TWO - The Job

On Monday, Zack picks me up in his truck, and we arrive at the fancy apartment complex early. We go up to the eleventh floor, and knock on the door marked 112, as I was directed by the client. Shortly after our knock, a handsome, no, dreamy man answered to door in a towel.

"Hello? Can I help you?"

"I…Uh…" I couldn't speak.

"We're here for the interior design work. Sorry for being a bit early, we didn't mean to catch you off guard." Zack to the rescue!

"Oh, yes! Of course! Excuse me while I get dressed." The man let us in, and moved towards another room and closed the door, only to reappear in about five minutes fully clothed. Darn, I could get used to those abs. Wait- this is a job, Alex. Get your head in the game.

"Hi! My name is Alex Moran. We spoke on the phone."

"Yes, I remember. Austin King. I wasn't aware that you had a partner." We shook hands, and I was in love. I mean, not really, but you get the point.

"Oh, this is Zack. He helps me with some of the heavy lifting when he can get the day off."

"Hi, nice to meet you, Mr. King." Zack shook the man's hand as well.

"Please, call me Austin."

"You said last week that you wanted the whole apartment remodeled?"

"Yes. I just moved in. Also, money isn't a problem. Whatever you need in terms of materials, you've got it. All you need to do is ask."

"Okay. I like the idea of the black and white, but I thought some blue might complement, and make it less… uninviting. In case you would want to entertain guests."

"Sure. You're the expert, so I trust your judgement."

"O-okay."

"I actually have to go. I've got a… thing I have to do. Something for my job. Here's the key to the apartment. If you need to leave to get things, make sure to lock up."

"Oh. Um, I typically like to get more input from the customer to incorporate into the design."

"We talked extensively about the living room, so I trust you and your ability to make the place look great. If you have any questions, you have my number. Shoot me a text and I'll answer as soon as I can. I'll be back this afternoon; we can talk more about the rest of the house then."

"Okay. I think that will work."

"Great. I'll see you later then." We shake hands again, and he leaves. Zack looks at me with a weird look on his face, and I can't quite decipher it.

"So, boss. Where do we start?"

"The living room, I suppose. Let's take some measurements."

As we take measurements of the room, I notice that it is sparsely furnished. Maybe something that was left behind from the previous tenants, or something the landlord provided for new tenants, but I could tell they probably didn't belong to my client.

I longingly remember the way he looked at me earlier. Could someone as gorgeous as Austin King really be interested in me? I visualize his face in my mind: the soft deep black hair, dark, yet sparkling blue-green eyes, sharp cheekbones, Grecian nose, perfection. And the fact that I had seen him in a towel earlier, and his solid muscles are a huge distraction…

"-ex? Earth to Alexandra? LEX!"

"WHAT!" Wait, was he talking to me? How much did I miss?

"What's up with you? I asked you a question three times, and you didn't answer. Are you okay?"

"Yeah, just a bit flustered from earlier." I feel my cheeks get warm. Damn it. Don't blush in front of Zack. He'll know exactly what you were thinking about. I noticed the weird look from earlier on Zack's face, and if I didn't know better, I'd say it was jealousy.

"What do you want to do with the furniture that's in here? It doesn't match the plans we discussed on the way here."

"I'm not sure just yet. Let me ask Austin where it all came from, that might help. If it belongs to him, or the property owner, I don't want to throw anything out."

"Okay. That makes sense. Maybe we can move it to this wall over here, so that you can visualize the space better."

"Sure. Sounds like a plan."

I text Austin as Zack starts to move the three pieces of furniture against the wall he mentioned. Surprisingly, I get a quick response: "The TV is mine, but the chairs and table were left behind by the last tenant, so if they don't fit your vision, they can be thrown out."

I told Zack, and he agrees that the mustard yellow upholstered curvy chairs don't fit the design, but the coffee table could be painted, so we decided to pack up the chairs and take them to my apartment. I typically like to keep a few items like this for future jobs. The color is awful, but the wooden frames of the chairs are good.

We drove to Ikea to start looking for furniture pieces. I immediately rushed toward a long, white couch. After a weird pause, Zack finally catches up to me across the aisle.

"Your hair is pretty today."

"Thanks?" Did he notice that it was shorter? Maybe it's because I took out my hair tie earlier.

"I mean, it's pretty all the time… I just happened to notice it more today."

"Okay… You've been acting a bit strange today. Is everything all right?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"I don't know. You've just been off this morning I guess."

We got the couch, and two chairs to match. I then insist that we need to go to the interior design store to find some specialty items. Austin's whole "money isn't an issue" thing has me a bit more excited about this job, but I still want to try to stick to a budget, hence the IKEA couch.

"So that coffee table, we can paint it black to contrast from the couch and chairs. A white stand for the TV with some storage capacity. Then either a blue rug or centerpiece, as well as some blue artwork to make it more welcoming. Maybe a plant. What do you think?"

"You're the expert"

I try my best to not be annoyed by his nonchalant tone. "I value your opinion."

