Chapter Twenty-One Alex
“Hey, Nick.” Felix’s voice is just loud enough to hear in my back office.
I freeze mid-keystroke, all my senses focused on listening to the conversation. There are at least three Nicks who work on campus. Maybe it’s a different one.
“How’s the library?”
Shit, definitely the same Nick.
“Oh, you know, quiet as always. How’s accounting?”
“Crunching the numbers!” Felix says in a high-pitched voice, and for some reason they both laugh.
They’ll just have a friendly chat, and then Nick will leave. If I believe hard enough, maybe the universe will make it true.
“Is Alexander here?”
Fuck. Before I even consciously think through my actions, I drop to the floor and crawl under my desk.
The space isn’t really meant to hide a grown man though.
My head presses uncomfortably against the underside, neck bent, the tops of my shoulders bumping into the corner.
Right, because this is so much better than just facing him …
“I think he’s in his office? Is he here today, Jazz?”
Jasmine doesn’t reply. She probably has her headphones on.
“Oh, was he not here yesterday?” Nick asks.
I can’t tell if his question is casual chit-chat or if he knows I wasn’t here yesterday. How much did his friend tell him? Did they describe me? Did they take a picture of me? If that’s the case, I’m leaving such a bad review of that shop.
“Yeah, one of those rare days when he actually called off. Guy’s kind of a workaholic.” Felix pauses and then raises his voice, “I say that with all admiration, boss, if you are listening to this conversation.”
I roll my eyes at Felix’s version of covering his ass.
Just because I don’t call off every other Friday does not make me a workaholic.
Not that I blame him. There are no classes on Fridays, so the college is basically a dead zone, even in the admin offices.
No one wants to work on Fridays, and that’s why I never call off.
“Mind if I head into his office?”
“Door’s open, which means he’s not in a virtual meeting. You should be safe.”
Nick’s laughter grows closer as he approaches my door. “Knock knock,” he says while knocking on the doorframe.
I can’t exactly spring out from under my desk now, so I commit to hiding.
I pull my knees up to my chest, making myself as small a target as possible.
Memories suddenly flash through my head of doing the same thing as a kid when I hid from my parents after sneaking downstairs to use the computer after midnight.
Nick steps into the office.
My desk is solid all the way around so there’s no hint of my feet or butt sticking out from underneath. The only way he’ll find me is if he’s bold enough to walk fully into my space, around the desk, and crouch to look underneath.
Go. Away.
“Looks like he slipped out,” Nick says as he returns to the main office.
“He’s probably in a meeting.”
“Unless he jumped out the window the moment he heard me coming,” Nick jokes.
Now there’s an idea. We’re on the first floor and the big windows behind my desk remain unlocked for fire-safety reasons. Climbing out the window would have taken me further away, but it also would have drawn more attention.
He and Felix continue chatting, discussing their weekends.
This position is starting to cause cramps. A muscle twinges in my neck, and I grit my teeth against the dull pain. Shouldn’t you be in the library helping someone find books or something?
Finally, Nick says goodbye and leaves the office.
Sighing, I crawl out from under my desk and settle back in my chair.
Then I massage my neck. I’m so focused on soothing my sore muscles that I don’t hear the footsteps approaching until it’s too late to dive back under the desk.
I tense and look up, expecting Nick to run back into my office and point an accusing finger at me.
Instead, Felix walks in, head down as he focuses on the stack of papers in his hand.
When he glances up, he sees me and screams. Arms flail, papers fly everywhere, and by the time the mess flutters to the floor he’s standing in a karate-chop pose like he’s going to kick my ass in a street fight.
His chest heaves from fear and exertion and it takes him a second to catch his breath. “What are you doing in here?”
“It’s my office?”
“But Nick said you weren’t—” Felix looks over his shoulder, like he’s about to hunt Nick down and drag him back here to explain himself.
“Guess we missed each other.”
“You didn’t walk past me though,” he insists.
“I climbed in through the window,” I reply, deadpan.
Felix stares at me for a moment, then shakes his head and bends down to collect his papers into a messy stack. “Here, these are ready for your review.”
I nod stiffly and watch as he places the papers on my desk.
