Refusing to give up all hope yet, Adrianna returned from the gym early one morning and went straight to her laptop. Jack, who had closed the bar the night before, was still sound asleep in her bed and she didn’t want to disturb him. She got cozy on her couch with a cup of coffee and searched for any changes to the online employment ads. She spotted an ad that piqued her interest and even though she knew it was a long shot, she emailed her resume to the contact person listed in the advertisement. The job wasn’t one she had ever envisioned herself doing but she thought it would be something that would make her happy.
Jack came shuffling out of the bedroom just as Adrianna was closing her laptop, looking deliciously disarrayed as he always did in the morning. His eyes were bright blue and sleepy, his hair was sticking out in every direction, and his warm body was on display thanks to the fact he wore only a pair of black and grey striped boxer-briefs. He reclined on the sofa, taking Adrianna’s coffee with a smirk and stretched his legs across her lap. Still half-asleep, he sipped the stolen drink quietly while Adrianna played with the hair on his legs. Having learned early on that Jack was quiet when he first woke up, Adrianna let him sit silently for a while before she stole her coffee back from him. Jack released the cup reluctantly and then took Adrianna’s hand in his to kiss it.
Noticing her workout clothes he asked, “Did you go to the gym already?”
“Mm hmm,” she answered. “I woke up early and figured I’d get it out of the way.” Jack, who kept in shape by lifting cases of beer and doing P90X videos a few days a week, admired that she took to working out easily. It was just another thing he was proud of her for.
“Anything hopeful, job wise?” he asked nodding towards her laptop sitting on the coffee table.
“Actually,” she said, “I just submitted my resume to one.”
“What was it?”
“I don’t want to tell you yet,” Adrianna murmured, looking at him from the corner of her eye.
“It’s not stripping is it?” Jack joked though he was just the tiniest bit troubled. He knew Adrianna was determined to find a job but he also knew the market was tough right now.
“Of course not!” she cried, pulling on his leg hair in chastisement which caused Jack to hiss in pain. “I’m just a little hopeful about this one and I don’t want to jinx myself.”
“Since when are you superstitious, Olive Oyl?” he yawned.
“Since I’ve been looking for over a month with no luck, Popeye. Too easy, by the way.”
“It’s early, give a guy a break.”
Adrianna set her coffee next to her laptop and then lifted one of Jack’s legs so she could stretch in between them, resting her chin just below his belly button. Reaching down, Jack released her clip so that her hair spilled down around her shoulders and tickled his stomach. He had jokingly made a rule weeks ago that she wasn’t allowed to have her hair up in his presence. Now that he had access, he took up one of his new favorite pastimes, running his fingers through his girlfriend's silky locks.
“Even if I don’t hear anything, I’ll tell you what it was. Maybe I don’t want to get my hopes up,” Adrianna sighed.
“Something will work out,” Jack reassured her. “You’ll see.”
Jack knew it wasn’t a money situation with Adrianna. Though she never told him an exact number, he knew financially, Adrianna was pretty much set up for life. Still, a job right now would make her happy and he wanted her to be happy. He wished he knew someone who could help her get her foot in the door somewhere but he wasn’t exactly surrounded by people who worked in the science field. He’d offer her a job at the bar but he knew she would never accept it.
“Well, the one I applied for is a long shot but what have I got to lose, right?”
Surprisingly, Adrianna got a phone call later that day to interview for the position Monday morning.
After spending two days shopping for the perfect outfit for her interview, Adrianna had purchased two, hoping Jack would help her decide. His assistant manager, Kenny, was closing the bar Friday night and Jack went over to Adrianna’s late that evening. He was reclining on her bed while she played dress up for him. He thought it was adorable that she was so excited and nervous and Adrianna did feel a little foolish, acting like a teenager getting ready for her first date. She really was excited though.