Chapter 31 - Day 13 The Truth
Monday morning, I drove to work in Candy.
My beautiful, functional, no-longer-sick Candy.
I should have been thrilled.
And I was.
Mostly.
She started perfectly.
Drove perfectly.
Made it all the way to Vale Architecture without so much as a suspicious noise.
I even praised her at a red light.
"You're doing amazing, baby."
Then I pulled into the parking lot.
Turned off the engine.
And sat there.
Because something felt-
empty.
I frowned.
This was normal.
This was how I had gotten to work every day before Thursday.
I drove myself.
Parked.
Walked inside.
Normal.
Except apparently somewhere between Thursday night and Sunday afternoon, normal had changed.
There was no deep-blue Tesla waiting outside my apartment.
No black Corvette.
No Adrian behind the wheel.
No coffee already sitting in the cup holder.
No arguing before we'd even reached the office.
Nothing.
I stared through the windshield.
Oh, for fuck's sake.
The last thing I had wanted was to get used to Adrian Vale.
And apparently-
that was exactly what had happened.
Great.
Fantastic.
Excellent life choice, Angelica.
I grabbed my bag and got out of Candy.
"Don't take it personally," I told her.
Candy said nothing.
At least one of us had emotional stability.
I entered Vale Architecture alone.
Apparently this was shocking.
Because three people looked up at me like I'd arrived carrying a human head.
Ben.
Nicole.
Maya.
All staring.
I stopped.
"What?"
Nobody answered.
I looked behind myself.
Nothing.
Then back at them.
"Why are you all looking at me like that?"
Ben looked toward the entrance behind me.
Then at me.
I followed his eyes.
"No."
He said nothing.
"Oh my God."
I started toward my desk.
"He dropped me off here one day."
Nicole raised an eyebrow.
"And picked you up."
"My car was broken."
Ben looked toward the entrance again.
"Is he coming?"
"He works here, Ben. I assume eventually."
That earned me a look.
I ignored it.
Apparently one Friday morning of Adrian and me walking into the office together had permanently altered everyone's expectations.
Ridiculous.
I reached my desk.
And stopped.
Coffee.
Of course.
Sitting exactly where it always sat.
Same cup.
Same order.
Same impossible man.
I stared at it.
Something warm and stupid moved through my chest.
Three coffees had become two.
Today.
Tomorrow.
And then-
I picked it up before my brain could finish that sentence.
"Why are you alone today?"
Maya.
I turned.
"What do you mean?"
She leaned against the edge of my desk.
"I mean why did you and Adrian come separately?"
I stared at her.
"Because we own separate cars?"
"Did you two fight again?"
"Come on, Maya. I got my car back. Why would I still come with Adrian?"
She looked at the coffee in my hand.
Then at me.
"What?"
"Nothing."
"That wasn't a nothing face."
"I didn't make a face."
"You absolutely made a face."
Maya's eyes dropped to the coffee again.
I followed them.
Then immediately understood.
"No."
"I still haven't said anything."
"He always leaves coffee."
"I know."
"He was leaving coffee before he ever drove me anywhere."
"I know."
"So this proves nothing."
"I didn't say it proved anything."
"You're thinking very loudly."
Maya smiled.
I narrowed my eyes.
"Stop."
"I'm just wondering."
"Don't."
"What time did you get your car back?"
I paused.
"Yesterday."
"And Adrian was with you?"
"Yes."
"Of course he was."
"He took me to get it."
"Of course he did."
"Because he had been driving me around."
"Of course he had."
"Maya."
She smiled wider.
I took a sip of coffee.
Perfect.
Obviously.
Maya watched me.
Then her expression softened.
Just a little.
"So."
I knew that tone.
"No."
"You don't even know what I was going to say."
"I know enough."
"Second-to-last day."
There it was.
My hand tightened slightly around the coffee cup.
Monday.
Then Tuesday.
Then-
not here.
I looked toward my computer.
"I'm aware."
Maya went quiet.
For once, there was no joke waiting behind it.
That somehow made it worse.
I sat down.
Turned on my monitor.
Opened my email.
Normal things.
Work things.
Things that did not involve thinking about the fact that after tomorrow, this wouldn't be my desk anymore.
Maya was still standing there.
I looked up.
"What?"
She shrugged.
"Nothing."
This time, I believed her.
Then-
the office door opened.
I didn't need to look.
Which was irritating.
Because apparently I knew the sound of Adrian Vale entering a room now.
Ben looked toward the entrance.
Nicole did too.
Maya's eyes moved over my shoulder.
I kept mine firmly on my monitor.
For approximately three seconds.
Then I looked.
Adrian was walking toward his office.
And his eyes were already on me.
Not my desk.
Not Maya.
Me.
Just for a second.
Then his gaze dropped.
To the coffee in my hand.
Something in his face settled.
Barely.
He kept walking.
