Chapter 8 – Nalia
Eight
NALIA
Sitting in my home office with my laptop open, I slide through the spreadsheet on the screen while I go over the hours that were turned in by the guys who work for Bax and Talon.
If there were one thing I wish I could avoid every week, it would be payroll.
Only because I have to double-check each and every single person’s hours and calculate overtime if they have any, then double-check to make sure things are correct before I send the information over to the accountant.
It doesn’t sound like a big deal, but it’s time-consuming and usually takes me all day to get done.
While I’m clicking away on my calculator, my cell phone beeps with a message, and I glance over at my phone that is sitting face up on the top of my desk.
Cole
Hey, sorry I missed your call last night; I’ll try to call you this afternoon if I have time.
Dragging in a deep breath, I focus back on my computer rather than the annoyance that has settled in the pit of my stomach.
I’m not even annoyed with Cole; I’m annoyed with myself for thinking that we had even a shot at making a long-distance relationship work.
We could hardly find time for each other when we lived in the same building, and now with me here and him there, it’s become an out of sight, out of mind type of situation.
I don’t even blame him for that, neither of us have put much effort into finding time to connect.
Pulling up Google, I type in what is a fluid relationship?
As I read the first few suggestions, my mouth falls open.
Each definition is different, but the gist of it is that you and your partner are open to a third person entering the relationship.
I wonder if he even knows the definition.
I also wonder if it even matters. If I’m being honest with myself, I know that he and I aren’t even together and that I’m just holding onto him because it’s safe.
The same way it was safe to be with him when we lived in the same city, because he never expected too much from me.
Not my time, not my feelings. For sure not love.
Shoving that depressing thought out of my head, I exit out of my search history and dive back into work.
At around two, the grumbling in my stomach becomes so loud that I can’t ignore it any longer, so I get up with my phone and head to the kitchen.
Opening the fridge, I find it mostly empty except for the stuff for Zuri’s lunch and breakfast. Grabbing a Diet Coke and one of her Lunchables, I rip open the top and make myself a cracker cheese and meat sandwich as I lean against the counter.
As I’m chewing, my cell on the counter beeps, and I look down at it.
Logan
Open the door.
Like I can see through the walls of my house, I look towards the living room, then almost jump out of my skin when the doorbell goes off a few seconds later.
Shoving the rest of the cracker meat and cheese into my mouth, I walk through the living room and stop to look in the mirror next to the door.
My eyes look tired from staring at my computer all day, my hair that I tied up in a messy bun this morning is still a mess, and my black tank top is sprinkled with bits of cracker dust. After dusting the crumbs off my top, I start to fix my hair but it’s hopeless, so I just leave it be.
Ripping my gaze off my reflection I drag in a breath and open the door ignoring the way my heartbeat speeds up at the sight of Logan.
“What…” My question is cut off when he holds my Bronco keys up between us. “You fixed my car already?”
“It didn’t take as long as I thought it would,” he says, and I look past him to the driveway and find my Bronco parked next to his mom’s car. “I figured I could drop it off, and we could pick up my Jeep, then drop off Mom’s car before we go pick up the kids.
My eyes slowly slide up to his. Yesterday, when Zuri told me that she wanted to go get food with Coop after school, I reluctantly agreed because I could tell that she was excited about the idea of hanging out with her friend again, and I want her to be happy despite my own reservations about spending more time with Logan.
“I thought Zuri and I would just meet you and Cooper at Sonic after school.”
“We’re going to the same place, no need to drive two cars,” he says, and my stomach curls in on itself at the idea of spending even more time alone with him.
“I still have a little work to do.”
“That’s cool.” He takes a step towards me, leaving me no choice but to back up. “I can hang out here until you’re done.” He takes another step towards me, and I take another step back, then watch him close the door.
Okay, apparently, he’s staying, and I don’t get a say.
Scraping my teeth over my bottom lip, I pull my eyes off his and turn towards the kitchen.
He doesn’t make a sound as he follows me, but I feel his presence like a weighted blanket.
Walking to the counter, I pick up what is left of the Lunchable, load up another cracker with cheese and meat, and shove it into my mouth.
