Chapter 5 The First Smile

With the musician getting closer, Jonathan felt extremely nervous. His hands were sweating, and he didn't know what to do – whether he should approach to greet him or just stay there, observing.

Park noticed how anxious Jones was and discreetly touched his forearm, trying to calm him with light and respectful contact. However, it only made him even more flustered.

"Thank you for coming, Elliot. I really wanted your opinion," said the musician, extending his hand to greet him.

"No need to thank me. You know my goal is to have a productive partnership. By the way, this is Jonathan Jones, my new intern. I hope you don't mind having one more person; I wanted to show him a bit of how album production works with our team," explained Elliot, noticing the smile on the man's face, showing no dissatisfaction upon hearing his words.

"Not at all. The more, the merrier. I'm Harry Thompson, nice to meet you, Jonathan Jones," greeted the musician, keeping his gaze fixed on Jonathan, who felt disconcerted.

After the introductions were made, the people gathered there discussed the tracks recorded by Harry and how they would be organized. Jonathan remained attentive throughout the meeting, taking notes whenever he found it necessary, immersing himself in every detail he deemed important.

He noticed how important it was for Harry that his music touched people, and he also realized how melancholic his lyrics were. The melancholy was palpable as he listened to the soft melodies of Harry's songs with his keen sense of hearing.

Jonathan was enchanted by the young singer's talent, as Harry displayed an enormous intellectual richness while explaining the concepts behind each track of the album, which, although not finalized, already had enough content to be released.

After the meeting, Harry invited Elliot and Jonathan to see the garden he had recently built. Even though Elliot was tired, he accepted the invitation before asking them to go ahead, as he had an important call to make.

Passing through the door in the kitchen, Jonathan's eyes widened as he finally beheld the beautiful garden decorated with small lights hanging on the walls. There were white and blue tulips lining the wooden path, making the place incredibly enchanting.

Harry discreetly observed Jonathan and noticed the shine in the young man's eyes, who was utterly captivated by the beautiful garden.

"So, what do you think?" asked Harry, anxious to hear his response, although his expression already revealed the answer.

"I'm speechless, it's magnificent. Feels like I've died and gone to paradise," said Jonathan, eliciting a laugh from the musician.

"Thank you. This is my private paradise. It's truly beautiful, and it suits you," said Harry firmly, causing Jonathan to blush.

Despite feeling a bit affected by the comment, Jonathan chose to ignore it and continued strolling in the garden, gently caressing all the beautiful flowers that adorned the place. Unbeknownst to him, Elliot was watching, immediately analyzing the way the singer directed his gaze toward Jonathan.

It was impossible not to notice; after all, he recognized that look in himself every time his eyes roamed the young intern's body.

"We have to go, sorry," Elliot said briefly, avoiding any further explanation.

The sudden words made Jonathan startle, afraid of what Elliot might have overheard. He had no ulterior motives with Harry, but he sensed from the way the man treated him that things could get complicated. Being new in the company, he couldn't afford such a thing to happen. After all, what kind of person would he be if he got involved with a coworker? It wasn't an option for Jonathan. At least not yet.

Before leaving, they bid farewell to Harry, who couldn't hide his frustration at not being able to spend more time getting to know Jonathan. Nevertheless, he wouldn't give up that easily.

After a few weeks, Jonathan was completely accustomed to his new routine. He visited other artists with Elliot, but he didn't have much contact with the musicians, as he was busy with the responsibilities involving the album release.

During one of the visits, Jonathan noticed that Harry and Elliot didn't exchange many words, only what was necessary. This piqued his curiosity, but he didn't feel comfortable enough to bring it up, as the CEO didn't open up for any kind of approach.

Elliot, however, feared that by allowing any sort of closeness, he wouldn't be able to contain the irritating yet incessant warmth that took over his body every time the young man came a little too close. Even when they had to share the same car for minutes that felt like an eternity. It was like torture, and Elliot felt like he was going crazy. Crazy for something he chose himself by hiring him, and now, he found himself torn between keeping him close or dismissing him and potentially wasting his talent.

Jonathan felt confused and frustrated as well. He didn't know what to do to break the barrier that Park insisted on maintaining, and it frustrated him. All the trips were similar, and equally silent both on the way there and back.

Except for one of them.

Jonathan was watching videos on his phone to pass the time, and Elliot noticed how he smiled at the screen, even if it was restrained, which piqued his curiosity. Noticing Elliot's interest, who glanced sideways, trying to decipher the content, the younger one brought the phone closer so that Elliot could see the screen, showing a video of a cat being startled by its reflection.

Elliot couldn't contain his laughter, so loud that it startled the driver. Jonathan had never seen Elliot smile like that before, as he was always so closed-off and reserved. Nevertheless, he liked seeing how Elliot's eyes squinted as his smile grew wider.

From that day on, their relationship began to change. From distant coworkers, they became almost colleagues, as Jonathan would say if asked. They weren't that close, but they managed to have occasional conversations.

Step by step, Elliot resisted each day last, lowering the barrier he had created between him and his intern.