He backs away, eyes locked on me. When I reach for the papers, his hands twitch back up in self-defense.
“Close the door on your way out.”
He nods and grabs the knob, then pauses and says, “No more windows, okay?” I can’t tell if he really thinks I’m using the windows to enter and exit my office or if he’s kidding.
“No more windows,” I assure him. Unless Nick comes back.
The cafeteria does not have windows to climb out of or desks to hide under.
A design flaw I never noticed until Nick walks in while I’m buying lunch.
He stands right under a bright light that shines on all his features.
Golden blond hair parted to the side to create volume for an artistic swoop.
Large, gold-rimmed glasses highlight his honey-brown eyes and thick lashes.
Worst of all, he’s wearing a goddamn green plaid sweater vest over a white button-up shirt with the sleeves rolled up to show off muscled forearms.
Stupid, sexy librarian.
I yank my eyes away from him, searching for an escape. The wall-length refrigerator seems promising. Behind all the drinks is the open area for the workers to walk behind and stock things. Maybe I can squeeze between the edges and escape through the back.
“Hey, Alexander!” Nick chirps behind me.
I have the refrigerator door half-open already and turn my aborted escape attempt into grabbing a random drink.
“Heard you were sick yesterday. Hope you’re feeling better.”
I nod once and mosey over to look at the pre-made lunches. Ordering something fresh would take time, which means I’d be in Nick’s presence longer. I grab a random sandwich and join the line to pay.
Undeterred, Nick chooses a salad and stands right behind me in line. Lunchtime is the busiest time of day for the cafeteria, so there’s at least five people in front of us. I stare at the cashier, silently willing them to work faster.
“So, I wanted to talk to you about something,” Nick explains.
I sigh. Of course he does. I don’t know exactly how he found out—whether Euan mentioned something on his phone call the other day or if the dungeon master really did take my photo—but he obviously knows I’m with Euan now. I just don’t know how much he knows. “Look, it was after the breakup.”
“What?”
The line shifts and we both shuffle forward a few steps.
“And you don’t really have a right to be upset,” I mutter defensively. “You broke up with him.”
Nick stares at me, bewildered. “We are having two different conversations.”
I frown and open my mouth to ask what he wants to talk about, but then the cashier calls me forward.
I pay for my things and move off to the side, not sure what to do.
If I’m quick, I could put some distance between us and head straight back to my office.
Unless he wants to literally chase me down the hall, I could beat him there, close the door, and avoid this conversation for a little while longer.
But Nick’s confusion is confusing me. If he doesn’t want to discuss the timeline of my relationship with Euan, what does he want to talk about?
“This sounds like a private conversation,” Nick says as he joins me.
“Come on, we’ll talk in my office.”
It’s a long, awkward walk back. Neither of us try to make small talk.
Jasmine is at her desk, headphones on while she reviews the invoices for this week.
Felix is probably eating lunch off campus.
I invite Nick into my office and close the door.
I don’t typically eat in here but all the breakrooms around campus are open concept to ‘foster friendship between coworkers.’ Or because the college wanted to pay for fewer walls.
I sit behind my desk while Nick sits on the other side. It should give me a little sense of control but mostly it offers the temptation to hide again. “You first,” I insist since I already blundered this interaction.
“Do you supervise any student clubs?” Nick asks as he opens his salad and the packet of dressing.
Definitely not the conversation I expected. “Not right now.”
He pours the dressing onto his salad, then closes the box and begins shaking it while he talks. The contents rattle around, shockingly loud for a bunch of leaves, toppings, and chicken. When he finally stops, he smiles and asks, “Sound good?”
I blink at him. “What?”
He sighs and sets the container down. “Damn, the distraction method usually works. Do you know how many people nod along just because they didn’t hear what I said?”
It’s my turn to stare at Nick in confusion. He’s certainly not what I expected. When he first sought me out, I thought he was some sort of scorned lover looking to put his ex’s new paramour in their place. Apparently, I hid under my desk for nothing. “What is this all about?”
“Clubs,” he repeats. “At least, on my end. I’m supervising five right now because no one else wants to, so I’m looking for a sacrificial lamb—I mean, someone to help out.”
