by Bianca Vix
He greets me with a kiss. “I am sorry about the restaurant, really. So let’s have a great night here, by ourselves.”
I’m already in a better mood. “Works for me. Let’s eat, I’m starving.”
The food’s exceptional tonight. “Good choice, Ryan. If we couldn’t make our reservation, there’s nothing else I’d rather be eating.”
Grinning, he pours out some more wine. “I figured. So I didn’t do so bad in the end, huh.”
“Not so bad, no.”
“So, how’s it going with Maiya?”
“She’s doing really well so far. One of my better patients. But how do you still remember her?”
“When she checked in for her first session, I was at the front desk, checking something with the appointment system. We met then.” He takes a bite of flatbread and chews thoughtfully. “And she’s pretty hot.”
I laugh. “No argument there. And I like her determination. She gets a lot out of our sessions.”
“Is she single?”
I arch my eyebrow. “That’s not something I ask my patients about, you know.”
“I know that. But I bet you have an idea by now, one way or the other.”
“If I was guessing, I’d say she’s available. What, are you into her?”
Ryan takes a second helping of roasted potatoes. “Are you saying you’re not?”
I roll my eyes. “Who wouldn’t be? But it’s not like either one of us is going to do anything about it. She’s a patient. And you know I’m not into having an open relationship. Are you saying that’s what you want?”
“No, not at all. But it’s fun to think about. Don’t you think?”
“When I get a hot patient, I make an effort not to think of her like that.”
“We’re not at work now.”
“Okay. Maiya’s hot. And I like her. We should have all have a threesome. Happy now?”
Ryan toys with his napkin. “I’d do it.”
“That’d be fun. But it’s not going to happen.”
Ryan pushes his chair back and we both start collecting the dishes together. “Why are you getting so bent out of shape? We’re just talking. I only wanted to think about something other than work for awhile. Something really distracting, like her.”
“What’s going on with work?”
“Nothing in particular. I’ll just be glad when this deal with Sherwood’s done is all.”
It’s been weighing on him, everything that he’s been going through to get Sherwood on board as an investor. I’ll be as happy as Ryan is when the deal is done.
I slide my arm around his waist. “How about we go out and have a drink or two? One of my patients told me about a new lounge not far from here. They haven’t even opened officially yet, they’re still in the soft launch stage. So it won’t be overcrowded. He was raving about it and he messaged me today to let me know he got my name on the list.”
Ryan hugs me. “That sounds great, but I can’t. I have to review a few things before I meet with Sherwood tomorrow.”
“You’re seeing him again? After all that time you already spent with him today?”
“Yeah, something’s come up. He sent me a message when I was on my way here.”
I can’t hide my disappointment. “If that’s what you need to do.”
“I do. But it won’t take long. Then we can go to bed early.” Ryan gives me a lingering kiss that makes me warm right up to the idea of going to bed early instead of going out. I pull him in closer, running my hands down his back.
“Okay. That works.”
“Great. I won’t be long, I promise.”
Reluctantly I let go and he heads off to the spare bedroom that he uses as an office. I go off to the living room to return a few emails and start to do some more research a new rehab technique I discovered recently. I’m getting to the end of a really useful post about it when Lucy comes over and rubs up against my legs with a soft bark. I know what she needs.
“Hang on, girl.” I yawn and stretch. It’s later than I thought. Lucy follows me to Ryan’s office. He’s so engrossed in what he’s doing, he doesn’t even notice me coming in until I lean down and give him a hug from behind.
“How’s it going?”
Ryan rubs at his eyes. “I’ve done enough for now. Meet you in bed?”
“Right behind you.”
Lucy pushes ahead of me as I go with her into the kitchen. I scratch her ears after I fill her water bowl up. “There you go. That’ll last you for awhile. Have a good night. I know I will. See you in the morning.”
She gazes at me like she doesn’t believe me, then gets busy drinking.
After a final pat on her head, I head straight to the bedroom. It’s pitch black in here without any lights on. I’m about to go make sure Ryan hasn’t gone back to the office again when my eyes adjust. I can just barely make out a figure under the covers.
A grin flickers across my face and I strip quickly, slipping in beside Ryan. It takes me a few seconds to register what I’m hearing. I can’t believe it.
He’s snoring. Lightly, but there it is. He’s already fallen asleep.
My lips curl up. For a moment I consider waking him up. This isn’t the reason I agreed to go to bed early. Not by a long shot.
But if he won’t make the effort to stay awake for sex, I’m sure as hell not going to push the issue.
I turn onto my back, folding my hands behind my head. I’m wide awake as I listen to Ryan’s steady breathing.
This isn’t the kind of relationship I signed up for. Not by a long shot.
And I have no idea what to do about it.
Chapter 6
Josh
“Great session, Maiya. You’re progressing really well.”
“Really? I didn’t do as much at home as I wanted to this time. And today the hip stretches were a lot harder to get through.”
“Anyone can have an off week. It’s not a big deal. The more work you can do outside of our time together, the faster you’ll get back to normal. But as long as you’re making some effort, you’re not going to backslide. Especially you. You’re one of the more determined patients I’ve ever had.”
