The Project

Julia didn't know what to expect of his apartment, some kind of computer-geek bachelor pad, perhaps. She was pleasantly surprised when he opened the door and found it was light, roomy, and attractively furnished. The apartment was fairly modern, with clean lines and a neutral colour scheme. There was a large oriental rug in the lounge which provided an splash of crimson and gold to contrast with the cream leather sofa.

"This is a nice place you've got," she commented. It had a comfortable, welcoming feel.

"Thanks," he said shyly. "It's nice and convenient for work. Look, there's Sasha."

A grey tabby cat strutted out of the bedroom to greet her owner. Or perhaps more likely, to demand her dinner. She had the lanky look of a young cat not long out of kitten-hood. "She's a bit stand-offish with strangers," Steven warned Julia.

Sasha sniffed cautiously and then proceeded to rub up against Julia's ankles, purring loudly. "You don't say?" Julia raised an eyebrow.

"Well she usually is," he asserted, watching his cat in bemusement. "Would you um, like a cold drink?"

"God yes," she replied gratefully.

He fetched her a glass of ice cold water while she patted Sasha. Soon the cat was rolling around on the tile floor in ecstasy, offering her tummy for a rub. "Your cat is shameless," Julia said teasingly.

"Well, you can't blame me for that. She didn't exactly have a high-society upbringing before I adopted her from the shelter." he said with a straight face. Julia grinned as he handed her the glass of water. She hadn't really expected him to have a sense of humour.

She drank all the water in a few gulps, and soon felt a bit cooler. "So, where is your project set up?" Julia asked. Steven led her into a small room off the lounge. It was furnished as a home office.

"What a beautiful desk," Julia exclaimed. The large desk took up almost half the room. It was executive-style, mahogany with leather top and carved detail around the edges and drawers. It was set up as a computer workstation with a desktop box and 22 inch screen at one end. Beside it was a matching mahogany bookcase with DVDs and books stacked tidily on the shelves.

"It's an antique," Steven said proudly. "My dad helped me restore it when I was nineteen."

Julia looked at him and tried to fit this new piece of information with the preconceived image she had of him. It didn't fit at all. She realized her preconceived image might need a bit of an overhaul.