Chapter 48: Should have cried in the shower when she'd had the chance

“Steve, can I be honest with you?”

He smiled. He had great teeth. “Of course you can Autumn. We’re friends.”

Nothing ever hurts as much as being told by someone you’re attracted to that they consider you a friend.

She took a deep breath. “You’re a great writer, Steve. You need to work on your skill, but the important stuff–the talent—it’s all there. You’re going to be great. Better than me. I—I can only teach you so much.” She fought back a tear. “Your father is paying me fifty thousand dollars to do something I can’t even begin to do. And he knew that. Why did he hire me?”

Steve reached across the table and put his hand on hers. Autumn gave a sniffle, trying not to cry. She didn’t want to cry in front of him, didn’t want to be as upset as she was. “Autumn,” he said, his voice soft and soothing. Finally, after all this, it was filled with some kind of emotion. Like he really cared about her. All it took was her nearly breaking down. “Autumn, look at me.”