Under My Boss's Control

“Well, it’s the best soup I have ever had,” I say.

I grab more crackers and continue eating. He watches me happily for a few minutes, then turns around to watch the TV. I finish my soup as he watches the movie in silence. I lean forward to put my bowl on the coffee table.

“I don’t know if you like this movie or not. I can give you the remote if you want to change it?” I say.

He turns to me.

“No, it’s ok. I actually wanted to talk to you instead,” he says.

I reach for my tea and start mixing everything in it.

“What about?” I ask him as I take a tentative sip of it.

“Well,” he says as he turns to face me. I can tell this is going to be a serious conversation, so I give him my full attention. “Ok. Well, I don’t know if it’s obvious or not by now, but I do have feelings for you. If I didn’t, I wouldn’t be here,” he says.

I put the tea down and look at him. Shyly, I reach out to hold his hand.

“I feel the same way. Actually, I feel like the luckiest woman in the world because you’re here, risking your health and life to take care of me,” I say.

He smiles again. “I told you, you’re more than worth it.”

I smile at his words, then frown again.

“I’m just worried that us being together will cause problems. I work for you,” I reply, sounding a little sad.

He gives my hand a gentle squeeze.

“That’s what I was going to tell you. I think us being together will work out,” he says, sounding a little excited.

“What do you mean?” I ask, looking up at him curiously.

“Well, next year, you won’t be my TA anymore. You’re being promoted to a new job,” he says proudly.

I look at him in shock. I don’t know what to say. I have so many questions to ask him.

“I’m not going to say any more about it now. I want you to rest up and get well first,” he says.

I nod my head in agreement and sip more of my tea. He squeezes my hand softly, then goes back to watching TV. I feel so happy, having him here. I finish my tea and soup. I watch quietly as he cleans up the dishes and sits beside me on the couch. He looks bored by the movie, just like I am.

I put another cough drop in my mouth and say, “I have video games, if you’d rather play.”

He turns and looks at me with his mouth open in surprise.

“You play video games?” he says after a few moments.

I nod in response. I get up and plug in the console. I go back to the couch and hand him a controller.

“This is actually my favorite game,” I say.

He looks shocked again when he sees it’s a shooting game. He turns to me and gives me the biggest smile I have ever seen. We spend the rest of the afternoon playing on the same team. I feel so happy with him.

Chapter 11

Stacey

It’s been two weeks. I have to say I feel incredible now. That felt like the longest period of my entire life. Even though I have no more visible symptoms, Chris still took me to the hospital.

He held my hand the entire time, talking video games with me while we waited for my results. We both sighed with visible relief when they said my results were negative. I had recovered completely. When we were back in the car, he gave me a soft kiss on the cheek.

“I’m so happy to finally be through with this sickness,” I say happily as we pull up outside of my apartment.

“I bet. That was a scary thing to go through,” he says sympathetically.

He holds my hand as we walk back to my apartment. I pull the keys out of my purse and let us inside. He goes to the kitchen table, where we had both set up our computers to work side-by-side. He checks his emails and social media.

I turn the radio in the living room on. Light pop music fills the air.

“I hope this isn’t bothering you?” I say.

“No, it’s enjoyable,” he says with a smile.

As he uses his computer in the kitchen, I listen to music and disinfect the living room. I take my pillows and blankets down to the laundry room and wash and dry them. Once they are clean, I take them back to the apartment, fold them, and put them away.

Afterwards, I spray the couch and living room with deodorizer and air freshener. I wipe the coffee table and every other surface down with disinfectant wipes. Satisfied, I clean the rest of the apartment. Once I’m done, I walk into the kitchen. I open the fridge and pull out a bunch of food.