The car drove up to RFK Stadium. There were more people about than I expected, considering that rugby wasn’t a terribly popular sport in the US. I was surprised we were even at a stadium this big. Henry hopped out first and offered me his hand to help me out. I took it, more to hold his hand than from actual need of assistance. He then pulled on a nondescript light blue cap, hiding his hair. I wondered if he would take it off once the sun set, but I didn’t mind. He was one of those rare individuals that actually looked good in a baseball cap.“Who’s playing?” I asked, looking around. “There’s a lot of people here.”“It’s a rather big game,” Henry explained. “New Zealand All Blacks vs Ireland. It’s a big match. Both are considered very good.”“The All Blacks?” I asked, wondering about the name. It seemed like a strange choice.“Yes,” Henry nodded. “Their uniforms are all black. Back in the early days, the teams were called for their colors. The English team was known as The Colours for

“Here’s my place,” I announced when we came off the elevator. I unlocked the door and pushed it open. “It’s not much, but it’s mine.”I’d left the curtains open, so the lights of the city filled the dark room. I knew that it wasn’t fancy, but apartments in Washington weren’t cheap. My little studio apartment went for the price of a house other places.I turned on the lights, and bit my lip as I watched for Henry’s reaction. I wasn’t sure why it mattered to me what he thought of where I lived. He looked around, taking in the queen size bed with the pale blue comforter that dominated what little space I had. The white love seat with the blue throw blanket, the small table and two chairs in the corner. It was a small, but open space with bits of bright color on the walls. I liked colorful artwork.“It’s adorable,” he told me. He smiled at me. “It suits you.”I let out a little breath I didn’t know I had been holding in.I set our food down on my small table just inside the door as he too

I woke up the next morning grumpy and needing a cold shower. The only thing I had dreamed of all night was Henry and those scorching kisses.But, even in my dreams we never got where I wanted to go. He always got pulled away at the last second.I showered quickly, finding I had run out of conditioner and shaving cream, but still had a decent amount of shampoo left. I nicked my left ankle with my razor, probably because I didn’t have enough shaving cream, and I got soap in my eyes as I rinsed.It was starting out as an awesome day.I dressed in comfortable slacks and a dark blue button up blouse. At least I hadn’t managed to screw up my clothing selection, even if my shirt was a little more low-cut than usual.My milk was sour and my coffee stale. I was running late and I was out of eggs for breakfast.I sighed and looked over at my little love-seat. I could still feel Henry’s kisses and the way his hand slid along my bare back. I shivered, the cold shower not doing anything for me now

Audrey walked in a stately manner to the coffee shop with my umbrella while I ran ahead. I knew she wouldn’t share with me, and I didn’t really want to be that close to her anyway. She took her sweet time, knowing that every moment she kept me out of the office was a moment that I could get in trouble for.She really was a sweet woman.I waited for her in the shop feeling like a hunted animal. I wished I had something on her. Something that I could use to free myself. An idea came to me. One that I should have thought of from the beginning, especially considering I worked in politics.She was still halfway down the sidewalk as I downloaded a recording app. It would record all sounds once I turned it on, but would look like a calculator app if anyone checked my phone. I knew that DC law allowed single-party consent for recording, so I could legally record without her permission.It wasn’t much, but it at least felt like I was fighting back. I hit start on the app and held my phone in m

I worked until I couldn't keep my eyes open. There was just too much for me to do and not nearly enough time to do two jobs. I managed to grab five hours of sleep at home before returning to the office the next day. I was coming up short with my research and behind on my scanning all at the same time. It was like doing two full time jobs at the same time and my brain hurt with the effort it took.I worked the entire day, juggling research and my real job. Luckily, Henry kept texting me and making me smile as I worked. Yet again, he had found a way to bring sunshine into my day.I ate leftovers from the day before for lunch. Henry had brought enough food to feed the office twice over. I just munched on amazing macaroni and cheese instead of worrying about finding an actual lunch. It was obviously made from scratch and probably going to clog my arteries, but it was free and tasted good.Five o'clock came and went. I watched from my window as the worker bees filed out of the various buil