Trust him?

Sarah's mind was racing while thinking what the best solution is. In order to break the cycle of her thoughts, she divided parts that she needs to consider. First is how she feels about working with him vs not working with him. Second is how she feels about the work itself. Third thing was about their relationship and how it relates to this job offer he presented her.

She imagined how would she feel if she works with him. Sharing ideas while discovering secrets together, the thought alone feels really good.

Then she imagined how she would feel if she rejects. He will continue his work, and she will need to stay away since she is not involved. Assuming they don't split up as a couple because of this. Thought of not being together with him made her feel like her heart is constricting. Just thinking of being apart from him made her experience physical pain, as if something is being forcefully extracted from her chest.

In this way she cleared up first item on her analysis list: she wants to work with him.

Aiden glanced at her. He saw that she is thinking. He felt the urge to go next to her and embrace her. 'What if she thinks that I'm not sincere? What if her answer is that she does not want to see me again?' He felt his throat constricting, as if something is choking him. He realized that he does not care if she takes on the job or not. His only concern is if she believes him, if she believes that he loves her. 'Did I tell her that I love her? Does she know?' He was not able to focus on laptop in front of him, but he forced himself to stare at it. 'I must give her space… and I'm afraid to hear her answer.'

While thinking about second point, how she feels about the work, Sarah recollected that in the past she hacked into other people's online accounts, school systems, video surveillance systems, even few banks and police databases. She didn't steal anything, but the fact that she gained unauthorized entry into those systems, regardless of her reasons, makes her actions illegal. She is very good and didn't leave traces leading back to her, but she still did it. How is that different from what Aiden suggested? 'It's not very much different, and this is not what is putting weight on my heart.'

Sarah was finally at ease to conclude that nature of the job itself is not what is troubling her. This cleared up second item on her list.

Next was the third item, how their relationship relates to this job offer. Sarah's concern is about his motives. Did he approach her only because of the work, and everything else is a lie? Or does he really care about her? Does he have any ulterior motives? 'Does he really care about me? I know he does. Oh, how I hope he does.' Sarah tried to figure this one out, but she was unsuccessful. There is no way for her to confirm any of this, unless she gets him to do a lie-detector test. Related to this, the only conclusion is that she needs to make a choice: does she trust him or not. Once Sarah reached this point, she realized that she has made her decision.

She didn't want to delay. She knows what she needs to do.

"Aiden?" She called.

Aiden almost jumped out of the chair. He looked at Sarah and saw that she is patting a spot next to her on the bed. He walked toward her and took a seat where she patted. He realized that she made her decision. He felt his palms sweating, and his heart was beating in the back of his head.

After few seconds of silence, she spoke. "As long as I have the right to refuse work that I don't want to be involved in, I accept." She smiled.

Sarah decided to trust him. She decided to trust him that evening in his apartment, when she didn't push him away. 'It was this simple. I decided to trust him a while ago. So far, he didn't do anything to break my trust. Why would I not trust him now?'

His face brightened up. "Are you sure?"

"Yes." She was confident.

Aiden felt his heart became lighter, like a big burden disappeared. He pulled her into his embrace. "Thank you", he whispered. This acceptance was so much more than a job. It was her acceptance of his words, it means that she trusts that he is sincere, that he loves her. He held her for some time, enjoying her warmth on his chest. 'One more secret is out of the way.' Aiden was elated.

He chuckled, "You didn't ask me about compensation."

"I'm sure that is not a problem." She laughed. She is in a position where she does not need to work because of the money. Any job she accepts is for the work itself. Idea that she gets to use her hacking skills on a bigger scale while working together with him, excited her.

"When do I start?" Sarah asked.

"Let me first tell my brother and confirm few details." Aiden kissed her and took his phone to message his brother. After sending a series of messages he put his phone down. "You will need to sign non-disclosure agreement, and some other documents in order to officially become an employee of White corp."

"Should I call you Boss from now?" Sarah giggled.

He laughed. "I don't manage people. Think of me as a senior coworker." He pushed one lock of her hair behind her ear. "I will show you what we have and how we do things. After that I will rely on your skills to get the job done."

Sarah noticed his choice of words. "There are more people involved?"

"Yes. Besides me, there are three more members of the team. You will get a chance to meet them soon. They are mostly in charge of data processing and creating reports. The work they do is compartmentalized, and I'm the only one who knows all the details. I'm the team lead and I'm doing the actual hands-on work. You will work beside me until you are comfortable enough to work independently. The amount of work is increasing over time, and as of few months ago, the backlog is growing at an alarming rate. Our goal by getting you on-board is to double current output and clear up all work that is pending. Your role will be similar to mine, except for the team management part.", he took his time to explain. After few seconds he added, "Think about if you want your own office or you want to share mine."

"Office?" Sarah frowned.

Aiden didn't notice that she is displeased. "My office is big enough for both of us. If it's not you, I would not consider sharing my space.", he added with a hidden meaning. He wanted her to know that she is a special existence for him.

She never thought about actual logistics. In her mind, it was two of them on the sofa with their laptops. "I didn't realize I need to go to office. Where is it?"

"White corp. has offices across US, and technically any of those locations can be used. But our dedicated space is in Los Angeles."

Sarah didn't look very happy. 'What now, I need to move as well? I was too hasty to accept.'

He realized her concern about location and laughed. "Don't worry too much about it. I go there once every three to four months. And that is only because my brother says it's good for team morale. The rest of the time I work remotely. I would expect you to come with me when I'm going."

"I see." Sarah breathed a sigh of relief.

Sarah cleared her throat and looked troubled. "I forgot to ask one important thing."

His smile faded. "What?"

"What is the company policy on romance between coworkers?" She flashed a mischievous smile.

Aiden smiled and slowly moved towards her. "In this case, it's approved". He kissed her on her cheek, then on her nose before going for her lips.

...

Aiden was holding her in his embrace. "I don't remember if I was ever that nervous."

Sarah looked at him waiting to hear further explanation.

His voice was breaking, and he was choosing his words. "I was concerned... thinking about your response. I was worried that you will... hate me." He tightened his hug.

She shook her head slightly. "Sorry. That was not my intention. I just needed some time to process things."

"I know." He looked her in the eyes, and continued, "No matter what happens, this between us is real. Don't doubt that."

As she looked into his eyes, Sarah was able to see his sincerity and the depth of his emotions. She could not find words strong enough to convey what she felt at that moment. She nodded and rested her head on his chest, hugging him tightly.

They held each other in silence, until they slept off.