Chapter Twenty-Five
I ’ d officially been living with my new best friend for eleven days, twenty hours, and thirteen minutes. Give or take a minute.
I poured myself a glass of sweetened iced tea and glanced out the back kitchen window. Things were going way more smoothly than I ever could’ve imagined. Considering I wanted to rip off his clothes and lick him every chance I got.
I watched the neighbor kids play on their swing set for a while, waiting for Stephen to get home. I’d missed him at work since he’d been gone in meetings all day. I walked in the door ten minutes ago, and I’d hoped he’d be close behind.
I put my empty glass in the sink and wondered what to do about dinner. I could either reheat our leftovers from the night before or just wait to eat when I was out. I wasn’t sure if Stephen would be up for going, but I was planning on meeting everyone from work later.
“Honey, I’m home. ”
My face cracked with a wide smile. I hadn’t been sure how things were going to play out both working and living together, but so far, so good. We still drove separately, and no one was the wiser. It was a huge deal to me that we were the only two who knew about our completely innocent arrangement. As far as FiTech was concerned, I was still at Sam’s.
I walked into the family room. “Hey, there. How was….” I could see the tension lining his eyes. “What’s wrong?”
He rubbed his hands up and down his face. “Shitty day. I found out I have to lay off a few people on my team back in corporate. I’ve never had to do that before, and I feel sick about it.”
“Oh, Stephen. I’m so sorry.” I knew he oversaw seven people in his particular department; that’d be wiping out almost half of them.
“I know it’s just a few and some areas have it worse, but.…”
“But these are still people you know. They’re not just faceless numbers. It must be tearing you apart to be the one who has to tell them.”
“Yeah,” he said in a voice that broke my heart.
Without giving it a second thought, I wrapped my arms around him, startling both of us. It seemed odd that we’d never hugged before in all this time, but there hadn’t been a purpose for it. We’d never gotten this close before; the only body parts that’d ever connected were our hands.
It took a moment, but he returned the hug, squeezing me tighter. I couldn’t breathe. Not because he was holding me so hard, but because the sheer act of our bodies touching left me unable to function.
He trailed his hand up to my hair, running his fingers through, tugging it gently. I was vibrating so fast, I was dizzy. It felt so amazing, I was afraid to open my eyes. It couldn’t be real. Nothing should feel this erotic with clothes still between us.
“Thank you,” he whispered right before he pulled away.
The lack of contact left me feeling like I’d been slammed to the ground. I craved it back. I was still throbbing and needed more.
I was so screwed.
I took a breath, inhaling deeply. I’d taken a simple hug and turned it into a sexual experience. I’d gotten fucking wet from a hug .
Get your shit together, Perry . All it’d take was one slip-up, one moment of weakness to end us as I knew it. I needed him in my life too badly to let that happen. But dammit! Friends should be able to comfort each other safely without fear of combusting. I’d have to work on that.
“You okay?” he asked.
“Yep.” I walked to the bathroom to do a quick mirror check. Nice. My face resembled a sunburned cherry. I brushed through my hair, ignoring the fact that his hands were just buried in it. “Hey, are you going out tonight?”
“At first I was going to pass, but it’d probably be a good distraction.”
I came out with a big smile. “Great. You need one. It’s not your fault you were put in this crappy situation. Why can’t the people who made the decision be the ones who do the firing? It doesn’t seem fair.”
“That’s the way it works, Perry.”
“Well, it sucks.”
“Do you know what else I found out today?”
I slipped on my shoes, glancing up. “What?”
“Krismer is coming back. His wife’s doing much better.”
“Oh. That’s… great news about his wife.” My stomach started sinking. “When?”
“There’s not a set date yet. Could be one week, could be four.”
I nodded. I knew the day was coming, but I never thought it’d be that big of a deal when it arrived. I did see him every night, after all. But then again, my sleepovers wouldn’t last forever either, and once they ended, I wondered just how much I’d see him. It didn’t matter how close I thought Stephen and I were at the moment. I also considered Stu one of my closest friends, but I barely saw him anymore now that he was in his honeymoon phase with Kenny. What if Stephen found a woman he wanted to spend all his time with? The possibility felt like dry ice in my veins, and it hurt. A lot.
