On 4/19 (On 4/19 and Beyond 4/20) by Lisa Heaton Read Free Book Online

actually quite intense. He missed little that went on around him. His eyes gave him away, at least to her they did.
    On several occasions throughout the evening he introduced her to whoever he addressed. Each time, she felt quite comfortable, as he simply said her name without attaching any label to it. It was never, “This is my friend, Chelsea,” or “This is my date.” On the first few occasions, he said, “This is umm, Chelsea,” as if he were unsure of how to introduce her. Eventually, he settled into, “This is Chelsea,” and a few times he added, “She is a student at the business school at UCLA,” his tone suggesting he was proud of her.
    As they walked around the gallery together, him guiding her through the crowd, he would often place his hand on the small of her back. Early on, it caused her nervousness to return, since it seemed to draw attention to them as a couple, but eventually, she found it felt quite natural for him to do so. The gesture felt more protective in nature than suggestive.
    Once while he spoke with a group of gentlemen, Chelsea excused herself to go to the restroom. On her return, just before reaching them, a man stopped her and asked if he could get her a drink. Before the question was fully out of his mouth, John was there by her side assuring the man he would get her a drink if she needed one. Though his tone was rather abrupt, his motive did not seem at all territorial, rather protective, as if he were watching over a younger sister. From that point forward, she felt oddly at ease with him. And if she were not mistaken,he seemed to settle in to a new level of ease as well. He became more relaxed and open, at least with her.
    If anything did make her uncomfortable, it was the way women so openly admired him. Maybe assuming she was his daughter, several women made it no secret that they were out to get his attention. Not as if she were jealous, but she did find it ill-mannered behavior from those who were supposed to be the elite. They were no better than college girls desperate to catch the eye of some boy at a frat party. It didn’t take her long to see, however, that John didn’t have a roaming eye. Actually, he seemed quite oblivious to their stares. Without question, his mind was geared only toward business.
    After ending a conversation with a consultant he’d done business with earlier in the year, John took the opportunity to get Chelsea alone and say, “Chelsea, I’ve noticed you often apologize when you give your opinion. You should stop doing that. There is nothing wrong with having your own viewpoint. Actually, I admire the way you think on many things. Don’t be afraid to say what you think. I’m a big boy; I can handle it.”
    She could hardly argue with him. Most often, she carefully chose her words before speaking and usually regretted what she did say. Wanting to somehow seem more mature or refined, she found that she was portraying herself as someone she wasn’t. Since she disliked that quality in others, she found she despised it even more in herself. Chelsea came to the conclusion that if she was going to make it through the year with John, she was going to have to be herself, even if that meant he might no longer be interested. After all, he’d paid for her tuition already, so if he did renege on their deal, he could hardly take the money back. At the worst, she would find a job to cover her monthly expenses, something she was planning to do prior to meeting him anyway. Determining she was less concerned about the financial aspect of such a thing as their agreement ending, she instead found herself feeling disappointed with even the thought of not seeing John again. Still, she had to be who she was.
    “Okay, I will give you my opinion on this gallery. I think it’s ridiculous that these people meander around, acting as if they like any of this supposed art . In truth they’re doing it just so they will seem intelligentor forward-thinking. To pay this