19. Monday, Monday
Monday, Monday
She hadn’t expected to see them already at work.
When she stepped out of the elevator, the normal Monday morning stillness greeted her as usual.
But when she walked past Alex’s office, she did a double-take as she glanced through the glass wall.
Alex was at their desk, shoulders hunched, staring at their computer.
No one else was in the room as far as she could tell and it didn’t appear they were talking on the phone.
In fact, they weren’t moving much at all.
Her eyes were immediately drawn to Alex’s office door.
It was closed. Like Cassie, Alex often came into the office earlier than the rest of the staff but rarely worked with the door shut unless they were in a meeting.
Cassie hesitated for half a second before continuing past the office.
She should apologize for Saturday. But they didn’t look too receptive at the moment and the closed door seemed like an obvious message that they didn’t want to talk to anyone.
By the time Kellan arrived a little later, Cassie had settled into her work, but the closed office door still nagged at her. As Kellan passed by on their way to their office, Cassie couldn’t help but ask, “Do you know what’s up with Alex?”
Kellan raised an eyebrow, glancing at the office door before shrugging. “No clue. I haven’t spoken with them since Friday. Maybe they are working on something and need the quiet.”
“Maybe.” Cassie nodded but still felt uneasy.
Alex’s door remained closed throughout the morning and into lunch.
The energy in the office felt different, or maybe it was just her guilt seeping into everything.
Either way, by the time lunch rolled around, Cassie found herself agreeing to grab a bite with Kellan.
It was something they hadn’t done in weeks, not since Kellan and Alex started working closely together on the expansion project.
When Kellan suggested they go to the Kafe K instead of the one in the lobby, Cassie wondered if they had figured out what was going on. Then Kellan asked for them to be seated inside. On a beautiful summer day. Something was definitely amiss.
The server arrived at their table, handing them menus and taking their drink orders before stepping away.
Cassie barely glanced at her, she already knew what she wanted, but it gave her something to fidget with as she studied Kellan across the table.
They were tense, but not in the same way they had been over the past several weeks when they’d been keeping secrets.
This was different. Cassie could see it in the way Kellan tapped a finger against the edge of their menu, their brows drawn together slightly in thought.
“You’re worried too,” Cassie said, keeping her voice low .
Kellan exhaled. “I mean… yeah. It’s weird, right? Alex hasn’t come out of their office all day. I thought maybe they were catching up on something, but I don’t know.”
Cassie hesitated, tracing the condensation on her water glass. “Do you think it’s because of Saturday?”
Before Kellan could answer, their server returned, dropping off their drinks and taking their food order. Alone again, Kellan looked at her, considering. “I honestly don’t know. I guess it’s possible.”
Cassie stirred her iced tea with her straw, staring at the swirling liquid instead of looking at Kellan. Finally, she sighed. “I think our talk yesterday made me feel even guiltier about how I played on Saturday.”
Kellan didn’t say anything right away, just let Cassie sit with it. Eventually, they leaned back in their chair. “And?”
Grunting, Cassie rubbed her temples. “I feel like a total asshole, Kellan.”
“Okay, well, that’s new.” Kellan blinked at her.
Cassie shook her head. “I mean it… God, I can’t stop thinking about it. About how I played. About how I treated them. It’s one thing to be competitive and try to get under their skin. But that was…” she exhaled sharply, “fuck. I’m so embarrassed.”
Kellan sat back, crossing their arms. “I’m guessing you really didn’t think it all the way through…?”
“It’s just when I look at them, I see… red.
I can feel the anger building. Rational thought…
just disappears. But…” Cassie shook her head, sighing.
“When I think of the Alex I met before everything—I remember how sweet they were. Opening doors for me. That night at the beach. How shy and nervous and ridiculously cute they were before we kissed—”
“WAIT?!?” Kellan yelped, white-knuckling the table. “W, T and F! You kissed and I’m just now finding out about it. Details. Now. Go,” they said, crossing their arms as they leaned back against their chair.
“Focus Kell. I’m having a moment here.”
“You and me both, sister,” Kellen replied, their eyes narrowing. “Fine. But we are definitely coming back to this at some point.”
Cassie dropped her chin to her chest. “You’re not going to make this easy on me, are you?”
Kellan smirked. “Would it help if I did?”
Cassie groaned, leaning back in her seat. “No.”
As their food arrived, the conversation drifted to less stressful topics—a blessed reprieve from the strain of the last several days.
As they made their way back to the office, Kellan shoved their hands into their pockets. An indication that the break from reality was over. “I’ll try to ask after the staff meeting. At least then, they have to come out of their office.”
Cassie nodded, but the pit in her stomach returned in full force.
***
The conference room was already half full when Cassie and Kellan walked in, the usual pre-meeting chatter filling the space.
Cassie took her seat, her eyes drifting toward the door as she waited for Alex to appear.
So far, their office door had stayed firmly shut all day, and she wasn’t the only one who had noticed.
“Is it weird that I’m a little nervous?” Kellan muttered as they settled into the chair next to her.
Cassie shot them a look. “You? Nervous? I thought that was my job. ”
Kellan shrugged, but their usual easygoing demeanor was absent. “I don’t know, it’s just... it’s not like I’ve known them that long either.”
