Chapter Eight #2
Maybe I should’ve waited until after the semester. At least then, he wouldn’t have had the chance to fail me on purpose and ruin my GPA on top of saying that I had a threesome with these frat guys. She gritted her teeth.
It was why she always played it safe—kept her toes in line because she experienced the consequences firsthand.
Until now.
This time around, the stakes were infinitely higher, but the rush to her system was … different.
Worth it.
James took a deep breath. “And the second guy?”
“Alex Clarkson.” Her eyes glazed over.
The guy after Brian, who was supposed to fix everything, but made them infinitely worse.
The whole relationship lasted far too long, and she hated herself for it.
Even when he got rotten and manipulative, she stuck with him. She needed that validation. Craved the idea that someone wanted her around, and she had someone there, too.
Alex was an undeniable part of her past, but she still did her best not to think of him. Plus, he had no part in her plans now.
She stared at her desk, her hands fisted under the surface. “I’m sorry. That’s a lot to dump on you.”
James’s foot hit the takeout bag, rustling filling the air. “It’s okay. I—”
A knock pounded on her door and a second later, the receptionist poked his head in.
“Hey, Sophie, I wanted to—” he broke off, eyes narrowing at James. “Hey, wait, weren’t you just here the other day? So, you do know Sophie, then?”
Sophie’s eyes widened. Anxiety clawed its way to her heart, spiking her pulse. A tidal wave of what type of assumptions Nico made jumped to fill her mind.
“He’s a friend,” she hastened. “And he was just leaving, right, James?”
“Um … yes.” James picked up the bag. “Sorry to hold you up. I’ll see you tomorrow morning?”
She nodded. “Thanks for lunch.”
“No problem.” He hesitated in his steps. “Oh, Sophie …”
Pausing by her door frame, he white knuckled the wood. “If you’re not going to eat breakfast, don’t skip your snack.” He seemingly ignored Nico’s gaze boring into him. “Please.”
Nico cleared his throat, staring behind his shoulder at James’s retreating figure. “So, you didn’t know him, huh?”
Sophie sighed. “At that point, not really. I just bumped into him a few times.”
He asked me out and I accepted. But then he became Marilyn’s client and we couldn’t date because my dating him could impact the things I tell her about him.
Which could subsequently unconsciously influence the news she puts out, and she sees nothing wrong with it because she doesn’t realize it.
And instead of letting each other go, we’re now caught in a frantic dance of God knows what. But semantics.
“I see. Was that why you got his campaign to Marilyn so fast?” Nico asked. “I remember you mentioning it, and Marilyn saying to book him in.”
Oh, God. Sophie shook her head rapidly.
Even though Nico was her work best friend, if this was his reaction, she couldn’t blurt that out to him.
“No, of course not,” she said. “You know he owns a big company, which means it’s good business for us. Listen, I really need to get a move on these emails. So …”
Nico raised his hands in submission. “Alright, I can take a hint. I won’t tell Marilyn about you two knowing each other, but … you sure he’s just a friend?”
“Of course.”
Nico rose. “Your smile said otherwise.”
“Shut up.”
She rested her head in her hands after the door closed. I take it back. Is it really worth it if my heart’s going to leap out of my chest?!
She groaned.
If she were caught this time, things would be much bigger than disciplinary action.
Sophie shifted her weight between her feet and readjusted her grip on the metal subway pole. The train rushed toward its next destination, traveling over elevated tracks and zooming past lit buildings.
She pulled out her phone, opening the thread between her and James.
Hey, I forgot that I’m going home this weekend so I won’t be around. Take a rain check on that game you suggested?
Her phone buzzed with an incoming call, and she pressed the device to her ear. “Hey, Chlo. What’s up?”
“Hey. I was thinking movie and pizza tonight? You cool with that?” Chloe asked.
“Oh, my God, that sounds heavenly. Yes, a thousand times yes.”
The train pulled into Sophie’s station and she hurried out of the subway. God, she couldn’t wait to get home.
The emails had kept coming that afternoon, and her fingers had flown across her keyboard. By the time she finished cataloging things in her spreadsheet, it was time for her to clock out. Too tired to work overtime, she hustled out of the office.
“I can pick up the pizza,” she said. “It’s on my way back.”
“Cool, thanks. Get two pies,” Chloe said. “I invited Ol and Taylor, too.”
“Sounds good. I’ll see you in a bit.” Sophie hung up as her phone vibrated again. She switched to the new message from James as she walked.
How are you getting there? Driving?
She snorted, pausing at the end of the sidewalk.
