|11| heartfelt talks

And he looked at me,

Like there was something in me

Worth looking at.

~unknown

_____________

Excitement runs through my body as I get ready to tell henry about the job opportunity, its the kind of happiness that almost feels too good to be true, the kind that fills your heart with warmth and mind with good thoughts,

Seeing a person's face transform into pure and utter bliss is important to me, happiness is contagious...if you're happy in a room full of people you will spread that joy around the room as if it were the flu, not that you would want to associate happiness with the flu.

Rounding the courier I see henry hunched over, his knees to his chest as he shivers, my heart constricts at the sight wanting nothing more than to make sure he doesn't have this struggle any longer, no one should have to endure this struggle, no one should have to sleep outside in the cold,

"Hi Henry" I quietly note as I come up to him, hoping to not scare him

"Hello sweetheart, how are you today?" His smile is big and genuine as he watches me come closer

I return the smile, hiding the pain I feel seeing him all cold and alone outside

"I'm doing pretty good henry, thank you for asking, how about you?" I smile as my eyes travel down his body to his outfit of a torn-up shirt, jeans with too many holes in them, shoes that are badly beaten up, and a jacket he bought with the money I'm assuming Aaron or I gave him, he's also wrapped up in a blanket that I got him the first time we met, I internally smile feeling like it was meant to be that I noticed him that day that I did,

I just hope that I'm able to do enough to change his life for the better

"I'm pretty good" he gives me a smile with a slight nod that doesn't quite convince me of his words

"I wanted to talk to you about something if that is okay with you," I say with some Hesitance in my words

"Of course, you can talk to me about anything," he says with a confident nod

"Alright well I hope this was okay for me to say and I'm sorry in advance if it wasn't, but my friend and boss Aaron saw me upset and asked why I was sad and I told him about you, and a little about your daughter, and I understand I had no right to tell him something so private and I'm sorry once again..." I tell him all in one breath trying to get everything out as fast as I can

"Was it that same man that you were with that night you came to me?" He asks a calmness in his voice as he speaks

"Yes" I nod slowly

"It's alright...I can tell that man has a big heart and he likes you that much is obvious, it's actually the way I used to look at my wife when we were both in love" he grins big as he looks at me

My heart skips a few beats as I digest his words, there's no way Aaron likes me as something more than an assistant or even friend...right?

"Oh well he's just my boss and friend...so I think you're mistaken, and he only agreed that we were in a relationship that night because he didn't have time to explain" I clear my throat uncomfortably shifting in place all of a sudden feeling a little cold and embarrassed almost

The grin doesn't wipe off of Henry's face as he watches me closely, he nods as I talk and a warm laugh escapes him "you keep telling yourself that and make sure you tell me when he admits he loves you, and when you get married save an invite for me"

I can't help but laugh at his ridiculous comments because there's no way Aaron can see me in that way, and I hate to admit that my heart does pick up speed when I think of him possibly feeling that way about me, but it's very unlikely... and this man isn't exactly young and it was dark that night so he was most likely seeing things

"Anyways, I wanted to say that Aaron told me that he can help you get a job, and if you want he will give you an interview tomorrow," I say smiling

I cringe internally at how badly I just said all of that, could I have been more blunt and direct?

Henry's face changes from smiling to pure and utter shock, tears build up in his eyes and he swallows slowly "he suggested that...himself?" His whispered question and a slight shake of his voice make me kneel in front of him

I nod and smile, "you were right when you said he has a kind heart" I whisper back

I grab his hand warming it up in between my hands as I watch him think over what I said, his loud sigh makes me frown slightly

"I appreciate the offer...make sure you tell him it means a lot, but I don't think anyone would want me working for them, every time I tried interviewing for jobs in the past they would take one look at me and my clothes and send me away" his whispered confession makes my hands tremble slightly

It's unbelievable how cruel people can be...on something as minuscule as an outfit nonetheless, people shouldn't judge others that quickly when they don't understand what led them to choose that outfit, or why they hide behind a big smile or scowl, of course, it's easy to assume but...deep down we're all just struggling with our battles of all sizes and all of them matter.