No good morning.
No acknowledgment.
Nothing.
His office door opened.
Then closed.
I looked down at the cup.
Maya looked at me.
I pointed at my monitor without turning toward her.
"Go away."
She laughed quietly and walked back to her desk.
I took another sip of coffee.
Then looked toward Adrian's closed office door.
Monday.
My second-to-last day.
And somehow-
that number felt much worse from inside the office.
By nine-fifteen, I had accomplished absolutely nothing interesting.
Emails.
Revisions.
Two coordination notes.
One question from Nicole.
And one increasingly distracting thought.
Adrian's pens.
I looked toward his office.
The door was open now.
He was at his desk.
Working.
Completely unaware that yesterday, in a grocery-store parking lot, I had announced my intention to commit a crime against his organizational system.
I looked at Maya.
She was working.
Ben was in his office.
Nicole was on the phone.
Perfect.
I stood.
Adrian didn't look up when I reached his doorway.
"Come in."
I stopped.
"I didn't knock."
"I know."
"How did you know I was here?"
"You stopped walking."
I stared at him.
"That is unsettling."
"What do you need?"
"Nothing."
That made him look up.
I smiled.
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"What?"
"Nothing."
"Angelica."
There it was.
Suspicion.
Beautiful.
I walked into his office.
His desk looked exactly as expected.
Perfect.
Laptop centered.
Papers stacked.
Notebook aligned.
And-
three pens.
Parallel.
Straight.
Beautifully vulnerable.
I walked toward the desk.
Adrian watched me.
"What are you doing?"
"Visiting."
"You don't visit."
"I could start."
"You have one day left after today."
The words hit harder than they should have.
I stopped.
So did something in his face.
Neither of us acknowledged it.
I looked at the pens.
Then back at him.
"Exactly. I have limited time."
His eyes narrowed.
"Angelica."
I reached for the first pen.
"Don't."
My fingers stopped approximately one inch above it.
I looked at him.
He looked at my hand.
Then at me.
I smiled.
"You remembered."
"Yes."
"You thought I was joking."
"No."
That was even better.
I picked up the pen.
Adrian's jaw tightened.
I moved it three inches to the left.
Then put it down.
Crooked.
His eyes went to it.
Immediately.
I nearly laughed.
"Don't."
"You already said that."
"Put it back."
"No."
"Angelica."
"What?"
"Put the pen back."
"It's still on your desk."
"That's not where it goes."
I folded my arms.
"Things have places?"
His eyes lifted to mine.
"Yes."
I grinned.
There it was.
I reached for the second pen.
His hand moved.
Fast.
He caught my wrist.
I froze.
So did he.
Oh.
Apparently we were doing this again.
His fingers were wrapped around my wrist.
Warm.
Firm.
Not hurting.
Just stopping me.
Yesterday, I had caught his.
Today-
he had caught mine.
Neither of us moved.
His eyes dropped briefly to where his hand held me.
Then returned to my face.
One second.
Two.
Three.
My heart did something deeply unprofessional.
I looked at him.
"You know you could just let me move the pen."
"No."
"Your options are becoming limited."
"I have several."
"Name one."
He released my wrist.
Then picked up all three pens.
And put them in his drawer.
I stared.
He closed the drawer.
I stared harder.
"You hid them."
"I removed the problem."
"You hid your pens from me."
"Yes."
I laughed.
Actually laughed.
"You're ridiculous."
"You came into my office specifically to rearrange stationery."
"Because it bothers you."
"And somehow that makes you less ridiculous?"
"Yes."
"How?"
"I'm having fun."
"I noticed."
I leaned against the edge of his desk.
His eyes immediately dropped.
Not to me.
To where I was leaning.
I looked down.
Then back at him.
"Oh no."
"Move."
"I'm not moving."
"You're sitting on my desk."
"I'm leaning."
"On my desk."
"Your desk will survive."
His jaw tightened.
I smiled.
"Remember? Things can survive being temporarily out of place now."
His eyes narrowed.
"You've been waiting to use that."
"All night."
"That is concerning."
"You bought me two boxes of concerning cereal."
"I bought your groceries."
"Exactly. You financially sponsored my bad decisions."
"I regret it."
"No, you don't."
He looked at me.
For a second-
the joke disappeared.
"No."
Quiet.
Simple.
I stopped smiling.
His eyes stayed on mine.
Then he looked down at the papers in front of him.
And just like that-
gone.
I pushed myself away from the desk.
"Fine. I'll let you work."
"Good."
I started toward the door.
"Your pen is still crooked."
He didn't look up.
"I know."
I stopped.
Turned.
The pen I'd moved was still sitting three inches away from where it belonged.
He hadn't fixed it.
I looked at him.
He kept reading.
Or pretending to.
I smiled slowly.
Interesting.
I left his office.
At ten-thirty, Adrian called me back in.
This time for actual work.