My Everything

6

"Why do you need one?" I sighed.
"Because it'd look pretty around my finger," Dan smirked. "Plus don't you want everyone knowing that you've locked down this hot piece of ass?" he giggled.
"Pfft, none of my colleagues even know you exist."
"Oh really? All mine are raving about you."
"Where do you even work?"
"I'm a P.A. at a nearby pediatric office."
"Bleh, you really do like kids," I said as I sipped my coffee. He giggled again as he leaned onto the counter. "Awfully happy this morning, aren't we?"
"We're getting married in two days. I don't have a reason not to be happy."
"Mhmm," I hummed.
"Hey, Phil?"
"Yeah?"
"Can we play a game? A quick one, because I know you have to go to work soon."
"Sure?" I raised a brow.
"Okay, just answer the questions honestly."
"Okay..."
"How old are you?"
"Forty-one."
"Whoa, really?" I nodded.
"You?"
"Twenty-seven."
"And you're a P.A.?"
"Well, an intern, and a paramedic on the weekends."
"Wait, what?"
"Oh yeah, you may have to watch Viv on weekends." I rolled my eyes as I continued gathering up my scattering things around Dan's flat. "Have you always hated kids?"
"Yes."
"When you were younger, did you ever intend on settling down?" I froze in my tracks.
"Yes."
"Then what happened? Why'd you turn into a pathetic man who just wants to shag?"
"I can't talk about this right now, Dan, I have to go to work."
"Wait, Phil," he grabbed onto my suit sleeve. "Have a good day at work."

He kissed my cheek and smiled. He started walking away, but I grabbed him by his waist and pulled him in for a sweet kiss. He hummed against my lips as he smiled like a bumbling idiot. I licked my lips before heading for the front door. As I went to twist the knob, I looked back at Dan and sighed to myself.

"Dan..."
"Yeah?"
"I have to tell you something."
"What's up?"
"I was, um..."
"You can tell me, it's alright."
"I've been married before."
"What?"
"Yeah... twice..."
"What happened? If you don't mind me asking."
"The first one cheated on me, then left me for the housekeeper's son. The second one was fine... that one was all my fault, really. I was so rattled from my first marriage that I felt like I couldn't trust him. I got the suspicion that he was cheating, so I started cheating and, apparently, he was never cheating at all..."

I bit at my lip.

"I never wanted to end up the way I did. I fell in love young, got married at nineteen, got a good job, got divorced, focused on my work, got married again at thirty-three, only to be divorced eight months later. Started putting all my efforts into work and now I'm CEO and a pathetic loser, according to you and my mum."

Dan stood in the kitchen, looking overwhelmed.

"Dan?" He looked to me, as if he were about to cry. "Dan please say something..."

He made his way over to me and wrapped his arms around my neck. He pulled me into a tight hug and let out a heavy sigh into my chest.

"Dan–" He eased me into a kiss, one that left me breathless. "Whoa..."
"You should get to work. You're going to be late."
"Oh, um... yeah..."
"I'll see you when you get home from work."
"I'll see ya..."

***

"Are you sure you're okay?"

Dan let out a throaty cough as he hacked up a chunk of mucus. I rubbed his back as I held onto his nearly empty water bottle.

"Dan, don't go to work tonight. You're literally like a walking corpse."
"I have a policy–" He stopped to hack again. "Unless I'm throwing up, I go into work."
"Where's your thermometer?"
"Medicine cabinet. Why?"
"Stay there, you idiot."

I went off to grab the thermometer and forced Dan into letting me take his temperature.

"Dan, you're thirty-eight degrees! You're burning up! I'm not letting you go to work, that'd be fucking stupid. Call out right now."
"Fine," he coughed.