Chapter 19
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Ashley
I drummed my fingers on the table and checked my phone for the one hundredth time.
Chase was only ten minutes late. I told myself to stop stressing. He'd be here. He said he would. So far, he hadn't given me any reason to think he wouldn't do what he said.
Still, it wasn't like him to be late.
The man behind the counter gave me a look, then his eyes swivelled toward the sign which read, 'tables are for customers only.'
Okay, point taken.
Slightly red from embarrassment, I got up and moved over to the counter.
"Can I get a skinny cappuccino, please?" I tried to smile, but it felt more like a grimace.
"Of course." He grinned at me, as though trying to pretend he hadn't been pissed off a minute ago. "I'll bring it over. Would you like a chocolate chip cookie with that?"
Absolutely, I thought. I totally ordered a lower fat coffee just so I could have extra calories from a cookie.
"Yes, please. That sounds good," I said.
"Great." He grinned again."Won't be long."
"Thanks." I tapped my phone to pay and went to sit back down.
Chase was now fourteen minutes late.
I checked my messages. Nothing from him. Or anyone else.
I checked my social media, to pass the time.
The story about Chase and Brandi's tragic breakup was still all over the place.
Apparently she'd told Harvey, and anyone who would listen, that Chase broke her heart.
She'd been attentive, and made an ever-growing list of sacrifices for him.
He was loving and kind and sweet at first, then he grew cold and distant.
She'd tried to keep it going, but he ended it without warning.
It would be sad if I bought a word of it. Except the part about him being sweet. That, I could imagine. If he got distant, it was because she shared her bed with someone that wasn't him.
That would put a dent in any relationship.
Thankfully, my name hadn't turned up in any of the articles I read. Not yet anyway.
I checked Kris' profile, but he hadn't updated it in days. His status still said he was in a relationship with me. It was filled with photos of us both. I scrolled through them and sighed.
Some, I felt as if they were taken only days ago.
Others… They seemed like they were photos of someone else's life.
The woman looked like me, but she didn't feel like me anymore.
The look in her eyes wasn't even familiar.
She was happy enough, but life was one, long, repetitive routine.
At the time, I liked it like that. Now, it felt dull, predictable and boring.
To be fair, the only time Kris surprised me, I found him in bed with another woman, so maybe boring wasn't so bad.
"Here you go." The barista set my coffee and cookie on the table in front of me. "Are you expecting anyone else?"
"Thank you." I checked the time. Chase was twenty minutes late. "I'm supposed to meet a friend here. I'm sure he got stuck in traffic."
"Happens all the time," the barista said. "Traffic in the city is getting worse and worse."
"It really is," I agreed. It seemed to be the case in every city, everywhere. Chase's plan of living in the country someday made more and more sense.
"Anyway, enjoy your coffee." The barista stepped away to serve someone else.
"I will." I dipped the corner of my cookie in the coffee, then nibbled on it.
Chase was now twenty-five minutes late.
I checked my phone again. Still nothing.
I started to worry he got hurt on the way.
I listened for sirens outside the open door, but heard only city traffic and people talking as they walked by.
A couple of women argued over who was better, Wolf Venom or Blazing Violet. Personally, I loved both bands.
I sipped and ate slowly. I didn't want to be finished before he came. I mean, arrived. The idea of meeting for coffee was that we drank it together. The coffee wasn't the point. Okay, it was, but the togetherness was the real point.
By the time I finished, forty minutes had passed. I realised two things. Firstly, I'd have to head back to work.
Secondly, Chase wasn't coming.
I glanced at the message I sent him with the name of the cafe, and the address. Everything was right. He couldn't say I sent him to the wrong place.
The cookie sat heavy in my stomach. Had he even intended to come? Was setting up this meeting some kind of game for him? He got what he wanted, now he didn't want to see me again? Maybe he thought I wanted to be something more than friends. He hadn't even given me the chance to tell him that.
A flare of anger made me want to throw my phone across the room. Common sense stopped me. Just.
I forced a smile as I stood and took my empty cup and plate to the counter.
The barista flashed another smile, which I barely saw before I turned and hurried out the door.
I was angry and humiliated. I shouldn't have told the barista I expected Chase to show up. He was probably having a good laugh behind my back.
I didn't look over my shoulder to see. I walked with as much dignity as I could muster until I was around the corner.
Then I sagged and cursed under my breath. I stopped and leaned against a wall for a moment to catch my breath.
Of all the people in the world who should have realised how fragile I was, Chase should have. Everything I went through, so did he. The pain, the hurt—
I sucked in a breath and thought rationally for a moment.
I hadn't had a story about me and my love life hit the internet.
