I walk in and grin when I see him at my dining table chatting on the phone. He glances up and smiles at me, that smile that makes me forget that I have knees, and finishes his call.
“How was your day?” he asks.
“Busy, so it was a good day,” I reply and set my handbag and keys on the table. “How about you?”
“The same.” He kisses me gently, sending a shiver down my arms. “I brought all of my things over.”
“Great.”
“There are a few things that I couldn’t find a home for, so you can just tell me where you want to put them.”
“That’s fine.” I look up at him and realize that he looks nervous. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing’s wrong.” He grips my shoulders, then rubs his hands up and down my arms. “But I need a favor.”
“Okay.”
“I have to record my weekly video today. I missed last week, and I can’t miss two in a row.”
“Of course not. You have quite a following.”
He grins. “I usually have a camera guy, but I obviously didn’t bring him with me from London. I can record the whole thing here, then send it to him and he’ll cut it together and make it look nice to go live.”
“Sounds good. What do you need me for?”
“I need you to run the camera. I’ll just use my phone, which is fine, but I’ll need you to make sure I’m centered in the shot, hit record, and end it as well.”
“This sounds like a very easy job. I can handle it.” I give him a mock salute. “Why do you look nervous? You’ve recorded hundreds of these.”
“Today’s topic is going to be a bit more personal.”
He doesn’t say anything more. He sits at the table, and I realize he’s already set up his phone across from him.
He looks amazing. He’s in jeans and a casual polo shirt, showing off the tattoos on his arm. His hair is combed back, and he’s clean-shaven.
He looks professional and comfortable, which is perfect for pulling a viewer in. It worked for me, anyway, when Van and I sat and watched just about every video he had available. Of course, this is the first time he’s recorded a video without long sleeves.
And now he’s sitting in my house, recording his video.
And I’m sleeping with him.
Crazy.
“Everyone will see your tats.”
He glances down and then shrugs. “I’ve decided I don’t care.”
“Any special reason?”
“I didn’t bring a long-sleeved shirt.” He grins and I shake my head.
“Are you ready?” I ask, looking at the camera. “You’re in frame.”
“Yes, ready when you are. If I mess up, I’ll start at the beginning of my thought, and Perry will fix it later.”
“Okay. One, two, three.” I press record, and Simon’s whole demeanor immediately changes. He’s the confident, in control life coach that his fans can’t get enough of, and I’m excited to see what he’s going to speak about.
“Hello, everyone, and thank you for joining me this week. As you may have noticed, I missed last week’s video, but I’m back this week with something that I think many of you will identify with. This week’s topic is How to know when your partner is manipulating you.
“I try to keep my personal life very separate from my professional life, but I’m also a human being, and I’ve experienced many of the same things that you have. This topic is one that I’ve been hesitant to talk about because it is so deeply personal, but someone whom I care about very much reminded me today that there is no shame in being human.”
He’s not looking into the lens now, but rather in my eyes. I’m stunned. I sit quietly and listen intently as he describes what it is to be in an intimate relationship with someone who betrays your trust by manipulating and hurting you. His face is passive, but his eyes are passionate.
“I know what it is to feel responsible for making a partner happy, and how defeating it is when nothing you ever do is good enough. To have your significant other threaten personal harm if they don’t get their way. It’s a helpless, horrible position to be in.
“And I’m here to tell you that it’s not normal, and it’s not okay. If you are being treated this way, by anyone in your life, whether it be a colleague, a boyfriend or girlfriend, a family member or friend, it is imperative that you draw the line in the sand and make it very clear that while you care about them, they may not manipulate you. Offer to help them find a counselor, and if they insist they don’t need help, perhaps it’s time to step away from the relationship, no matter how scary that may be.