Chapter 25

JOHN

I spent most of the ride to the Belvedere deep in thought. Anna's question about staying with me had pulled me down from the clouds. I think I was still so stunned that we were together at all, that the details of what that meant were still unclear. Especially long term. I had been completely honest with her, I never wanted her to leave my side if I could do anything about that. I wanted her to move in tonight and never leave. But we both had jobs, and sometimes my job ran to all kinds of crazy hours. I had the barest of epiphanies, but needed more data.

"Anna?"

"Hrm?" She was holding my hand in her lap, her other hand tracing the veins on the back.

"Do you like your job? You've always called it your 'shitty job' before, but last week when we had drinks it actually sounded like you really enjoyed it."

"I do. I tend to call it a 'shitty job' among our friends because it's just a an admin assistant job." She said.

"I don't get it." I said.

"Well, most of our friends are in these high-powered white collar career tracks, and they look down on what I do. I got tired of it, and started calling it a 'shitty job' to discourage talking about it. They all think I've just had a run of bad luck and that someday I'm going to finally land a job in my field." She shrugged. "What they can't seem to realize is that I love what I do, and I'm damn good at it. Most people see assistant positions as steps on a ladder for interns, or for other people who can't hack it in a 'real' career. Frankly it pisses me off, because being a good assistant is hard, and it can make a big difference to those I'm working for." She was getting a little pissed off now.

"You know I don't look down on that, right?" I asked.

"I know you don't. You've always been really sweet about that. But some of the others don't get it." She was cooling down. After a moment she looked back out the window.

"I really don't want to go back to work on Monday." She said.

"Me either. I don't want this to end." I said. She squeezed my hand.

"Well it better not end, bub." She growled. I shook my head at her, and she knew what I meant. She kissed my palm, just like at the bar a week ago, and settled back in to watch the scenery pass by.

I wondered if it would be possible to have Anna be my assistant. I really needed one, and I know she's way better at the paperwork and organizational stuff that I'll ever be. Was I thinking with my dick? If things went south for us, how bad could it get?

"John?" She said quietly.

"Yeah."

"Promise me, no matter what, we'll be friends forever." Her voice was quiet and pleading. I looked over at her and she had tears in her eyes.

"Seriously, no fucking around. This is great and I couldn't be happier..." She squeezed my hand. "But your friendship is the most important thing in the world to me. I couldn't live without it. Promise me, that if things start to turn, we'll still be friends. Good friends. Please?"

"Of course. You're my life, Sparrow. Friends no matter what."

She seemed to let out a breath, and her features relaxed. "Thanks. I needed that."

"Me too." I said quietly, and she kissed my palm again.

"Love, I have an idea. Maybe it's too soon, but I want to see what you think." I said. Her eyebrows raised and she shifted in her seat to face me.

"I really need an assistant if my business is going to get any bigger, but I only know one person who I trust with the job. But she's got this fancy assistants job at a law-firm and I don't know if she'd be interested." As I spoke, Anna's face blossomed into a blinding smile and she started nodding furiously.