"Sounds like a great plan. If we can paint the walls, the wall with the TV could be black, to make the stand pop, but the TV blends in when off. The rest of the walls are already white but desperately need cleaned."

"Oh my gosh! You are so right! See? I told you I valued your opinion! You could have been an interior designer, instead of going around being potentially shot at."

He laughs quietly before responding. "Quit being so dramatic. I've only gotten shot at like, twenty times. Besides, you know I love what I do. I've wanted to serve and protect my whole life. You know that."

"Yeah, I remember. After we watched CHiPs, you were a police officer for Halloween every year, and you forced me to sit through every episode of all the cop shows. CHiPs, Adam-12, Dragnet, Columbo, Hawaii Five-O, S.W.A.T, all of them."

"Hey, you didn't have to watch them. No one forced you."

"Maybe." I laugh a bit at the obvious exaggeration. "I should text Austin about painting the wall."

"Good idea."

We arrive at the interior design store, and I start walking directly to the rug section. They have many blue rugs, but none of them seem to match everything we have collected, until Zack stumbles upon a black, white, and royal blue geometric.

"It's perfect!" Looking across the aisle at pillows and blankets everything starts coming together in my head. "There's even throw pillows to match." I helped Zack put the rug in the cart and grab four of the pillows. One for each chair, and two for the couch. "Now we just need a stand for the TV, a center piece, and possibly a plant. He already has white curtains, and I have fabric if he doesn't like them the way they are."

We found a simple, white stand, and it was the perfect size for the TV. We settled on a small succulent for the coffee table centerpiece. I convinced him to take me to the small art gallery down the street featuring some local artists. I found a few skyscapes that would look great in some simple black frames.

Austin replied positively about painting the wall, and we get everything we need to paint the wall and the coffee table. I began cleaning the white walls with a magic eraser as Zack started painting. Austin arrives as Zack is finishing the touch up work on the wall.

"Wow. The space is a lot bigger than I thought."

"The crisp lines make the space look bigger, plus, we're missing a lot of the furniture yet."

Zack turns to Austin, "The wall will need to dry, but we might be able to bring the chairs up."

"I can clean up the drop cloths and other stuff while you two go to get them." I chime in from the corner.

Austin agrees and they go down to get the chairs out of the back of Zack's truck. I can hear bits and pieces of their conversation through the open windows as I finish the wall cleaning and start folding drop cloths.

"So, because of the way you were introduced, I've been wondering. What do you do full time?"

"Take a guess."

"Due to your build, I would guess that you probably don't sit behind a desk, although that might just be a stereotype,"

"Maybe, but you're on the right track."

"Personal Trainer? No, that can't be right. Military?"

"The second guess was a bit closer."

"Oh my god! Is that a gun?!" Yikes… Zack's jacket must have ridden up, revealing his concealed holster.

"Sorry. I might have forgotten to mention that I always carry a gun due to my job. Don't worry though, the safety is on."

"Wait, so you're like, what, a bodyguard? I don't understand. I almost feel a little uneasy with you having a gun in my apartment."

Zack's tone turned surprisingly apologetic. "Again, I'm sorry. I should have been upfront with you in the first place. Here. Proof of identification and concealed carry permit." I assume he handed Austin his badge holder.

"A police officer. That makes sense I suppose."

"So, are you still freaked out by the gun? I could probably leave it in the truck if you don't want it in your apartment, but cops are targeted on their day off a lot more than you might think. That's why I carry it. To keep me safe, but also to keep you and Alex safe."

"Okay. That makes sense. And because I now know that you are not only allowed to carry it, but trained how to safely use it, I'm not as freaked out. It's okay to take it up to the apartment if it makes you feel more comfortable."

"Thank you, and again, I'm sorry I didn't say something sooner. Here's the first chair, some assembly required. While we're on the subject, what do you do?"

I find myself perking up at the question, listening more intently and ignoring the drop cloth in my hands. Austin had not disclosed his occupation to me in our earlier connections.

"Oh, I'm an actor. I'm currently filming TV show and wasn't originally planning to stay in Central City for long, but eventually, it started to feel like home. That's why I decided to get the apartment. That, and I think the TV show might be getting a second season, so it's good to stay on location."

"Cool. I don't watch TV much anymore, so I didn't recognize you."

"Nah, it's cool. I honestly get that a lot. Most people these days only watch certain shows, and only happen upon CHiPs when flipping through channels, but because it's a remake of an older show, it draws a more specific crowd."

"Wait, did you say CHiPs? The original is what inspired me to become a police officer as a kid. I had no idea that there was a remake."

"Yeah. Erik Estrada's Poncherello is a hard act to follow, but I'm doing my best." Wait, did he say he was playing Ponch in a remake of CHiPs?!

"I'll have to look for it sometime."

By the time Austin and Zack reach the apartment with the furniture, I have the walls clean, and the drop cloths folded. The coffee table seems dry, so I place all of my materials there to keep them out of the way. Zack opens the boxes and Austin begins to take the pieces out. I wasn't hopeful that he would help with assembly, but if he really wants to, I'm not going to stop him.