The smile she gives me brightens up the entire room. “Thank you.”
“It’s true. Hey, I don’t have any more patients today. Would you like to come down to the café with me and get something to drink?”
“Sure, sounds great.”
I don’t ever hang out with any of my patients after our sessions. I’m not exactly sure why I’m bending my own rule now. But I don’t want to wait another week to see Maiya. I want to spend more time with her. Get to know her better.
And it’s more than that. She is off today. The exercises I gave her were challenging, sure. But they shouldn’t have been that difficult.
She’s pulling on her sweatshirt. “I didn’t know there was a café in the building as well. Do I need to change?”
“No, not if you don’t want to. It’s mostly full of people coming in right from a workout or a class. Really casual. You’ll fit right in.”
Fortunately it’s not busy. Our timing’s good. Most people are just hitting the gym right about now after getting off work. After we get our orders, I take Maiya over to one of the smaller tables in the back of the room.
She takes a cautious sip of her protein shake. “This is nice.”
“Are you surprised?”
“Kind of, yes. I’m not usually one to go in for protein shakes.”
“I’ve tried pretty much everything in here, and it’s all been really good. Of course, you gave yourself an edge by ordering the most chocolate-heavy shake on the menu.”
She gives a small laugh. “Yeah, I thought I’d give myself the best chance of not gagging. I didn’t think protein drinks could ever taste any good, but I’m into trying new things lately. Plus it’s hard to screw up anything that has chocolate in it. Chocolate cures everything. Now I’m really glad we came down here, I didn’t even know this place existed.�
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“It was Ryan’s idea. When he set up FV, he wanted it to have everything anyone would need all in one place. Originally he was considering opening up a storefront here, for workout clothes. But a café made more sense in the end. Eventually he’s planning on testing out whether adding a spa would be a good idea.”
“So he really started this place up himself?” Maiya sounds skeptical.
“He sure did. He built it from the ground up and it’s been a great success. Is that hard to believe?”
“Oh, no. That’s not what I meant. It’s just that when I first met him, he was sitting and working behind the front desk. As if he was the receptionist or something.”
“He was probably checking something with the system. He’s considering overhauling it before FV expands.”
Maiya takes a long sip of her shake. “FV’s expanding?”
“Yes. That was always Ryan’s plan, right from the beginning. If everything works out with the investors, he’s planning to open three more locations as soon as he can. That’s the only thing holding him back right now, and he’s getting impatient to get the expansion underway.”
Just like I am. I down some more of my drink. I can’t wait until his constant meetings with Sherwood are done. Then Ryan can get back to normal.
“Wow. That’s great. But I heard he’s pretty wealthy. Why doesn’t he invest his own money?” She blushes. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to ask something like that. It’s none of my business.”
I pause. Something about Maiya makes me want to open up to her, about all of it. The way Ryan changes after his meetings with Sherwood. The toll it’s taking on our relationship. And that I don’t know what to do about it anymore.
But at the same time, I have to keep Ryan’s business dealings private. “It’s okay. I mean, I can’t get into the specifics. But he’s invested a lot of his money in other ventures as well. So at this point, he doesn’t have access to the cash that’s tied up in them right now.”
“I get it. I didn’t mean to pry. It’s not like I get how high-level investing or finances work. It’s also that he doesn’t act like anyone I’ve ever met who has a lot of money. Ryan’s so down to earth. Just like a regular guy.”
That’s what he used to be like. These days, not so much. I have to keep that thought to myself too. “Yeah, I guess. I don’t know a lot of very wealthy people myself, so I don’t have much to compare him to.”
Maiya stirs the rest of her drink with her straw. “Me neither. At least, not anymore. My ex and his friends came from money. And he made sure everyone knew it. All the time.”
Her expression changes to one I can’t read. “That doesn’t sound very pleasant.”
“Nothing about him was very pleasant. I don’t know how I didn’t see it for so long, but he was a real jerk. After the accident and the way he treated me, I couldn’t ignore it anymore. Especially when it was his fault.”
“Do you mean the car accident that brought you here?” Maiya hasn’t ever talked about what happened. Everyone else I’ve ever worked with has always gone into detail about why they need physio. She’s the only exception. I’ve been curious, but I got the sense she definitely didn’t want to talk about it.
“Yes. We were on our way to a very fancy restaurant to celebrate our two year anniversary. I thought it was going to be a really special night.”
Maiya’s laugh is tinged with bitterness. “I even believed that it was going to be the night he was going to ask me to move in with him, or even ask me to marry him. We’d been talking about both. Or that’s what I thought. I didn’t realize until way later that it was always me bringing the subjects up, and Zach going along with whatever I was saying. He’d never even try to make real plans with me to make either one happen.”
She drains the rest of her drink. “I even had to convince him that two years together was worth celebrating. I was so intent on having a really special night with Zach, I didn’t even notice that I had to talk him into going out. How messed up is that?”
