A case of nerves combined with sexual tension settled upon Tracy as the cab pulled up in front of an industrial building that had been converted to residential lofts. William put his hand on the Tracy's back and guided the way, even though it was obvious which way to go.
As he led the way to the front door, it was now Tracy's turn to curious about William's living space. She had a few of her own hang-ups, but they mostly had to do with taste. On the ride up the elevator, she prepared herself for the worst. She didn't think William could not possibly be a slob, but what if his home was cliché or gauche? She once met a man she really liked until she saw his apartment which was overly decorated in a Goth manner that resembled a Hollywood set. She smiled at the memory of the tacky apartment, and William, not knowing the reason for her smile did not respond. He was not one to fill in silences; to him they were just another part of the conversation.
When he opened the door to his apartment and held it open for Tracy, she entered and almost teased him by speaking her assessment out loud as he had done earlier that morning. Instead she simply stated, "Very nice place, William. Not what I expected at all."
"Oh?"
"Well, no. If asked to predict what your apartment would look like, I would have guessed very modern. Sleek. Minimalism. Your home has a very comfortable and warm feel."
"Why thank you Tracy. I admit I do not have your way with color, but I do feel very comfortable here. "
William took her purse and sweater and put them on the table, "What can I get you to drink? Wine?"
"That would be really nice, thank you."
"Red or White?"
"Red. Do you mind if I check my email? I want to see how the girls did today at work."
"Of course not. You may use my computer if you wish."
"Oh, that's okay. It'll be faster on my phone."
"Then you won't mind if I do some quick reading?"
"Of course not," Tracy smiled. She wondered if William would always remain so gracious and polite, or if he was merely trying to impress her.
She surprised William by lying on his couch with her feet propped up on the arm. He was pleased that she felt relaxed enough to do so, and the sight of her crossed ankles was titillating. He picked up the stack of papers from his desk and sat on the chair perpendicular to Tracy.
"Oh, I didn't mean to hog your whole couch. Please, sit here," Tracy said as she kicked off her shoes and bent her legs, turning on her side to make room. William was tickled by how feline she seemed, how comfortable in her own body. And she looked incredibly sexy on her side. The position made her hip curve out and her bent legs made an 'S' shape leading down to her gorgeous ankles.
He fought the urge to tell her how beautiful she looked on his couch. He felt he had already revealed too much and he was somewhat rattled by the intensity of feeling he was having towards her in such a short time. So, instead he sat down at the end of the couch and stared at the papers in his hands, but he was not reading, he was thinking. He realized most people are not accustomed to a person saying, "Excuse me for a moment, I would like to think and not talk. I will join you again shortly." But that is exactly what he wanted to do.
Tracy sent a text to Rachel to make sure everything went well at the shop, but she was also using the opportunity to look around William's apartment. It was tidy and masculine, not overly decorated but with a few pieces of quality furniture. It was decent sized, but the high ceiling made it feel larger. The loft was one narrow rectangular room, so from the couch Tracy could see everything except the bathroom. She could see where he sat, where he ate, and where he slept. The bed was covered in a simple white comforter and pushed up against a brick wall that was painted a dark color with a few areas of red brick showing through where paint had rubbed off. Wood floors contributed to the warm masculine feel, and the neat kitchen with an island for eating made it seem homey. A desk perpendicular to the couch divided the living and sleeping areas.
"Where are all your books, William?"
William looked up from his papers and said, "Excuse me?"
"I assumed you would have a lot of books?"
"I would if I allowed myself to," William laughed. "I refrain from buying or saving books, although I still have a large collection at my parent's house. I do have a few here, but I keep them in the closet."
"Tell me about them."
"My books or my parents?"
Tracy laughed and said, "Parents."
William said, "Oh, well my book collection is much more interesting."
"Oh William! That's mean! Are your parents boring?"
