Come on, Ayleen

Important Dates

    The weeks went along with relative harmony. Ayleen had told Ethan she wanted to help him talk to Mr. Wentz, but she didn't want to betray him either. Therefore, if he was going to talk to Mr. Wentz and surprise him, he had to promise that there wasn't anything deceitful or accusatory. Ethan promised that this wasn't the case, but he didn't divulge any more information, much to Ayleen's disappointment. She had hoped that by promising to help, she could know more about the situation. Haven didn't approve of the plan, but she was glad to know what was going on. At least Ayleen wasn't keeping secrets from her. The next time Mr. Wentz came to the office, Ayleen texted Ethan to let him know. It was a sunny day and just a few weeks after Ethan and Ayleen had begun their friendship. Ayleen waited to see if Ethan would respond or just show up. She was very curious about what all the secrecy was about, but she didn't know if Ethan would tell her, or if she would be able to eavesdrop through the door if he went into Mr. Wentz's office and they met behind a closed door. She hoped she would find out, because she felt like she could then better understand Ethan, which she desperately wanted to do. She found him intriguing and handsome and she enjoyed being in his company. She just felt like if she was to have a deep and lasting friendship with him, she needed to know what he might be up to.

    Ayleen waited for a few minutes, and then the office door opened. Ethan entered and approached Ayleen's reception desk. She looked up at him and smiled, and he looked down at her and said, "I need to see Mr. Wentz please. Is he in?"Ayleen found his formality to be confusing. She wasn't sure how to respond, since she was the one who had told him that Mr. Wentz had come in, and she didn't understand his formality. She said, "Yes he is," just as Mr. Wentz came out of his office door. He had assumed that maybe Haven had come by to visit Ayleen, but then he heard a man's voice at the front desk and knew differently. Mr. Wentz jumped up out of his chair and walked briskly to the door. He knew that voice, and he was upset that the young man would come here. As he opened his door, he said, "Ethan, I am surprised to see you. How about you come into my office and we can discuss our business. Ayleen, please take the rest of the day for yourself. Paid time off, my treat. Have an excellent afternoon." Ethan looked to Ayleen and back to Mr. Wentz. Then he walked past them both and into the office. Mr. Wentz continued to stand at the door, looking at Ayleen. Ayleen asked, "Is everything ok, Mr. Wentz? Do you need me to get you and your client anything? Water? Coffee? Anything?" She didn't want to leave because she had hoped to learn more about what was going on. Mr. Wentz said, "No. Thank you, Ayleen. I'll lock up when I leave, so don't feel like you need worry about that." After he finished, he stood there, waiting. She collected her belongings, knowing Ethan was sitting in the office, and unsure what else she could do to stay, so she left. Mr. Wentz followed her to the door and after she exited, she heard the lock click behind her. Her phone dinged to signal that a message had come through, but she didn't check it. She walked down to Coffee Haven and told Haven what had happened. They were both very intrigued by the situation. Mr. Wentz knew who Ethan was, and he didn't want Ayleen to know anything about what they discussed. She remembered that she had gotten a text message, so she pulled out her phone. The message was from Ethan.

    I will tell you about my meeting at dinner tonight, if you are free. I hope to be able to get this all squared away today. I wanted to have a solution, before I shared my problems. This is also me asking if I can take you to dinner tonight. 7:00? Or can I come over and cook you something?

    Ayleen's face reddened as she read the message. Haven waited patiently to see if Ayleen would tell her what had caused that response. Ayleen turned the phone toward Haven and showed her the message. Haven had figured that Ethan would want to date her best friend, but she wasn't sure if that was a good idea or not. Ayleen had grown into a much more outgoing person, but she also didn't want to lose the best friend she had ever had to a man who may or may not be sticking around. If he did stick around, then she guessed it would be okay if things either worked out for them or Ayleen was okay with things ending, if they did. Then again, he might also want to go back home, and then he could either choose to end things with Ayleen and possible break her heart, or he could take Ayleen from her and back with him. Would she lose time with her friend if he did stick around? No matter how she looked at the situation, she knew that her feelings came from a place of jealousy, and all she really wanted was for things to go back to the way they had before Ethan had arrived into the picture.