Dancing With The Devil

Chapter 7

"Tell me everything." Sophie demanded as we slowly walked through my building complex. She pulled her long blonde hair back into a ponytail and her usual hoodie and jeans had been swapped out for simple black dress pants and a shirt that wasn't nearly as frumpy as usual. She was all business today and it made her look older and a little intimidating. I noticed that my staff gave her confused looks, not recognizing her in this new attire. However, I was very grateful she stepped away from her meeting to come see me, even though she was just digging for details.

"You were there with me; there is not much to tell." I said, trying to cover how red my cheeks were getting with the all of the casualness I could muster. "We just walked around an art gallery together. Pretty underwhelming."

"Celeste..." she pressed.

"I'm not sure." I blurted out, throwing my hands in the air as we continued our stroll. "I mean, he was wonderful. He was actually paying attention to the art and not just his phone which I thought was impressive. And we had a good conversation I guess, but I haven't been on a date in so long I'm not sure if it was actually good or not. Like maybe I think it was so wonderful but he is cringing at home because of it. But I just really think that it turned out nicely."

"And he's very cute." Sophie interjected, "So he's good t look at and good to talk to. Sounds like someone that is definitely worth taking on a second date. And he sounds much better and more attentive than my date was."

"I noticed she wasn't really pay attention to anything. And she seemed kind of peeved that she had to be there at all. I thought she was going to throw a fit when you asked her to stay with you in the café afterwards." I said, encouraging the conversation away from my night. It brought on too many mixed feelings to talk about it. Maybe in a couple weeks I would be more decided, but I hated the feeling of uncertainty that ate at me. He captivated my interest so completely, but I was absolutely horrified of what could happen if things went wrong.

"I know what you're doing." Sophie warned, as always, latching on to the slightest bit of anxiety in my voice. "Tell me why you can't make yourself text him for a second date."

We passed one of my creativity rooms, filled with drawing boards and modelling clay. Two of my employees were laughing as they stared at their strange creations. Another woman was in the back of the room, focusing very intently on whatever she was drawing, her tongue jutting out the side of her mouth. I absently reminded myself to check and see what they had all come up with later.

"I've been the well-dressed route before, you know, with the nice hair and the expensive clothes and the power. Not to mention governmental status." I stated as we continued on our way.

"And it didn't end well for you." Sophie agreed, "But not every guy who dresses well will be Josh. If anything, you should be really happy that he doesn't dress like a typical straight guy."

"I'm just not sure if I'm ready." I denied with a shake of my head, "He's great, but it almost seems like he's too great. I don't know how to explain this rationally. But I feel like if I had someone completely different than Josh I would be more at ease. You know? Someone who didn't always dress so well, someone who stuck out at art galleries and didn't know so much about history. Alistair is great, but he's too perfect."

"Are you worried that you would have to tell him the truth eventually? Or are you worried about his job?" Sophie whispered.

"No, I don't think I would tell anyone about what really happened. The fact that he is a government agent- or at least he claims to be- doesn't help. I know that he works for Canada and Josh was all American, but I just don't want to make any mistakes after being free for so long. I would never forgive myself if I slipped up over a cute guy and told him everything."