Chapter 8
EIGHT
ALEX
“That’s… quite a lot to take in,” Minnie blanched, and for once, she wasn’t able to hide her expression. “How, uhm… do you feel… about… all this?”
I deadpanned. “How do you think I feel?”
She nodded quickly before jotting down a few notes. “Well, it seems that as overwhelming as this all is, it’s at least broken you out of this cycle. I know I told you to try something new, and this is certainly new…”
“It’s a fucking dumpster fire,” I hissed. “Working with Leo? On Joon’s case?! This is nightmare fuel at its finest. I can’t survive this; I literally cannot do it—”
Minnie raised a hand, and she returned to the normal, firm-set face she used whenever she tried to disrupt my whirlwind of thoughts.
“Alex, you can do anything you put your mind to. I can say that because it isn’t a lie.
Will it be uncomfortable? Yes. Is it the best idea?
I’m not sure yet. What we do know, is that unfortunately, you don’t have a choice.
The VIA has been giving me the runaround with your paperwork, and at this point, it looks like we’ll just have to move forward.
Try to keep to your normal routine, outside of whatever orders you're given, and… well, try to get answers. Leo knows what happened; it could give you some closure if you both talk about it. Find a common ground with each other.”
I threw up my hands. “He’s impossible to talk to! All we do is fight—”
“Who started it?” A smirk chipped onto her face.
“What?”
“Who starts the arguments?”
I paused; the question threw me off. Leo did; he always did—or that’s what I’d assumed, anyway. The more I thought about it, the more my shoulders began to sag.
“He used to start it,” I admitted finally.
“And now?” she pushed, her smile growing.
I rolled my eyes. “We’re both at fault, I guess. I don’t know what he’s like now; I just assumed…”
“That he was the same?” Minnie leaned her chin on her hand, as if she were listening to some hot gossip rather than my life imploding.
“Give him a chance, Alex. People change. If he hasn’t, then you finish the mission, and you’re free from the VIA forever.
If not… well, maybe you’ve found a new friend.
Someone to bond with, who knew Joon and grieved the loss, too. ”
I audibly gagged, and Minnie snickered.
“Just do your best to give him some breathing room. I’m sure he’s had his own struggles, too. Let him find his footing with you, but hold to your boundaries.”
It had been one week since I’d heard from Leo or the VIA, and I started to hope that maybe, somehow, they’d forgotten about me.
I went about my business as usual; working endless hours at the hospital to try to distract myself.
Doctor B even set up my own cot in an on-call room.
The VIA would collect me when I was needed; they always did.
At least they’d have to work a bit harder than showing up at my apartment.
The bastards still hadn’t reimbursed me for Reed breaking down the door.
But in the brief times where I could lay down, when I managed to breathe, I thought about Joon.
I kept questioning myself, and coming up without answers.
Was it the right move quitting Hero work?
Did it actually benefit me by refusing to learn the details?
Was I a coward, or was I protecting myself?
Doctor B’s rambling served as a backdrop to my existential crisis.
It was impossible to slip into despair beside a middle aged man wearing a polka dot bowtie and bright orange Crocs.
His cheeks turned rosy as he grinned and spread his arms wide, as if we were admiring an art gallery, instead of a parking garage.
The old motor oil smell was almost welcomed after being surrounded by harsh antiseptic for twenty-two hours.
Drowning my sorrows with work seemed like a good idea, until Doctor B demanded I ‘get out of this hospital and get a hobby, immediately’.
I hadn’t taken him seriously until the maintenance guys carried my cot out of the on-call room.
Everyone has to meddle in my life.
“Oh, you’ll be excited to hear about the new funding we got,” he chirped.
“Honestly, Alex, we could take you on full time if you were ever interested. I’d be making your schedule, of course — no more of this work till-you-die nonsense; it’s terrible for your heart.
The pay would be good, better than it is now, and you’d have something consistent to work with.
You’re a star, you know; nobody can do what you do.
There’s something special about the work. ”
Doctor B’s voice faded out as I spotted my bike and froze.
Leo leaned against it with a cigarette settled in his mouth, hands shoved inside his pockets as he stared at a cement pillar.
His light, half damp hair was slicked back from his face for once, as if he’d actually given a damn.
There was a crease to his brow as his jaw flexed, and a black t-shirt stretched across his shoulders as he rolled them.
I hated to admit it, but if I didn’t know him, he’d be hot.