“Is that your lunch?” I look over to where he’s standing, watching me.
“I didn’t have a lot of options today,” I tell him after I swallow. Picking up my Diet Coke, I take a sip. “Do you want to hang here or there’s a chair in my office. I shouldn’t be long.”
“I’ll come with you.”
Of course, he will. Maybe I shouldn’t have given him the option and just told him that I would be back in like fifteen minutes.
Without a word, I head down the hall to my office and step through the door.
With the blinds open, lots of bright light fills the small space, making it feel bigger than it is.
Taking a seat at my desk, he sits on my reading chair that is tucked in the corner of my room next to my bookshelves that are stuffed with my prized paperbacks.
The chair was a hand me down from my mom after she got a new one, and I haven’t really had a chance to use it, but Zuri often comes in here with her iPad to hang out while I’m working.
Unlocking my computer, I get back to work, but I can feel his eyes on me, the attention makes me self-conscious.
“Can you please stop staring?” I mutter, digging my hand into the bag of gummy worms I keep on my desk.
“I like looking at you.”
“Well, stop, it’s making it hard to focus.”
“Is it the attention or me?”
Both
I look over at him and feel the pulse in the base of my throat beat wildly when his eyes lock on mine.
“Stop.”
“I’m not doing anything.” He’s right, he’s not doing anything, but just being in his presence is enough to throw me off balance. The problem is I’m attracted to him, and he has made it obvious that he’s attracted to me, which is both exhilarating and unnerving.
“I’m going to make you leave.” I shove two gummy worms in my mouth, and he grins.
“Alright.” He holds up his hands. “I’ll try to behave.”
I don’t believe him, not even a little.
I can still feel him watch me as I finish up payroll and e-mail everything over to the accountant so he can direct deposit everyone Friday. When I’m done, I close my laptop and look over at him.
“Done?” He asks, sitting forward, the muscles of his arms testing the material of his shirt.
“Yes.”
“You ready to go then?”
“I… Maybe we should just meet you…”
“No.” He stands and looms over me, he’s so tall he seems to suck up all the light in my office like an evergreen tree. “Come on.” He holds out his hand.
Ignoring his hand like he’s ignoring my desire to put space between us, I get up and walk out of my office.
Going to the kitchen, I grab my cell phone from the counter where I left it earlier, then follow him to the front door, slip on my shoes, and pick up my bag, wrapping the strap across my chest. With his mom’s car keys in my hand, I let us out of the house and lock the door.
When we get to the car, I unlock the doors and walk around to the driver’s side, but his hand wrapping around my wrist stops me.
“I’ll drive.”
“No,” I look up at him. “Your mom entrusted her vehicle to me, so I’ll drive.”
“Nalia, I’m driving.”
“No, you’re not.” I wiggle out of his grasp and quickly walk towards the driver’s door, but he once again stops me, only this time he does it by lifting me clean off my feet. “What are you doing?” I shriek as he carries me around to the opposite side of the car.
“I’m driving.” He somehow manages to open the door while keeping hold of me.
“You’re not.” I kick my feet. “Put me down.”
“Sure.” My feet touch the ground for two seconds before he puts his hand against my stomach and uses it to fold me into the car. My ass hits the passenger seat, and I glare up at him with my chest heaving and my heart pounding.
“You did not…” Before I can finish, he snatches the keys from my hand, shoves my feet into the car, and slams the door in my face.
Beyond infuriated, I scramble across the middle console to the driver’s seat and quickly buckle myself in.
Opening the door, he looks down at me and chuckles before he leans into the car.
There is not enough space for the two of us, and even less as he reaches for the seatbelt.
The smell of whatever body wash or cologne he uses fills my lungs with each desperate breath I take, and his hands tangle with mine as he tries to get to the seatbelt latch.
As we fumble over control of the button, his beard scrapes across my jaw, his warm breath brushes across my ear, and a tingle of awareness spreads quickly from my scalp, down my spine, pooling in the pit of my stomach.
Like he senses the shift in the air around us, he pulls back to look at me, and heat floods my system so quickly, I think I might drown in it. His eyes are a shade darker than they were a moment ago, and there is no denying that he is feeling exactly what I am.