I shake my head. “I don’t really have time for—”
Nick talks right over me, counting the clubs off on his fingers, “You could take over anime, video games, or paranormal investigation. I’ll keep the book and pride clubs, of course, but if you really insist, we can co-supervise—”
I hold up a hand to stop him. “So you’re not here about Euan.”
Nick stares at me, his eyebrows slowly climbing toward his perfectly coiffed hair. “Euan who? My Euan?”
“He’s not yours,” I snap before I can think better of it.
The light bulb flashes and Nick gasps. “You dirty liar! You weren’t really sick yesterday, were you? You were playing hooky.”
What was the point of avoiding him when I’m the one revealing the relationship anyway? I rub a hand down my face. “I thought the dungeon master told you about me.”
“Who, Gio? They told me they saw Euan with some blond, but they didn’t know who you were.”
Right, because it’s not like I shared my name and place of employment with the random sex shop worker. “Can we forget I said anything?”
“Absolutely not. You obviously know I dated Euan, or you wouldn’t bring it up at all.
Which begs the question: how long have you two known each other?
Because he never said ‘oh, by the way, I’m friends with your coworker.
’ Damn, if I knew he had someone else to visit in town, I wouldn’t have worried about him as much.
Did you know I stayed up all of Saturday night, waiting for him to text me back to make sure he was okay? ”
“You mean after you dumped him?” I snap.
Nick flinches. “Okay, so I know it looks bad—actually, no!” He straightens up and scowls at me. “I refuse to be put on the defensive by my ex-boyfriend’s mistress.”
“Mistress?” I exclaim. “I’m the wife! I mean—husband.” I drop my head into my hands to hide my face. “Please just ignore everything I said.”
Nick’s quiet for a moment before he demands, “He was married the whole time? And here I felt bad about breaking up with him because he was moving too fast! Why ask me to marry him if he’s already married?”
“He asked you to marry him?” He never mentioned that. Every time we talked about Nick, it sounded like the relationship was pretty new. Not that I have any room to talk.
“Well, he asked me if I wanted to get married.”
“That isn’t the same thing.”
“It’s still a misleading question if he is already married.”
“He wasn’t!” God, this conversation is moving too fast for me. Everything needs to slow down. I take a deep breath and lower my hands to look Nick in the eye. “This can’t leave this room, okay? I don’t want to cause any issues with my job.”
Nick is still scowling but he eventually nods in agreement.
“Euan and I met Saturday night.”
Nick’s scowl slowly transforms into confusion.
“We got a few drinks together. One thing led to another …”
He nods along, as if he’s had more than his fair share of drunken entanglements.
“And now we’re married.”
The nodding stops abruptly. “Back up a step,” he says, holding up a finger. “Actually, back up several steps. How did a few drinks lead to marriage?”
“It’s a long story.” And we aren’t friends, so I’m not explaining it to you. “All I’m saying is: Euan didn’t cheat on you; he didn’t cheat on me. There is no cheating in this scenario.”
“Right.” Nick claps his hands and stares blankly at the desk for a moment, then admits.
“I understand none of this. Except for the fact that, apparently, what I thought was him rushing into things was actually him moving at a snail’s pace.
” Perking back up, he says, “So, you probably want to keep this a secret, right?”
I frown, not sure I like where this is heading. “It is private, so I would prefer you not spread the information around.” I have no desire to explain to my coworkers or my boss that yes, I’m married, but I’m also getting an annulment, even though I rather like my husband.
“Great, I’ll keep your secret if you take my clubs.”
The rapid change of subject makes me dizzy. “I don’t … what clubs?”
“I think you’d be a good fit for anime or video games.
You have that kind of nerdy vibe. Why don’t you take over both?
I’ll tell the students.” He stands up to make his own escape, and I swear he looks longingly at the window as if he wants to jump out of it.
He opts for the door instead, yanking it open and scooting out.
“I don’t have time to supervise any clubs!” I call after him.
“Sorry, can’t hear you! I’ll send the paperwork over later!” He slams the door closed behind him, cutting off any rebuttal. Two seconds later, he opens it back up, whispers, “Forgot my lunch,” and snags it off the desk.
I stare at the door for a long time after he leaves, wondering how Euan ended up dating the human equivalent of a tornado.