Jess Thoughts

I didn’t sleep much last night. So much has happened in such a short time that my mind keeps replaying everything like a mini-series where all the episodes are compressed into a few days. The presentation, the training program, the people I’ve met, Daniel, Jaime… it all seems to be moving faster than I can process. Every day here feels packed with more life than a normal week.

When I arrived at the training center this morning I made a point of finding my friends right away. Walking into the building alone lately seems to attract more attention than I’d prefer. Daniel spotted me first and came over with that confident smile of his and gave me the now familiar friendly hug. I could almost hear the quiet reactions from my friends behind me — the little “aww, how cute” kind of sounds that girls make when they think two people are clearly supposed to be together. It was harmless enough, and Daniel really is charming, but sometimes the attention around us feels a little exaggerated.

We talked for a few minutes before heading into the meeting room for another full day of presentations and training sessions. Today’s focus was on personalities — how different personality types interact, lead, and communicate. It was interesting, although it also made me slightly aware that everyone in the room was probably analyzing everyone else.

During the break some of us went to the breakroom to work on a report. Daniel said he had something he needed to take care of and stepped out for a bit. When I walked into the room I immediately saw Jaime sitting at the table working on his laptop. He looked completely absorbed in what he was doing, the same quiet focus I’ve noticed about him before, as if the noise of the room simply fades around him.

I made it a point to sit nearby, with Anna beside me.

He looked up, greeted me politely, and went right back to his work. Nothing overly familiar, nothing that suggested we had spent time together outside of work. If anything, it felt almost deliberately neutral.

And yet somehow that made the moment feel even more mysterious.

It was as if there was a quiet understanding between us that no one else in the room could see. Not exactly a secret, but something unspoken. I sat there working, occasionally glancing up, aware of him just a few feet away. We didn’t talk much, but the silence itself felt like something.

Anna and I chatted while we worked, and at one point she took a picture of me sitting there with my laptop. I jokingly asked her to include Jaime in the shot. He looked up, saw what we were doing, and agreed with a small smile before returning to his computer.

Back in the meeting room Daniel returned and sat next to me. At the end of the afternoon he asked Anna and me if we wanted to join him and some of his friends for dinner the following evening. Anna accepted immediately — enthusiastically answering for both of us before I had even opened my mouth. I laughed it off, but inside I wished she hadn’t volunteered me quite so quickly.

Because I already had plans.

I rushed back to the hotel to get ready for the evening with Jaime. I’m still not even sure if I should call it a date. The whole situation feels too undefined for that word. Still, I found myself wondering what kind of restaurant he might choose, whether the evening would be formal or casual, and what exactly he had planned.

At 6:45 my phone buzzed with a message from him.

He was on his way.

Almost immediately after that another message appeared — from Daniel — asking if I wanted to meet later for drinks. I stared at the message for a moment and couldn’t help noticing something. He texted. If he really wanted to see me, why not call? Maybe that’s unfair, but the difference stood out.

I told him I couldn’t tonight. Which technically wasn’t a lie.

I went down to the lobby and a few minutes later saw Jaime walking in through the front doors.

I have to admit I was a little surprised when I saw him.

He was wearing jeans, boots, a jacket, a white shirt… and a cowboy hat, which he removed casually as he stepped into the building. That alone caught me off guard. At the same time, I couldn’t help thinking he looked very handsome — distinguished in a way that’s hard to explain.

He’s also shorter than anyone I’ve ever gone out with before.

But then again… was this even “going out”?

The thought crossed my mind almost immediately.

He walked over, looked at me for a moment, and then started laughing.

I immediately felt embarrassed. I had spent the entire afternoon getting ready and here he was laughing at the sight of me.

He noticed right away and apologized, explaining that he laughs for strange reasons sometimes. Then he added that I looked more than beautiful, which settled my nerves.

“Let’s go,” he said. “We have an appointment.”

An appointment?

I had been expecting dinner.

Instead he drove us to a gun range.

The moment I realized where we were, I burst out laughing.

He looked at me, slightly confused.

“Why are you laughing?”

“Because now I understand why you were laughing at the hotel,” I said.

I gestured toward my outfit — the dress, the heels, the whole carefully planned evening look.

“I am completely overdressed for a gun range.”

I reached over and gave him a light, affectionate hit on the shoulder.

“You should have told me.”

He smiled.

“No,” he said. “You look like a Bond girl.”

That made me laugh even harder.

And honestly, the whole thing turned out to be incredibly fun. No boring dinner and a movie, no predictable small talk. Just something completely different. My dad had taught me how to shoot when I was younger, but this felt like a completely different experience.

Afterward we drove around town for a while, and this time I kept my promise.

I let him talk.

He told me about his life, his work, the places he’s lived and traveled. Every once in a while he would ask me questions about stories I had told him the first time we went out.

What surprised me most was that he remembered everything.

At one point I decided to test him a little. I asked him what color my eyes were.

He laughed loudly.

“Yes, you have a nice set of…” he paused dramatically, “…but your eyes are hazel.”

Then he added, “So you know I’m not gay, but I am interested in who Jess is and what she’s all about.”

I laughed too, but inside I felt strangely relieved.

Later I asked him if he had a wife.

He immediately asked why I was so interested in those things and whether I was sizing him up for marriage.

I turned completely red.

The strange thing about him is that he says things very directly, yet somehow it never feels offensive. It’s almost as if he can see exactly what I’m thinking, but he never crosses the line.

When we returned to the hotel I decided to test him again and asked if he wanted to come up to my room to talk.

He said he preferred the lobby.

Because he was concerned I might take advantage of him.

I have to admit, he passed that test with flying colors.

Interestingly, he still never answered the question about whether he has a wife.

Which of course leaves me wondering.

While we were sitting there Daniel texted me again. Jaime saw the name appear on my phone but didn’t comment. I suddenly felt strangely defensive, like I had been caught doing something wrong. I tried to explain that Daniel tends to think very highly of himself.

Jaime simply said I didn’t need to explain anything.

Eventually he had to leave. He walked me to the elevator and stood there waiting until the doors closed.

And I’m still not sure what any of this means.

He isn’t hitting on me like any man I’ve ever met before.

After I got back to my room I texted him and asked when we could go back to the range. We ended up chatting for almost another hour — although if I’m honest, it was mostly me doing the texting.

There’s something I keep wanting to ask him.

The question sitting right on the edge of my mind.

What exactly does Jaime want from me… and why does it feel like he’s in no hurry to answer it?