7. Chapter Seven
Chapter Seven
"Hi, Mommy!" Leo waves enthusiastically from the screen of my phone, his tiny voice echoing through the quiet restroom at the park.
The moment I see him, a smile tugs at my lips.
He’s still wearing his school uniform and his voices sounds a little muffled, like he’s chewing on something. And from the dark crumbs on his fingers, I can tell that Jasmine made him some cupcakes.
“Hi, baby. How was school today?”
“We played on the swings!” He tells me. “And aunty Jasmine gave me cupcakes.”
“That’s good,” I say, leaning against the sink. “You sound like you had fun. Mommy’s having fun at work too.”
His lips form a sad pout. “Why does Mommy have to work so long?”
I drag my fingers across his cheek on the screen, wishing I could physically touch him instead.
“So, Mommy can get you whatever you want.” And so you won’t ever have to go back to your father’s place again. “I’ll be back soon, I promise. For now, make sure you don’t give aunty Jasmine any trouble. Okay?”
He nods and waves goodbye to me. Then Jasmine’s face replaces his on the screen.
“I’m sorry this was impromptu. I just got really caught up with work, so I had no other choice.”
Jasmine pulls a funny face. “Are you seriously apologizing for me babysitting Leo or for doing your job?”
“Both I guess.”
“Sometimes I think you forget that we basically had this child together,” my best friend says. “Leo is just as much as my child as he is yours. I always look forward to spending time with him.”
She’s right about me forgetting sometimes. When Ethan pulled his abandonment card on me just when Leo was due to be born, Jasmine was the one who took his place and remained by my side every step of the way.
She’s the one thing in my life that has remained constant. And even though I may not say it every day, I’m always grateful to have her in my life.
“Thanks, Jas.” But then I hear a bark from the background, followed by Leo’s giggle. “Is there a dog in my apartment?”
“Right,” Jasmine smiles sheepishly. “I forgot to mention that. Matt wanted me to dog sit King as well, so here we are. And honestly, I’ve never seen two creatures bond faster than Leo and King have, so it’s all good over here.”
I resist the urge to roll my eyes.
Great. Each time I think of devising ways to push Matthew farther away from my life, he always succeeds in ruining my plans before I even put them to action.
“I also met Ethan at Leo’s school,” she adds.
I stand straighter with a frown. It’s not his turn to be with Leo until the next few days, so his presence bothers me. “What did he want?”
“I’m not sure,” Jasmine answers. “He was leaving when I arrived. I met him saying something to Leo, but it was over by the time I came. As usual, he had something unintelligible to say about my appearance before leaving.”
“Did Leo say anything to you?”
She shakes her head. “I asked him, but he said, and I quote, ‘Daddy came to say hi’.”
Worry pierces into me. “That’s probably what Ethan told him to say if anyone asked.”
“How’s the custody suit going? Any progress?”
I pick at the loose thread at the hem of my shirt. “It’s…the same way it was. Slow and winding. I’ll update you if something comes up.”
That’s only a tiny fraction of what’s really happening.
I’ve been trying not to think about the fact that Ethan recently got some hotshot lawyer to represent him and that they are intentionally delaying proceedings to gain some leverage over me.
On the other hand, my lawyer has been subtly demanding for more money now that Ethan’s new lawyer is involved.
I refuse to tell my best friend that I’ve been struggling not to let anxiety eat me up, because I need to look strong for Leo.
I refuse to tell her about my recent plans to reconnect with the family that kicked me out five years ago.
I refuse to let her know these things because no matter how long we’ve been friends, I hate to burden her with my problems.
She has enough problems on her own, and I shouldn’t be selfish enough to compound hers with mine.
Jasmine nods and blows kisses at the phone. “Alright then. Don’t wear yourself out at work. See you soon.”
After the call, I close my eyes for a moment and try to gather my thoughts together. I can’t figure out what Ethan must have told Leo, but it really bothers me.
If it were any other mother, they wouldn’t have to be this worried that the father of her kid stopped by his school.
But I know Ethan well enough to conclude that something’s up. He’s like a machine, always doing things with purpose.
His random visit to Leo at school wasn’t an accident or coincidence. He was there for a reason. It's a reason I can’t point my finger at it.
I look like a damsel in distress in the mirror. My brows are knitted tightly, and a fraction of my upper teeth are stained with lipstick from biting down on my lip repeatedly.
I remind myself to focus since I’m at work. So, I reapply my lipstick and lightly slap my cheeks to add color.
I slip out of the bathroom and join my friends for a late lunch at the company’s café.