"Ah, I wouldn't say that, but there is not much to tell. My father is a structural engineer, self-employed so he works from home. My mother was a stay-at-home mom. I have an older sister who remained in St. Charles and I will probably see them all for Thanksgiving. Oh, and my sister is married, with a two-year-old boy and another on the way."
"Are you close with any of them?"
"I would say my sister and I are very close. We don't talk very often, but we have a strong bond and understand each other."
Tracy sensed that he was not that keen to talk about his family, so she asked, "May I ask what you are reading?'
"Oh, just a little something by Cami Wright."
"What? You can't read me when I'm sitting right here!"
"Why not?"
Tracy pouted and kicked him gently with her foot because she could not come up with a good reason, other than it made her feel self-conscious.
"So this pen name?" William asked, "A flower - a Camellia - and the homonym for 'Write'?"
"Oh my god," Tracy moaned, "I am so obvious!"
William laughed and assured her, "Most people don't overthink it. I was actually concerned that you would see through my pseudonym when I ordered your flowers."
"Mr. Reed Moore? Oh my god, William, I didn't! Not until I just said it aloud," Tracy laughed.
"Yes, well that is what I mean. Our eyes skip things over in print that we are more likely to catch if spoken aloud."
"Well, Mr. Reed Moore, I am going to let you get back to it and I am going to answer a few emails." Tracy grinned and actually sent a text to Beth that read "On William's couch, trying so hard not to jump his bones. He is irresistible!"
With no work drama, an empty wine glass she did not wish to refill too quickly, and William focused on reading, she decided to rest her eyes for a moment.
Andy was completely out of money and unable to see Vera that week. He hated to lie to her, but he told her he was sick, afraid if she knew he had money problems she might give his spot to someone else. He did feel sick at the thought that he would not see her for another week. And then he had to make some tough choices, things like keeping the phone turned on and eating, or seeing Vera.
She was incredibly sweet on the phone, telling him to get well and come see her next week, and that she was actually going to miss him. She even kept him on the phone for a while, telling him about taking her brother to the doctor and finding out he had developed a kidney stone.
Andy was working at his lousy new job with part-time hours that did not make him any more money than he would make sitting at home collecting unemployment. He still spent his days off looking for work, and hoped that his new employer might offer him more hours, but one of the other part-timers informed him that they never would. They would rather have two part-timers do one job and not have to pay out any benefits. Of course, Andy saw that fact himself, since he was hired to do payroll. Almost three hundred people were on the payroll, and two-thirds of them were part-time. Then Andy had an idea. What if he added someone to the payroll? Like Joe from his previous job. This company was so big and the boss was hardly ever here, so he wouldn't notice "Joseph Klien" added to the payroll. One more employee wouldn't raise any red flags. And he could get Joe to split the money with him.
William rose and went into the restroom. He returned wearing a white t-shirt and jeans and for the first time, Tracy could really see the shape of his body, his toned chest and slim abdomen. Seeing that her eyes were opened, he said, "Hey gorgeous, I meant to ask if you are vegan?"
"Nope. A very hungry omnivore," Tracy stood and walked over to the counter and to watch as William placed garlic, onions, spinach and oranges on the counter.
"You cook!" Tracy exclaimed, with a fretful expression.
William stared at her, not sure what she meant, and she tried to explain, "You actually cook, William! That is after looking at art all day and reading my writing and buying me flowers, and...and...you were dressed so nice and now you look totally fucking hot in a t-shirt and jeans and now you're cooking for me William! Don't you get it William? You're scaring the hell out of me!"
A dark cloud crossed over William's face as he realized he had come on too strong, but then he approached her and took her elbows in his hands and tried to put things back in perspective. "After you have a chance to eat, you will see that my cooking is not that impressive and neither am I."
"Pffft, yeah right," Tracy said, although his diffidence lightened her mood.
"Oh it's true Tracy. I am a complete ass. I even snuck a peak under your dress while you were on my couch. Very sexy panties you have on."