For all I know, he and the team were in some kind of damage mode.
What did people like that do when these things happened?
Did they batten down the hatches, lock the doors and windows and wait out the storm?
I hadn't read anything about him speaking to the press.
As far as I knew, it was only Brandi who had.
I bit my lower lip. Did he think I'd do the same after we slept together? He should know I would never do that.
He didn't know Brandi was like that either, or they wouldn't have dated for so long.
A young kid stopped to stare at me before they hurried to catch up with their mother. I supposed I did look weird, standing beside a wall, looking as stressed out as I was.
I straightened up and headed back to work. I'd have to spend the rest of the day pretending nothing happened. I pushed Chase to the back of my mind and marched back in the side entrance used by Lacey's staff.
I walked past the publicist's department to see a handful of balloons, and staff with cake on paper plates. A sign read, 'Good luck in your new job.'
Curious, I stuck my head inside. "Who's leaving?"
"Grace is," said a man named Hank. "She got a new job."
"Oh?" I looked toward Grace, a cute brunette who always seemed to have cat hair somewhere on her. Kudos to her for being able to keep animals alive.
"Where are you going?"
Grace smiled. "I'm going to be a publicist for the Humpbacks. Can you believe it?"
My heart skipped at the mention of the team name. "Wow, that's amazing," I said as enthusiastically as I could. She'd have her work cut out for her there, that was for sure.
"Yeah, it helps to be best friends with the star quarterback's girlfriend," a woman named Trudy remarked. She didn't even try to contain her envy.
"You're friends with Bec?" I asked.
"Yeah," Grace said easily, "but that's not why I got the job." She eyed Trudy over her shoulder.
"Of course not," I said. "The Humpbacks would only hire the best." They could afford to.
"Exactly." Grace grinned. "Hard work and merit and that's all."
Trudy grunted and turned away.
There was always someone ready to spoil things for other people.
"Congratulations," I said nicely. "I'm sure they'll keep you busy over there."
"Without a doubt," she agreed. "But I'm looking forward to the challenge."
"Great." I gave her a smile and ducked back out of the room to leave them to their celebration.
I flopped down at my desk and opened the sandwich I didn't get to eat yesterday, but had shoved in a drawer instead. It was squashed, but more or less edible.
I bit and chewed, but hardly tasted it.
"How did it go?" Mel asked. Her head appeared over the partition.
I jumped in fright.
She laughed while I glared.
"He didn't show." I wasn't going to admit that until the words were out of my mouth. Once they were, I couldn't take them back.
Mel frowned. "That's not okay. Did he say why?"
"I haven't heard from him." I couldn't keep from sounding cranky.
I was pissed. More than that, I was hurt.
I hadn't been on the receiving end of a guy who slept with a woman, then totally ignored them before.
I remembered my own reasoning about him being busy, but he could have picked up a phone.
At worst, he could have had someone else contact me.
Bec, or Bernice perhaps? I had a feeling Bernice would have his kneecaps if he really did stand me up.
She could get in line.
I sagged against the back of my chair. Was it really that big a deal? Sleeping with him was a mistake. That was all I planned to say to him. No way I was going to tell him I was in love with him. I'd sooner give up choc-choc-chip ice cream and coffee.
"I thought he was one of the nice ones, from what you said." Mel placed her hands on the partition and frowned.
"I thought so, but I was wrong. He's just as bad as the rest of them.
" I might just swear off men forever. Who needed them anyway?
I had my vibrator, and science was ready if I wanted children.
I could unblock a toilet and change the tyres on my car.
Men were a complication I didn't need. Besides, they involved far too much farting under the bed covers, and drinking milk from the bottle.
Hard pass on both.
"Awww, I'm sorry he was a dud," Mel said. "Not all men are bad."
"Just the ones I know," I grumbled.
"I'm pretty sure Hank from publicity has a thing for you," Mel said with a sly smile.
I grimaced. "Hank is older than my father." I had no problem with age gaps, but I couldn't imagine Hank getting my heart racing like Chase did. Like Kris used to.
"Older guys know how to treat a girl," Mel said.
"I'll keep that in mind," I said dryly. I should keep an open mind. A boring life might be just what I need. I wasn't quite ready to surrender to it yet though. Not when I'd just come to realise I needed a bit more excitement than choosing which movie to watch on a Friday night.
"What are you going to do?" Mel asked for a moment or two. "About Chase, I mean. You're not going to let him get away with standing you up?"
"Shouldn't you be telling me, as my friend, to forget about him and move on?" I asked.
Mel shrugged. "I know a woman with the hots for a guy when I see one. I'm sure whatever you decide, will be the right choice."
"Yeah." I wish I was so sure about that.