“Hey,” Allison waves me over to their table. Matteo and Heather are there as well, while Lennox flirts with a lady at the door.
“Hey,” I greet as I take a seat next to her. She slides me my usual coffee order and I smile gratefully.
“Lennox and I almost never get to see you these days,” Heather playfully complains. “We used to share an office but now we’re three floors apart.”
Matteo makes a heartbreak symbol with his fingers. “Working on the campaign is more stressful than any of us thought it would be.”
Allison agrees with a sigh. “I already can’t wait for it to be over. I don’t know how much longer I can last with Hailey and Matthew’s bickering at the office.”
My jaw drops but Matteo speaks before I can.
“I think it’s a little cute. Hailey rarely gets flustered by anyone. And then Matthew enters the picture and she’s a flustered mess.”
I turn to Heather with a scoff. “That’s not true. I could care less about what he does.”
“I meant it when I called him a walking sex god,” Heather grins. “He’s like the company’s Brad Pitt. All the women in my office fawn over him.”
“It sucks a little,” Lennox’s voice suddenly comes in as he completes our group at the table. He gestures towards the lady he just spoke to. “I just got cock-blocked by him and he wasn’t even there.”
“Can’t blame them,” Allison laughs. “He’s one hell of a beautiful man. He’s hot, smart, and good with words. He’s the total package.”
Matteo leans back in his chair. “Too bad he only has eyes for Hailey.”
“Right?” she admits. “I thought I was the only one who saw that. They’ve got this heated chemistry, Heather. It’s insane.”
“The most probable solution to this tension is simple,” Heather says, leaning forward like she’s about to tell us a secret. “You should fuck him.”
I try not to spit out my coffee.
“Agreed.” Lennox. “Sex solves everything.”
No, it doesn’t. I have firsthand experience with this same man in question, and it makes everything worse. But of course, I can’t tell them that.
Allison hums while Matteo laughs. “I mean, if you think about it…”
“Hey,” I say calmly. “Let’s remember where we are, okay? We shouldn’t say such abominable things at work.”
“What’s abominable about sleeping with a hot man who clearly wants you?”
“I’m not going to sleep with a man who’s vying for the same position as me, thank you very much,” I say firmly. Not again.
Lennox boos and I roll my eyes.
“Besides, he doesn’t want me. He just likes to step on my toes every chance he gets. I’m old enough to know when I have a crush on a man.”
Matteo nudges my shoulder with a mischievous glint in his eyes. “No one said anything about you liking him.”
I glare at him and the rest of them laugh at me. Well, that was a trap I didn’t see coming.
“Speak of the devil and he will always appear.”
Matthew walks in with our secretary behind him. They’re engrossed in a conversation as they make their way towards the shortest queue at the counter.
It’s either he’s unaware of the attention he naturally pulls from the people in the café or he’s just immune to it.
“Man, look at him go,” Lennox frowns. “Of course, it’s going to be hard to compete with the likes of him.”
“Hey, your time will come,” Heather laughs. “I mean it’s not every day you get to see a former star football player casually getting coffee as a normal employee.”
“I used to be at the edge of my seat when his face showed up on the screen,” Allison says. “He looked even hotter in a helmet.”
“Okay, enough talk about the man I share an office with,” I say, looking away from him. “I don’t think my brain can take one more mention of Matthew Pierce again.”
***
No one tells you just how hard it is to avoid your next door neighbor. It’s hard enough that I have to share an office with him five days in a week.
But running into him in the very place where I’m supposed to have a semblance of peace is slowly driving me crazy.
It was for us to mind our businesses when we weren’t co-workers. Life was simpler before Matthew and I had sex. Life wasn’t this complicated when I felt nothing but spite for him.
But now, whether I admit it to myself or not, things are slowly becoming different. So much so that my work friends have started to endlessly tease me about it.
I blame the sex. If we hadn’t given in to lust that night, we would still be at each other’s throats as it should be.
We’re still at each other’s throats. It’s just different now. Now, I constantly fight the urge either piss him off or kiss him senselessly.
And that’s bad. Really bad.
I shouldn’t be attracted to Matthew Pierce. Not in any way at all.
He’s not my type. He’s an egoistic man-whore with a stupid smirk I always want to slap off his face.
But God is he good-looking. He’s so tall and so strong and so pleasing to look at.
He’s also an unbelievably great kisser. And there’s the mind-blowing sex.
I keep thinking about it even though I tell myself not to. Even though it only happened once. Even though it shouldn’t have happened.