I stood in front of Henry’s desk with my hands clasped in front of me. It wasn’t a secret that Henry hated me. Sometimes I felt as if I was the only woman that he hadn’t slept with ever since I’d been working here. He called me a snob, for not wanting a piece of the guru. I just came here to heal; I didn’t work here to have sex. If I’d wanted that then I could have easily worked in a strip club. I enjoyed my job here as long as I didn’t have to directly have any contact with him.

He was looking over his shoulder so I wouldn’t meet his eyes. I didn’t have to look into them to know he was mad. I could feel it rolling off him, and I would have winced, but I was trying to control myself and appear as professional as possible.

Lord knows, after what he’d just heard Jerrik yell to everyone, he was no doubt unhappy. It felt a little too much like when I was in high school and got called to the principal’s office. Only, if this man decided my conduct was too improper, I would be out of a job, not suspended from class.

“Now, Sharon,” he finally said, his voice low and authoritative. “Can you tell me just what I walked in on back there?”

I resisted the urge to chew on my lower lip. What exactly could I say to excuse myself? I didn’t want to say we knew each other, but…

“It was a misunderstanding, sir,” I said quietly, and almost immediately bit my cheek. I could tell by the minute of silence afterward that it was the wrong thing to say.

“Well, now you do have to explain to me. How was it a misunderstanding?”

I winced because I couldn’t help it. I met his eyes, then shifted my gaze to back over his shoulder.

“Jerrik is…”

“Oh?” Henry said, and I could see his eyebrows shoot up in shock. “He’s one of our special clients, isn’t he? I didn’t realize the two of you were on a first name basis.”

We had special clients that were the ones that came for more than just some relaxation and a vacation. I knew how bad the situation I was in looked, but I had to talk myself out of it somehow.

“Well, I guess you could say that, sir. You see, Jerrik and I have met before.”

“Was he your boyfriend before? Is that whatever that was about?”

I shook my head to refute the statement. “No, we were never like that. But see, we come from the same town, so we knew each other growing up. I was surprised to see him when he came here, and I’ve been trying to help him out, especially when I heard he was having problems attending his sessions.”

As soon as I said the words, I wanted to hit myself. Not only because I was lying, but also because I hadn't helped Jerrik much. I felt like such a hypocrite. Every time I approached him, something happened to make me panic and run, even though I went to him of my own free will. If what just happened was any indication, then I wasn’t doing a good job of being of help to Jerrik.

“All right,” the boss said slowly, deliberating. “So you knew him before you came here. Explain his outburst to me.”

My shoulders jerked up in a shrug before I could stop the movement, and I was fidgeting in place. So much for acting professional.

“I don’t know what happened, sir, but I found him already arguing with another member of staff. I attempted to intervene and that was when he started shouting at me. I just wanted to help him…”

“Help him with what?”

“Jerrik…” I started, then paused. Would he want me divulging any of his life to someone he didn’t know? Probably not, but I didn’t need to go into details. “It’s just, some stuff has happened in his life, and I can tell that he’s hurting. I just… wanted to help him, because I’ve known him for so long.”

That much was true. I just didn’t know how to help him without ruining things in the process.

The boss hummed but didn’t say anything. When I chanced a glance at his face, I wished I hadn't, my gaze dropping to my feet. He wasn’t happy. Of course, I’d anticipated it, but it still had me thinking whether he would ask me to pack up my belongings and leave.

I didn’t want to go.

The air went still and tense as I waited for Henry to say exactly what was on his mind. I knew that it wasn’t only to do with Jerrik. He was probably upset about Jerrik being with me when I never gave him the opportunity to do the same.

“While I do understand your desire to try and comfort someone that you know, I don’t want to see the same scene that I just walked in on again, Sharon.”

“And you won’t!”

I was desperate to get out of his office. The longer I stayed in there, the longer I felt that my job was on the line.

“I never intended for things to escalate the way they did.”

“Well, it’s good you didn’t mean for it to happen, but it doesn’t change that it did,” he said firmly. “I’m going to let you off with a warning this time, Sharon, because you’re such a good employee. But if I hear anything, or if you so much as go near that client again, I’m afraid I can't have you working here. You know the rule when it comes to clients, Sharon; you do not have affairs with them.”

The ‘if you do, you keep it hidden,’ didn’t need to be said, but I knew he was thinking along those lines.

“Henry, you won’t have any more problems with me.”

A part of me was relieved I wasn’t going anywhere. But then, there was the part of me that felt disappointed that I wasn’t allowed to visit Jerrik again, though it should have been a good thing for me. In a way, I’d been looking for a way to get out of seeing him, and this way, I could do it with minimal guilt. Because it wasn’t just me running away, it was a direct order from Henry.

It was almost funny when I thought of my situation being something similar, if watered down, to Jerrik’s. He was at the retreat because he was forced to, and because of my job, I would be forced not to see him.

I knew it was for the best. So why did it leave a bitter taste in my mouth?

“If that’s all sir, I’ll get back to work.”

“You do that,” he said dismissively, waving me away.

I gave a sharp nod that he didn’t see, because he was looking down. “Excuse me.”

When I left his office, I went directly to my room. I had a class to attend, a lot of personal things I needed to get done, but all I could think about was Jerrik and how I’d left him.

There hadn't been shouting behind us when I left with the boss, and it was quiet outside right then, but I still wondered what happened.

After what happened yesterday and the way I found Jerrik today, I wondered if he was still okay before deciding that was a stupid thought. Of course, he wasn’t okay; he wouldn’t act that way, with anyone, if he were okay. Whatever the other staff member had done to annoy him, I knew the biggest fault probably lay with me.

It’s for the best.

If I stayed away from him, then he could do what he came to do, find some way to heal on his own. All I was doing was making him miserable and even worse than when he arrived, from what I’d seen. It really would be best, for the both of us.

You should be happy, I told myself.

I finally got what I wanted, a legitimate excuse to keep away from Jerrik, but I couldn’t help wondering if it would be that easy. After yesterday… I doubted things would be as I thought they would be.