"I'm very sorry that you had to go through that henry...it must have been difficult to feel hope after that, but I can assure you that Aaron and I will do everything in our power to help you get a job, I'm going to come here tomorrow and we will go to him and you can ask him all the questions you want then" I whisper squeezing his hand in reassurance

"I don't care about what you wear henry...your outfit won't make you money, but your hard work will," I tell him as sternly as I possibly can making sure he understands I'm not joking

He looks over at my expression and listens to my words, he suddenly lunges into my arms almost toppling us both to the ground, his hug is tight and I hear him crying uncontrollably, I feel my own tears stream as I watch this man fall apart, what could have been a few minutes or half an hour later we part away from the hug

"Come on, I'll go buy us some lunch to celebrate on you getting this big chance at a job" I smile getting up and pulling him up by his hands,

As we both walk to the sandwich place I can't help but feel a mixture of anger and hurt at the thought of people being in such a low place and wanting to pick up their lives back up to only be sent away because they can't access a shower or have enough money for clothing...

Exactly how would they have money for all of that when there being sent away from interviews?

After taking Henry out for sandwiches and watching his smile blossom as he talked about how excited he is to be able to have an opportunity to change his life...I've walked out of the shop with a smile on my face and hoped that soon he will have a roof over his head and no more fear and worry about things he shouldn't think too much about.

When I hug henry goodbye after buying him another blanket, I head to Aaron with the need to talk to him more about this job interview and ask him some questions that have been nagging at me while I was with henry.

I knock twice when I reach his office and let out the breath I was keeping in when I hear a 'come in'

"Hi Aaron" I smile taking a seat opposite his desk glad he works overtime so I can talk to him now

"Hi Vanessa" he has a calm expression on his face as he watches me closely

"What can I help you with" he raises an eyebrow in amusement looking at me staring at his eyes being in a daze

I clear my throat embarrassed that I was caught staring at his mesmerizing eyes,

"I had a few questions about Henry and the interview," I say as I fiddle with my fingers in my lap

"Does he not want it?" He questions putting his pen down

I shake my head "no-no he's thrilled I just-" I sigh

"He's tried interviewing for jobs many times and each time they've made him feel uncomfortable because he's not able to shower or because he doesn't have nice clothes...so I just want to make sure that he doesn't have any doubt and won't feel embarrassed about his clothing" I utter quietly staring at the wall behind Aaron

"come here," he says gesturing with his finger when I finally look at him

I swallow as I slowly stand up and walk around the desk closer to him, he gently grabs my hand pulling me right down on his lap

My heart rate immediately spikes when I realize I'm on his lap...he put me on his damn lap

Holy crap...on my boss's lap right now

What-is-my-life?

This is unbelievably unprofessional and yet...I don't say anything because I kind of really like the proximity of his body with mine,

He cups my face watching me with a frown etched on his beautifully sculpted face, his eyes land on my lips a second too long until he looks me in the eye once more before sighing

"I promise you the last thing he will feel is uncomfortable okay? I may be an asshole at times but I won't ever make someone feel bad because there not able to afford the things I can, he will get the job, he won't be judged I'll make sure of it...if it's important to you then it's important to me as well" his serious yet soft voice makes me melt into his touch, my tense shoulders immediately relaxing, the breath that I was holding released, and the dizzy headache from fear going away,

But what does happen is my heart accelerates and stupidly flips when I didn't ask it to, what did he mean by what's important to me is important to him? Why does he care so much about my feelings?

The realization that my fear and nervousness were wiped all by the proximity and words of my boss makes me feel embarrassed in a strange way, my head drops to his shoulder close to his neck, It's strange that the emotions I so desperately try hiding from everyone are so easily let go in Aarons presence,

I feel his Arms sliding to my waist and pulling me flush against his body, my face ends up hidden in the crook of his neck, and my short quick breathes hit me back in the face against his neck, I decided to not think too much about how weird this is for an assistant and his boss...even with us being kind of friends now.

"Thank you Aaron you're truly the best" I mumble into his neck

I feel his chin on the top of my head "it's nothing Vanessa" he whispers roughly

"It's isn't nothing Aaron, it's absolutely everything" I hug him tighter

I lift my head out of his neck to look at him, the minute our eyes connect It feels like the air has been sucked out of the room

I've gotten close to my damn boss lately, I mean who am I? Sitting on his lap, hugging him?

