw him for a bit of a loop.

"You're right," Tilly nodded at Hector. "Summer loving is the best kind of lovin' there is!"

"Shut up both of you!" Raymond snapped at them. "I didn't have a crush, he was just a nice guy that I hung out with for a while. Hardly something to crush about." If he'd had a crush, it would have been on the Jackson he'd met back then, not the Jackson he knew now.

--

"So your assistant jumped into bed with you?" Asuka asked, raising an eyebrow. They were sitting in the coffee shop and Jackson had to clear his head.

"Well, you make it sound like he was seducing me." He'd been telling Asuka about their weekend away, which left him more confused than ever. "It's the fact that I've realized that whenever he's near, things just seem to calm down, I feel better when he's near." he ran his fingers through his hair. He's never thought of Raymond as more than an assistant, but after the weekend together, his thoughts kept leaning toward the 'what if.'

"So, are you ready to admit that you're in love with your assistant?" her question went right to the point.

"I don't know, I don't think so... Do you think I can be?" This was unknown territory for him, and he didn't want to confuse the issue with the fact that Raymond leaving.

"I've told you from the very beginning that you're in love with him!" she said exasperated. "Either that, or you've put him on a pedestal so high, that nobody else can even compare to him. What are you going to do about it?" she leaned forward grabbing a ginger snap and taking a bite.

"I don't know." he shrugged his shoulders. "I've never been in this situation before. I'm not even sure if what I'm feeling is love or indigestion." he fell silent for a moment, then looked up at Asuka and asked, "What do you think I should do?"

"Win him over of course, then bed him, get him pregnant and force him into marriage,  just like any other woman who was screwed over by a man." Jackson wasn't sure if that was sarcasm or humor, but he was leaning more toward sarcasm. He always appreciated Asuka's sharp observations. She could get to the heart of a problem, even if it's hard to swallow, but right now she wasn't helping much.

"Can you stop pissing about?!" he flared up. "I'm here for your help, not for a lecture on the privilege of men throughout history."

"Take him on a date. See how that goes. If it feels like a night out with our assistant, then great, you've got your answer. If not, then you've got some work to do." Asuka had known Jackson long enough to see through his quirks and eccentricities. He was still haunted by the past, which made him more apprehensive in this unknown territory.