The bus, rich guy
Taking the train wasn’t preferential whenever she went home, but since she hadn’t driven since moving, she didn’t want to risk it. Plus, renting a car was expensive.
What time are you leaving? I can drive you
She froze in the middle of the sidewalk, people streaming around her.
What?
She couldn’t ask him to give up his Saturday like that, and assuming he was driving her back, too, he’d spend two days driving to Connecticut.
It’s fine, I’ll just go myself. Besides, you’re giving up really good seats
No big deal, I can get them again. My friend owns the team. And I can drive you home Sunday too
I’m staying overnight. That means you’d be stuck in CT all weekend
It’s fine, I’ve got friends in Greenwich. I can go visit them
K so you’d stay there?
Upon entering the pizza shop, the scent of melting cheese and baking garlic knots greeted her nose.
Her phone pulsed.
My friend just said their house is undergoing renovations, but I can still stop by. I just can’t stay overnight there
She paused, frowning at her screen.
Was he implying he was going to stay with her? In her home?
The image of James sitting on her couch while her brother and mom bombarded him with embarrassing stories trailed through her mind, and then the logistics hit.
Since they’d only had one paycheck to live off of growing up, her childhood home wasn’t big.
Once she and Noah got steady jobs, they tried to convince their mom to move, but she refused. So, the condo remained, along with its three bedrooms, two of which were occupied.
If James stayed, he’d either crash with Noah or with her, and she’d bet a year's salary that showing up with him would give her family the wrong idea.
She paled. She couldn’t have that, she definitely couldn’t have that. Her phone buzzed again.
As if he’d read her mind, a solution lay splashed out on the screen.
I doubt you’d want me staying at your place, so I can just get a hotel room for the night. Don’t worry princess
Her lips twitched.
WE’RE NOT DOING PRINCESS
Worth a shot
“He’s what?!” Chloe demanded.
“Driving me home,” Sophie repeated. “He offered to this weekend.”
Taylor snorted and bit into his slice of pizza. “Oh, this guy’s got it bad for you if he’s already pulling boyfriend stunts.”
“He’s not my—”
“Um, yes, he is,” Oliver interrupted. “Correct me if I’m wrong, but he paid for dinner without telling you.
He brought you lunch today, bought you coffee, not to mention has your coffee order memorized.
Oh, right, and there’s the small fact that you two have hooked up twice over the course of four days! ”
“We’re Friends-With-Benefits!” she protested. “The things James is doing are kinda built into the definition!”
Taylor chewed on his pizza. “Sure, but they’re also moving into boyfriend territory, and you know it.”
She groaned. She tried not to dwell on it, but the truth of the matter was, she failed to find any flaw in their logic.
For the past few days, it lingered, dredging up her deepest fears in the middle of the night.
Things might be going in the wrong order for them, but … her heart leaped.
“Okay, so he’s driving me. So what? Friends send each other places all the time,” she reasoned.
Chloe snorted. “Sophie, I love you, but you’re grasping at straws here.”
“She’s right,” Oliver chimed in. “And doesn’t this mean he has to stay overnight?”
Chloe slapped his arm. “Oh, my God, yeah! I was hoping there wouldn’t be a catch, but he really does want this to be something it’s not, doesn’t he?”
Her eyes were saucers, and Sophie could practically see the alarm bells ringing.
“It’s fine, calm down!” Sophie said, even though her heart raced. “He said he’ll get a hotel room.”
Despite what her friends might think, James wouldn’t try anything she didn’t want him to. Unlike Brian, James thought about the long-term consequences not just for himself, but for her, too. When you put those stakes on a scale … a clear winner shone through.
The next day, she stumbled into her office, chin dipped as she read a stack of papers.
As she neared her desk, the scent of melted butter and grilled meat hit her straight in the face.
Glancing at the bag sitting on the surface, she took in a swanky-looking name emblazoned on the side. The swoopy letters took a minute to register, but she finally placed the posh restaurant not far from where she worked.
She had passed by it plenty of times, the facade of the building rubbing in her face the fact that she could never afford it.
She backtracked to her door. “Nico, what’s this? Was this a thank-you gift or something?”
Nico hurried to the doorway and peeked inside the office. “No, that would be a delivery for you from James Tian. He dropped it off himself.”
Sophie raised a brow.
He’d what? Did he have time to hand-deliver takeout when he had a company to run?
“From the way he was hanging around, I think he was trying to catch you before he left.” A conspiratorial grin dashed across Nico’s lips.
She sighed. “I told you the other day, we’re just friends.”