Chapter 10
Gabe
I didn’t expect to see Elle at the apartment. It was Friday night. She was young, a college student. She should be out, having fun, seeing some friends, having a drink or two. She certainly shouldn’t have been sitting in the kitchen, drinking my wine, looking sexy enough to eat.
“Well, I do live here. It stands to reason you would find me here,” I said.
“You do? I wondered. I was beginning to think you were avoiding me with how little I’d seen you.” She took another sip of the wine and then put it down.
I eyed the glass and then walked over and got another one.
She watched me as I did. I went to the island, poured some wine, and then walked back to the stove.
We didn’t speak as I did but I felt her eyes on me.
I was still getting over the shock of her being there, of how natural it seemed to have her in my kitchen, watching me as I cooked, drinking my wine.
I had moved away from her because I needed some space.
I had thought being away from her for a week would dispel my lust for her. It hadn’t.
“Avoiding you? No,” I said when I was a safe distance away. “I’m sure Sarah told you that I’m hardly home. I thought that was one of the advantages of living here, you never saw your roommate.”
“There’s living separate lives and there’s not seeing each other at all. I was wondering if you had moved out or disappeared in the night. If it weren’t for the occasional dish in the sink, I never would have known you were here.”
“Is that a problem? Do I need to be louder when I come home? Would you like me to have some party, or bring home some woman?” I countered.
“No,” Elle said immediately and then quickly added. “I mean. It’s your place, you can bring home whoever you want.”
“Thank you,” I said. I should have told her the same thing. She should be allowed to be with some guy if she wanted. But the thought of her doing that turned my stomach and made me want to punch something.
“Why are you not out tonight? I would have figured you would be out with your friends?” I asked, trying to change the conversation.
“I could say the same thing about you. No hot date tonight? No deal that you have to close?”
“Even hedge fund managers take the weekend off,” I said.
“Hedge fund, interesting,” she said and took a sip of her wine.
“No, not really. Well. I like it. I find it challenging and it makes me some good money.”
“There is that. Is that why you got into it? For the money?” She asked.
I laughed. “Isn’t that why anyone gets into business? Why are you getting your MBA?”
“Deflecting the question?” She countered.
“Are you?” I replied.
“No. I’m hoping to get into healthcare management,” she said.
“Really?”
“You sound surprised.”
“I would have thought you would go into data or financial analysis.”
“Why is that?” She leaned back in her chair and contemplated me.
“I don’t know. You seem smart, you seem to have your act together. I could see you being able to look at the big picture, see where trends are going, and want to tell people what those were.”
Elle laughed. “Was that your polite way of telling me I’m bossy?”
“No. You have a confidence about you that is rare to find.”
“In women.” She added.
I pointed my wine glass at her. “I didn’t say that. But yes. I would imagine that there are more men in your class than women.”
“About a third fewer women than men, yes, and that is the national average,” she said.
“See you’re smart, you know that. The world is changing but it’s not going as fast as I’m sure you’d like. The business world is still a man’s world. But I’m glad to see you’re trying to change that.”
“As is Sarah,” Elle added.
“I love my daughter. She’s a wonderful woman. But I can’t see her having much of a career. She will be happier being a stay-at-home wife and having an Etsy side business to keep herself occupied.”
“Actually, she’s already started that business and it’s going well.” Elle tilted her head at me as if she was telling me a secret.
“Her hell in a handbasket idea?” I leaned on the counter.
“You make it sound like it’s the most ridiculous idea you’ve ever heard.”
“Because I thought it was. Are you telling me that she’s doing well with it?”
“Enough that she hired an employee.”
I took a sip of my wine and thought about what Elle had said. I had talked to Sarah briefly about her gift basket company. I had told her all my reasons it wouldn’t work. I thought she had dropped it. I guess I was wrong.”
“Good on her. She hadn’t told me,” I said.
“She might not have wanted me to tell you. She took your advice to heart and changed her business plan. It helped and she’s not making a huge profit but it’s getting there. But I think she wants to be a bit more successful before she tells you.”
“Why? I’m proud of her no matter what she does,” I said.
“I’m sure you are but it might be nice if you told her. Apparently, you were a little harsh, shall we say, with her when you two talked about her business plan,” Elle said and tilted her head at me.
“You don’t have any problem speaking your mind, do you?” I asked.
“Should I?” she countered and I laughed.
“I guess not. Which surprised me why you’re single.”
“Because a smart, independent woman only has any worth if she’s with a man?” She countered.
“Fuck no,” I said and she laughed.
“Then what did you mean by your statement?” She glared at me.
I couldn’t tell if I had offended her or if she was intrigued by my comment.
“It wasn’t that at all. I just can’t imagine the men who are in your class or that you know being so stupid as to not snatch you up.”
“Snatch me up? Am I a prize?” She asked with a laugh.
“Wow. I just keep putting my foot in my mouth on this, don’t I?” I asked and sipped my wine.
“I’m wondering how you ever got a hedge fund off the ground with your comments.”
“Believe me, I’m much better at managing a portfolio than I am talking to women.”
“Is that why you’re single?”
“What makes you think that I’m single?” I asked slowly.
“It’s a Friday night in New York City. You’re a rich and successful man. I can’t see you staying at home if you had a woman in your life.”
“Maybe she’s busy? Maybe she and I have an arrangement that we don’t see each other on Friday.”
“Is that the case?” Elle asked, unimpressed.
I had asked her about a boyfriend because I had needed to know if she was single.
I half hoped she did. It would make it easier for me to spend time with her, to talk to her, to get to know her.
I was enjoying our time together. But it wasn’t helping to keep my attraction in check.
If she was taken I couldn’t in good conscious lust after her the way I was.
Though hearing she was single didn’t help me.
She held my gaze after she asked her question. Had she seen through my facade? Was she curious about my relationship status, too? Did I want her to truly know? Did I want to go down that road and what it would mean?
I felt that there was a lot hanging on how I answered her question.
I could lie to her and tell her there was someone in my life.
I could certainly find a woman to be with, I was never at a loss of female companionship.
But did I want to? Or did I want to tell her that I was just as single as she was?
Her question made me think she hoped I was.
It would allow us to see what this was between us.
For the last few days, I had been trying to avoid her, hoping that I would get over my infatuation.
That hadn’t worked. We were going to be living with each other.
I needed to figure out a way to live with her.
To figure out what this was. The only way to do that was to talk to her, and to be honest with her.
I knew it could be a mistake. I might be opening a door that I shouldn’t open. But as I looked at Elle and she waited for me to answer. I wanted to walk through that door with her and see what happened.
“No, Elle. I’m not seeing anyone. Though I wonder why you would care so much about my love life?”