I mentally slapped myself. Did I want to spend the rest of that time crying in my peach daiquiri, or did I want to be happy? I chose happy.
“At least you won’t have to deal with us slackers anymore when you’re gone.” I elbowed him playfully. “Especially that long-haired brunette. I heard she has a real problem following the HR handbook. Did you know she fraternizes with tight-ass bosses?”
“All right.” He smiled. “Let’s go.”
“About time.” I slung my purse over my shoulder. “I’m growing old here.”
“Do you want to ride together?”
I shook my head. “I don’t want anyone to see us.”
He sighed. “Should I wait in the parking lot a half hour before coming in too?”
“No, that’s crazy. Ten minutes will be long enough.” He snatched his keys off the counter, mumbling something, but I was already heading for the door. “See you soon,” I called out.
When I arrived at the Brewhouse, Kate and Adam were already there saving me a seat. I gave them each a hug, making a note that it was indeed possible to make friendly contact without dissolving into a puddle. I pulled over another chair from the next table.
“Stephen’s coming later,” I said.
Kate raised her eyebrows. “And how do you know that?”
“I ran into him today and asked if he was coming, that’s all.”
She leaned over the table towards Adam. “I think Perry and Bossman have a little somethin’ somethin’ going on. What do you think?”
“I think I’m jealous. Every time I flirt with him, he just turns me down.” He fluttered his eyelashes at me. “What’s your secret? ”
“For starters,” Kate said, “she’s dickless.”
I pushed them both on the shoulders, half-annoyed, half-amused. “All right, you guys. Stop it. That’s enough.”
“At least tell me how he likes his eggs in the morning. Maybe I can surprise him with breakfast in bed.”
Over-easy . I grasped Kate’s arm. “Ooh, I almost forgot! How was your interview today?”
“I think it went well, but you never know. I’ll just have to wait and see.”
Kate had left work early to interview with a different position in the company. It was a step up with better pay, and I was crossing my fingers for her. But at the same time, I’d really miss her if she left.
“Ah, you’ll get it,” Adam said. “And then pretty soon it’ll just be you and me, brown eyes.”
“There are other people in the room, Adam.”
“Yeah, but no one else puts up with me the way you two do.”
“I can’t imagine why,” Kate said.
I scooted off my chair. “I’m going to order some food. Anyone want anything?”
After they declined, I went up to the bar to place an order. I picked a menu off the counter and scanned through it, my mind wandering to what Kate had said. Was it obvious that Stephen and I were closer? He was usually in his office, and when I did interact with him, I tried to keep it business as usual, but maybe that was the problem? I could be acting too professional and throwing up red flags.
I shook it off and decided on the chicken sandwich with fries. I was about to call over the bartender when I heard an irritating-as-shit voice directly behind me.
“Kendra in accounting told me about the company-wide cuts they’re going to be doing soon. It’ll probably start on Monday.”
“Damn, really? I didn’t hear anything about that.”
“Yeah, and it’s just wrong, man. You know they’re only axing people to fatten their own wallets. I bet the department heads are blowing a load right now, just thinking about giving them their pink slips. The sooner they’re let go, the sooner the managers and all the greedy bastards above them can start wiping their asses with Benjamins and—”
“Shut the fuck up.” I spun around and pointed a finger at Matt. I couldn’t stand there and listen anymore.
“Look, it’s New Girl.”
“You need to stop making up shit just to hear yourself talk. I want to stick a stiletto in my ear.”
“What’s your deal? You’re even farther down on the totem pole than I am.”
“My deal is people like you who go around spewing garbage. You have no idea what you’re talking about.”
He smirked. “Is that right? Maybe you should enlighten me, then.”
