A look of concern crosses his face as he angles his body in the same way as mine.
"I, um, I want you to stop paying me," I stutter quietly. There is a heavy silence that fills the room as I wait for his reaction. He blinks quickly and narrows his eyebrows in confusion.
"Why?" He seems to be genuinely surprised by what I've just said. I can't help but smile softly. I sometimes smile when I'm nervous.
"Well, it's just that you started paying me because this wasn't like a real thing. But now that it's become real I don't feel comfortable being paid for it. I don't know, it feels weird..." I wish I had written myself a script or even gotten some topic statements in my head before I started this conversation. At the moment, I sound like a weak little kid trying to explain why I didn't do my homework when I have no reason.
Rhodes nods his head slowly. "Right, I get that. But I pay you the money mainly because I don't want you to work, and I want you to have a certain kind of lifestyle," he attempts to explain his reasoning, and I suppose it kind of makes sense.
"But you've already bought most of the clothes I will ever need to have that lifestyle, and it wouldn't be the worst thing in the world if I worked, right?" His frown grows slightly larger than before.
"I don't want you working at the cafe with that fucker," his teeth grit as he mentions Ryan's name. Man, I knew this conversation wouldn't go well. But I've ripped off the bandaid; now I've got to deal with the pain.
"I don't have to work at the cafe. I can work somewhere else. I can find somewhere that fits in with your schedule..." I trail off as Rhodes runs his hand through his hair. Oh no, he's not happy about this.