Stupid, hot bastard, and your stupid hot body, sitting on my fucking bike like you own it, I started to seethe, and Minnie’s words floated back into my mind. Give him a chance.
Dark eyes flickered to mine, holding me still as Leo locked onto his target—me.
I knew that intensity, the way his gaze would threaten to sear someone without even lifting a finger.
My blood heated as his attention swept to Doctor B, and his eyes started to glow red.
A vein appeared on his forehead as his lips pulled away from his teeth with a scowl.
My stomach plummeted. Oh, here we go.
“Oh, is that a friend?” Doctor B put a gentle hand on my shoulder, grinning from ear to ear. “I’ve always thought you were a loner; it’s good to have company. Maybe he can talk you out of the whole motorcycle situation. It makes me nervous, you know.”
I sighed, and Leo remained rigid, scanning my boss like prey. How was it possible to get along with someone who emanated hatred? If it weren’t for Joon, I’d think there wasn’t a soul in the world that he liked.
“Are you sure about this? Partnering with him…would he even have your back?” I asked.
Joon grinned. “Don’t get all nervous on me, Little Dreamer. He’s not as self centered as you’d think.”
My eyes rolled; as much as Joon warned me about Leo, he was always the first to defend him. It never made sense.
“What makes you say that?”
He huffed a laugh. “Because he asked me the same thing. Selfish people don’t normally check to make sure others are comfortable, do they?”
Doctor B peered at me as I took a deep breath of musky air to settle my nerves. I still couldn’t remember Joon’s voice correctly, and my heart ached at the lost detail. Leo didn’t have his back, after all.
Don’t, I chided myself. Don’t do that. That’s not fair when you don’t know the full story.
“He’s…a coworker,” I ground out with a shaky smile. “New job, no biggie though; it shouldn’t affect my work here too much.”
He paled. “You’re not leaving us, are you?”
I pat him on the back, gently urging him toward his own car. Away from the living flame that looked as if he was ready to ignite everything in the surrounding area.
“No, no, definitely not. Just something short term, kinda hard to get out of. I’ve got to go though, okay? Drive safe.”
Doctor B pouted before nodding. “Alright, just let me know if you need anything. I don’t want anyone stealing you from us.”
Luckily, Leo would rather dispose of me.
He walked away, dragging his feet while grumbling to himself about ‘losing all the good ones’. Leo’s eyes still hovered on Doctor B, and my brow twitched as I forced an almost pleasant smile onto my lips.
“Who’s that, your boyfriend?” His voice was graveled. “I didn’t realize you were into older guys.”
Smoke poured from his nose as he breathed out, and it wasn’t from his cigarette. The parking garage always had an eerie chill, but now, it was drenched with a heatwave. Leo was undoubtedly pissed off about something.
I need to invest in a fire extinguisher. Immediately.
“That’s my boss, you creep. And he’s not my type,” I scoffed.
He let out a harsh laugh. “I didn’t know that bosses walked their employees back to their cars—or bikes.” His head tilted back as he glanced at me. “What is your type?”
I lifted the keys from my bag and waved him off. “None of your business. What are you, jealous?”
Leo sputtered, as if it was the most ridiculous thing he’d ever heard. “I don’t get jealous, especially over sloths.”
I gave him my best you-can’t-be-serious face. “Minnie told me to be nice to you. I’m trying; really, truly trying, to be nice. Tell me why you’re here, and let’s get this over with.”
It had to be for the VIA. What I didn’t understand was his strange curiosity with Doctor B, or why he was putting off heat like he was preparing for a fight.
Leo was always confident, always spat back at me and attempted to put me in my place.
This was…different. The energy had shifted, and I didn’t know how to interact with him.
We didn’t do small talk—Leo and I spoke exclusively with sarcasm and disdain.
“Who’s Minnie, your therapist?” he chuckled.
“Yes.”
There was no bite to my answer, only an honest admittance. Maybe Minnie was right. If I didn’t engage, or raise the bar for an argument, how would he react?
His lips fell around his cigarette as his face went pale. “Shit, Alex, I’m sorry—”
It brought me a strange sense of glee. Seeing him shocked, or vulnerable, was a rarity.
“Therapy isn’t something to be ashamed of, don’t be sorry for that.
” I buckled my backpack around my waist, tugging at the straps as I measured my words.
“Just be sorry for thinking it is, and using it as a punchline. Honestly, you could use some.” He went rigid, and I rolled my eyes.
“That’s not an insult, just an observation. ”