I thought about Stephen and how devastated he looked knowing he’d have to be the one to break the news. It was eating him up inside, not making him want to fucking go jack off. I was pissed as hell.
“What, just because someone makes more money than you that automatically makes them a heartless asshole? How the fuck can you think that anyone would be happy about having to tell someone they no longer have a job? You’re the heartless asshole.”
His smirk expanded. “Nope, still not enlightened. Maybe you’d have a better shot if you explained it to me while horizontal.”
I flipped him off. What a fucking jerk. It was useless speaking my mind with him; it only seemed to make him horny.
“Is there a problem here?”
I spun around to Stephen, jaw tight and eyes blazing. He looked ready to pummel Matt into the ground. Shit, he needed to simmer down. It wouldn’t be good for him to start something with an employee .
“No, it’s fine,” I said. “Matt had some wrong information. I was just correcting him.”
“I heard.”
Stephen continued to stare him down until Matt threw up his hands. “Listen to the woman. It’s all cool.”
“I don’t ever want to hear you talking to her that way again.”
“Hey, New Girl, call off your dog, would you? I already said it was cool.” He walked away shaking his head.
“That wasn’t necessary, Stephen. You’re going to get yourself in trouble.” Fortunately, Matt didn’t appear like he’d read more into the situation. I didn’t need him spreading shit about me sleeping with my boss or something.
“Let me decide what’s necessary.”
“I just care what happens to you. He’s not worth it.”
His face softened. I flashed back to our embrace and the blood started rushing again. I turned towards the bar. “I’m ordering some food. Want anything?”
“No, I’m good.”
When I turned around again, he was gone, sitting at our table. I blew out a puff of relief. Unfortunately, Kate would read a lot into it, and I didn’t want to give her more stories to devour. The longer Stephen stayed up at the bar with me, the more chances for her to assume.
I placed my order, then went back to the table. Stephen and Alex were deep in conversation, and Kate quickly pulled me aside.
I was about to give my regular spiel of There’s nothing going on with Stephen and me, so stop talking about it when she said, “Don’t freak out, but isn’t that your ex over there?” She pointed towards the restaurant side of the room at a man who was either Dre or his doppelganger. I groaned. “I’ll take that as a yes, then.”
“Fuck.” I didn’t think he’d noticed me yet, and I wanted to keep it that way. We still had nothing to say to each other. He was eating with a guy I remembered from the club, and as long as we stayed on our respective sides, all should be good.
“I’ll also take that ‘fuck’ to mean ‘he’d better stay the hell away from me,’ right?”
“Yeah.” As if the gods needed to get in a good laugh, Dre took that exact moment to turn his head. His eyes widened when he saw me. “Fuck,” I said a bit louder.
“What’s going on?” Adam asked. Both he and Stephen were looking at us.
“Perry’s ex-kinda boyfriend is here, and she’s not too happy about it.”
Adam jumped off his seat. “Ex? Well, why didn’t you say that before?” He came around to me and practically hopped in my lap, whispering in my ear, “Let’s give him something to get jealous about. I’ll be your new boyfriend. Fuck buddy. Whatever.”
His arms were tight around my neck as he gave me exaggerated sloppy kisses all over the side of my face. “Adam!” I wiped off his spit. “That’s gross. Stop it.” But as usual, he made me giggle while I said it since he was being his normal self.
I glanced to see Stephen glaring at us from behind with Dre glaring at us in front. Kate was laughing.
“I don’t want him to be jealous, okay? So stop. All you’re doing is calling more attention over here.”
“I’m going to get a drink,” Stephen said, pushing away from the table.
Dre got up. Dammit . Adam slid off me but kept his arm slung around my shoulders. Dre was coming over. “Dammit, Adam. Now look. I don’t want to talk to him.”
“As your new man, I’ll handle it.”
As Dre approached, I almost laughed at how absurd it was. Both guys had slept with Christa. Maybe they could compare notes afterwards. I noticed Stephen at the bar. Thank fuck he hadn’t taken a turn.
“Can I talk to you a sec, Perry?”