Before she could say anything else, Alex walked in, a folder in hand, their expression unreadable. The low hum of conversation didn’t exactly stop, but it did shift. Cassie wasn’t the only one who noticed something was off.
Alex looked fine—put together as always in their usual business-casual style—but their expression was tight, their shoulders drawn in a little too much.
They gave a small nod to the room, then took a seat at the head of the table without a word.
No offhand comments, no lighthearted quips to ease the tension. Just a quiet, controlled presence.
Cassie frowned. Alex wasn’t an open book by any means, but they weren’t like this. Even when things were tense between them, Alex still made an effort. Today, though? It was like they were moving through the motions, like something was weighing them down.
Kellan leaned over slightly. “Okay, yeah. Something’s definitely up.”
Cassie barely nodded, her focus locked on Alex.
Alex cleared their throat, and the meeting came to order.
They moved through the agenda in a smooth, professional manner, their tone even and controlled, but Cassie couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off.
Usually, Alex engaged more, asked follow-up questions, gave small nods of encouragement when someone spoke.
Today, they were efficient to a fault, sticking to the script, moving from one topic to the next without pause.
Cassie found herself barely listening. She kept glancing at Alex, trying to read past the perfectly neutral expression. Was this about Saturday? About how she had played against them? Did she push too hard? Was Alex hurt? Or was it something else entirely ?
A quick shift beside her drew her attention. Kellan was fidgeting with their pen, their fingers tapping a restless rhythm against their notepad.
They were nervous too.
As the meeting progressed, Cassie couldn’t shake the tension coiling in her stomach. And she had a feeling Kellan was already preparing to follow through on their plan to find out what was really going on as soon as the meeting ended.
The meeting continued with updates and discussions moving along at a steady pace.
Alex kept things efficient, occasionally chiming in with pointed questions or nodding along to key points.
But their usual quiet charm was absent, replaced by a stiff, almost mechanical demeanor.
They barely looked up from their notes, and when they spoke, it was clipped and to the point.
As the final agenda item wrapped up, Alex glanced at the clock and straightened in their chair. “Anything else?” they asked, their tone brisk.
A beat of silence followed. No one had even taken a breath to respond before Alex said, “Great, thanks, everyone.” Without waiting for the usual murmurs of agreement or final words, they stood, tucked the folder under their arm, and strode out of the room before anyone else had even pushed back their chairs.
Kellan blinked, thrown by the speed of Alex’s exit.
They were seated on the opposite side of the conference table from the door, meaning it would take them longer to get out.
By the time they grabbed their things and stepped out the door, Alex was already back in their office with the door shut. Again.
Cassie, who had been only a few steps behind Kellan, caught up to them almost immediately. She looked at Kellan, then at the closed door, and then back at Kellan again, her brows knitting together .
“What the hell was that?” Cassie muttered.
“I have no idea,” Kellan admitted, frustration creeping into their voice. “They barely gave anyone a chance to say anything before bolting.”
Cassie let out a breath, rubbing the back of her neck. “This is getting weird.”
Kellan glanced around as the rest of the staff returned to their desks, then nodded toward the break room. “Come on.” Stepping inside, Kellan folded their arms, leaning against the counter.
“So what do we do?” Cassie asked in a hushed but animated voice.
Kellan shook their head. “I don’t know, but something’s up.”
Cassie exhaled sharply, drumming her fingers on the counter. “It’s like they’re avoiding everyone. Avoiding me. Avoiding you. Hell, even avoiding work. They’ve had their door shut all damn day. That’s not like them.”
Kellan frowned. “No, it’s not. And after Saturday…” They hesitated, choosing their words carefully. “You think it’s about that?”
Cassie pressed her lips together, looking down at the coffee cup in her hands. “I don’t know. I mean, maybe? But if it was just about that, wouldn’t they at least talk to you?”
Kellan sighed. “Yeah, you’d think.”
They stood there for a moment, both stewing in their own frustrations and concerns. Finally, Cassie straightened. “Alright. You said you were gonna try to talk to them, right? After the meeting?”
Kellan nodded. “That was the plan. Didn’t expect them to sprint out like that.”
“Maybe, you just need to knock on their door?”
Kellan let out a slow breath, rubbing the back of their neck. “Yeah, I guess I could just do that. ”
Cassie crossed her arms. “What’s the worst that happens? They don’t answer?”
Kellan hesitated, glancing toward the hallway that led to Alex’s office. “Or they do answer, and I get the verbal equivalent of a door slammed in my face.”
Cassie frowned. “You really think they’d do that?”
Kellan tilted their head. “I don’t know, Cass. They looked ready to climb out the window just to avoid us. Whatever’s going on, it’s not nothing.”
Cassie sighed. She wasn’t sure what she expected, but the pit in her stomach wasn’t getting any smaller. “Then I guess you better go find out.”
Kellan took a deep breath, then nodded. “Alright. Here goes nothing. If I’m not out in thirty minutes, send in the cavalry. Or call 911. Just don’t let me die in there alone.” They took another deep breath… then another. “Yup, here I go.”
Cassie watched as Kellan squared their shoulders and headed toward Alex’s office, leaving her standing in the break room, still unsure what exactly she was hoping Kellan would find out.