I frown. “There’s nothing wrong with wanting to have a nice evening out with your boyfriend. Especially when there’s something like that to celebrate.”
“Right? Thinking back on it, part of me knew he was resisting. But I figured that if we couldn’t pull off a nice night out for dinner and drinks, then what was the point? Why were we even together?”
“I know what you mean.”
Boy, do I ever know what she means.
“So we finally got going, after he actually tried to bail at the last minute. Zach insisted on driving, even though booking a ride would have been so much easier. It was like he wanted something to be pissed off at, and all he could come up with was the traffic. Which wasn’t even that bad.”
Maiya pauses. Without thinking, I reach out and squeeze her hand.
“But he was driving distracted. He kept messing around with his phone. I asked him to stop and talk to me instead. He wouldn’t put it down, even after I said it wasn’t safe. That I didn’t want to go anywhere with him if he wouldn’t stop. He kept on with it. And he crashed us into a cab.”
“That’s terrible, Maiya.” I’m still holding onto her hand. She looks like she needs the support.
“The driver got off with minor injuries. Luckily he didn’t have any passengers with him, or it would have been way worse. That’s how I got my back and leg injuries. And Zach walked away without a scratch.”
“Unbelievable.”
“The worst part was that I didn’t break up with him even then. I really believed he’d come through after that. I was convinced that he’d step up and help take care of me when I wasn’t supposed to move around for the first few days. I was wrong. Zach barely did anything. My best friend got me through it.”
I shake my head. “Zach sounds like a total asshole.”
“Yeah. He was. Would you believe he tried to say that I was exaggerating my injuries? He almost came right out and said that I was faking it.”
My eyes widen. “Faking being injured? I think your ex just graduated to full-on dipshit status.”
Maiya smiles at that. She has such a pretty smile. It’s nice to be the one causing it.
“You’re right. He tried to minimize my injuries even though he was right there when it happened. When he made it happen. My best friend helped me out and so I was able to break up with him after that. I haven’t seen him since.”
“What an ordeal.” I let go of her hand. I didn’t realize how long I’ve been holding onto it. “Do you want something else? Another drink, something to eat? I need something more than this.”
“Just a water.” She makes a move to stand up with me.
“No, stay here. I’ll get it.”
I’m picking up a refill on my drink and water for Maiya when I catch sight of something else I’m pretty sure she’ll like.
Maiya blinks as I hand her the big double chocolate cookie I got for her. “A cookie? In a health bar? Wow. Thank you.”
“Like I said. Ryan was thinking about providing whatever people would want. I got the sense that this was something you might need now. And I wanted to say I’m sorry all of that happened to you.”
“How did you know that I love chocolate cookies?” She peels back the wrapper. “As far as my ex goes, I’m just glad it’s over. All of it. And thanks to my amazing physiotherapist, I’ll be completely back to normal health soon enough.”
“That’s down to your hard work as much as anything else. It’s a good thing that accident wasn’t any worse. A lot of my patients have been through something similar. And even car crashes that don’t appear to be that bad can cause serious injuries.”
“This cookie is amazing. Thank you again. Now let’s talk about something else. I don’t like to think about the accident, or Zach. I mean, I wanted to tell you about it. You’re really easy to talk to, Josh. It’s nice to spend some time together outside of where I’m groaning in pain.”
I laugh. “I’ve never heard you protest any of the exercise
s that I throw at you. But yes. It’s really nice to hang out like this.”
It is. I’m not sure what compelled me to invite Maiya to join me for my end-of-the-day energy drink, but I’m glad I did.
“So. Tell me.” She leans in closer. “How did you meet Ryan? Was it through the clinic, or did you know each other before?”
The topic of Ryan isn’t exactly something I want to get very far into. He’s been on my mind since Maiya started telling me about her ex. Not that they’re alike. Except maybe in the lack of spending time together part.
Which is a big part of any relationship.
I pull my mind back from going off too far in that direction. “Ryan hired me when he opened FV. I was the first physiotherapist to start here. I didn’t see him very much, since he was busy with getting his brand new business off the ground.”
Just like now. But will things turn out like they did before?
“After about a month, it settled more. He started spending more of his time here. He’s always had a thing about working in the businesses he owns. Ryan likes to make sure everything’s running smoothly by experiencing it first hand. He’s very driven to succeed.”
“And then you got together and the rest is history?” Maiya takes another bite of her cookie. She’s really enjoying it. I’m happy I got it for her.
“Not exactly. I never like to get involved with anyone I work with. I especially didn’t want to do it with someone I work for. So when Ryan suggested that we go out, I turned him down. But there was an attraction between us, and it got really strong. Eventually I couldn’t resist. And now we live together.”
“So it’s okay that he’s your boss?”
“We make sure to keep everything professional at work. All the time. It’s worked really well for us. If we’re ever in the middle of an argument at home, we’ve always managed to keep it out of the work place.”
Not that we argue much these days. There’s not much chance of doing that when you rarely see a person in the first place.
“That sounds great.” Maiya’s voice is wistful. “Being with someone who you really want to be with. Just as much as he wants to be with you.”