Adam yanked me closer. “No.”
“Who the fuck are you?”
I smacked my hand over Adam’s mouth to keep it shut. I hadn’t recalled buying any front row seats to a pissing match, and I didn’t want to see one.
“No, I don’t want to talk to you, Dre. I already told you not to contact me, and I need you to leave now.”
He actually shocked the hell out of me when he did. The way he shot death glares at Adam, I thought for sure he’d instigate something. Instead, he didn’t even go back to his table but stormed out the main door.
“Man, what is it with you women and scary motherfuckers? I wouldn’t want to meet him in a dark alley.”
“Then why’d you start something!”
“Because I said I would handle it.”
Kate squished his cheeks with her fingers and shook. “Adam. Sweetie. Do you really want to make Perry feel bad when she has to help scrape your body off the floor?”
“Wait,” I said. “Where did Stephen go?” He was no longer at the bar.
Adam shrugged. “He said he was getting a drink.”
“Yeah, but I don’t see him anymore.”
“Aww, don’t worry, you’ll make it.” Kate patted my arm. “He’ll be back soon.”
“No, it’s not that….” I scanned the whole area, then waited a bit longer to see if he was just in the restroom. After still no luck, I started to get a weird feeling. “Hey, guys? I need to take off. If I’m not back, someone can have my food.”
I was walking away from the table when I heard Kate say, “What’s that all about? ”
“It looks like Perry has found herself a new complication.”
“Stephen?”
I stepped through the front door. I wasn’t sure if he was home since I didn’t check the garage; I only knew his car wasn’t at the Brewhouse.
“In here.” I went through the mudroom, kicking off my shoes along the way. “You’re home early,” he said.
“So are you.” I neared the couch and stopped cold. “Stephen!” I rushed over. He was using another ice pack, but this time on his hand.
“It’s nothing, Perry.”
I switched on the lamp and was immediately drawn to his jaw. I tilted his face towards the light. There was a slight bruise forming.
“My God, Stephen. What the hell happened?” I didn’t wait for him to answer; it was a useless question anyway. “Why did you fight Dre?”
“I was just there to talk. He was the one to throw the first punch.”
If only I’d trusted my instincts and gone searching for him right away. “But why? Why would you want to talk to him?”
“To make sure he left you the fuck alone.”
I dropped my head. “Oh, Stephen. You didn’t need to do that.”
“You can defend me, but I can’t defend you? Or maybe you’d rather have Adam do it.”
My mouth dropped. “First of all, I wasn’t defending you, per se, but all the managers.” Although, I did have Stephen in my head the entire time I was ranting. “And the comment about Adam… what the hell? We’re just friends, you know that. ”
“Friends like we’re friends?”
No . I didn’t answer. I didn’t know how to answer since I wasn’t sure exactly what was going through his mind when he’d asked.
“I’m sorry,” he finally said. “Not that it’s an excuse, but I’ve just had a really fucked-up day.”
“I’m sorry too.” I touched his jaw and he flinched. “Do you need some ice for this?”
“No, he just grazed me. It’ll be fine.”
I sighed, sitting down beside him. “I never meant you shouldn’t have defended me,” I said softly. “I… I just didn’t understand why you did it. He left right away when I asked him to.”
“He hurt you, Perry. Isn’t that enough?”
This man . “Yes, he hurt me, but Christa hurt me far, far worse. Are you planning on going after her too?” I smiled but he didn’t return it. I took his uninjured hand in mine. “But thank you. It means a lot to know I have someone looking out for me.”
“What are friends for, right?”
His voice was a bit flat, and I needed to make sure everything was good between us. “I was wondering… when we no longer see each other at work every day, and I’m no longer staying here, will we still hang out together?”
He turned his head towards me. “Do you want that?”
“Of course, I do. You’re too much a part of my life to let go.” I nudged him with my shoulder. “I consider you my best friend.”
He faced forward, leaning his head back. I gave his hand a squeeze.
“That’s what you tell me.”