This is so damn unprofessional yet it feels so right and natural with him

"To that man, this is everything as well as to me, he gets overjoyed at absolutely the bare minimum and you allowing him to turn his life around is the farthest thing from nothing Aaron" I whisper the seriousness in my voice making his brows go up

He nods as he watches me closely, the smile that breaks over his face knocks the wind out of me, and if his arms weren't still around my waist I would've been on the floor unconscious right about now, my heart almost collapses right then and there and forgets how to function at the beautiful smile I'm staring at

His eyes slightly crinkle and his teeth are straight and white, making me make a mental note to get some extra whitening strips because his smile is brightening...

His smile is picture-worthy, I think over if it would be weird if I took my phone out and took a picture of him and laugh internally as I in the speed of light take my phone out and take a picture

He starts laughing bringing a smile out of me "you're something special" he mutters shaking his head

"What? That was a great smile" I shrug as I look at the picture of him beautifully grinning

"As much as I love your smile I must say you smile at the worst times" I whisper inching closer to his face

His eyes drop to my lips briefly before he shrugs and smiles "it just makes me smile seeing you care so much, and you're cute when you're all serious"

"I've truly never met someone like you, I mean the day of your interview you complimented the color of my suit and said it brings out my eyes" he shakes his head as if looking back at the memory

"You get flowers for my office to hopefully brighten up my mood and make my office look 'pretty' " he continues

As I open my mouth to comment he puts his finger against my lips to shush me and continues talking

His frickin finger over my mouth...to shush me!

"You smile at me every day even when I've been an absolute ass to you and let my anger for work lead me to be disrespectful to you for no reason" he sighs as if it pains him to think about that

"You buy homeless people blankets and give them hugs, you constantly try making people happy even when they bring you down, you do other's work just to take off their stress knowing you give yourself unneeded stress and so much more I'm sure you do that I am not there to witness" he smiles shaking his head

"I don't understand how any of that is relevant to this situation, I mean I just want to see people happy" I shrug whispering

He gives me a warm smile and gently caresses the side of my jaw with his fingers, making my next breath get caught in my throat, I can feel a gasp daring to escape but I keep it in because that would be embarrassing

"It's relevant because you always care about everyone and their feelings, like in this case a homeless man that most people wouldn't take a second glance at while walking by...like me, I wouldn't have ever noticed him or acknowledged him while driving to the office," he says gently

"Is that a bad thing?" I tilt my head asking quietly

He smiles once more and my heart flips and my mind screams in anger at my heart's reaction

He shakes his head slowly "not at all I like that about you, I admire it knowing I could never be as kind as you are"

"You could if you wanted to, I mean you're all of a sudden nice to me" I whisper and he smiles a little more than a moment before

"Speaking of that why after 2 years have you finally started acting nice to me, and smiling?" I tilt my head and give a slight grin

"I've always smiled it's just you didn't see because there was a door in the way or wall...and you're just too sweet for me so I kept my distance" he smiles with a small shrug

I keep my head tilted still feeling confused by his answer "what changed?" I whisper

"I'm a greedy man and had enough of ignoring your kindness," he says caressing my cheek, and I don't think I'm insane when I think he leaned in close to me

I grin at that kissing his cheek and hugging him "I like this side of you" I whisper with a big smile that he cant see

"Good you're the only one who gets to see it" he laughs

"But why? Do you realize how many people would like you and want to be around you in the building if you were kind" I say in confusion

"Do you like and want to be around me?" He raises a brow

I think about it for a minute contemplating if I should admit that I do like him and love spending time with him and then realize that you only live once and why the heck lie

"Yes I do" I nod

"Well, then that's enough for me...I don't need anyone else liking me" he shrugs with a smirk

I shake my head and laugh "I don't understand your logic sometimes"

"And I don't understand yours either sunshine" he joins me in my laughter making my happiness grow as the minute's pass

----notes----

Hope this chapter was okay ♡ I'm not sure why they're moving so fast... it's kind of just happening, I guess the beginning portion will be more fast-paced (also I wrote this half asleep so ignore errors and shit🧍🏼‍♀️)

Vote and comment! It means a lot

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