It was half-past four when I was reading documentation about the app’s features and creating a test plan, when I heard footsteps. I was tired, and certainly not ready for more drama.
I looked up to see Dylan standing next to my desk
My jaw fell.
Dylanwas in my office, appearing out of nowhere after two years.
“Well, well, look at you all nice and fancy,” he said while my co-workers looked around at him, surprised by the familiar and possessive tone. His voice was calm, but there was a tension in his posture that didn’t go unnoticed.
His long blond hair was in a sleek ponytail and he reeked of arrogance, leaning against my desk like he owned the place. Bright red headphones hung around, music audible easily from them.
He had the vibe of someone who desperately wanted to be in his teens despite being in his mid-twenties.
He gave me a triumphant look and my heart sank.
He’d known I was working here, I realized. He showed up knowing I’d be here.
I stood up and motioned for him to follow me away from my teammates.
“Let’s talk somewhere else,” I managed to say, leading the way down the aisle.
I felt a mix of anger and confusion bubble up inside me as he followed lazily. What was his game? Why here, why now?
“Why are you here?” I asked, once we had gotten into the elevator and had the car to ourselves. I hated that he’d shown uphat my workplace, talking like he owned me, and giving Stacey even more ammunition to dislike me.
“I wanted to see you, Lexi,” he said, lowering his voice. His gaze went over me, and I flinched at his appraisal. “You look good.”
Thanks to a good outfit and an income I earned frommyhard work, I thought, seething.
“I’d forgotten how good you could look. You didn’t used to look this way after Evie was born,” Dylan continued.
When the elevator doors opened at the lobby my blood was boiling. Of course I hadn’t looked put together and pretty in the months following Evie’s birth. She’d been colicky, wouldn’t sleep unless I was holding her and Dylan had been no help. He’d disappear for work and want downtime with his buddies when he returned. I’d been drowning in postpartum depression while being Evie’s sole caregiver.
I had no time to care about looking pretty or the finances for it.
“What do you want, Dylan?” I asked, staying rooted outside the elevator while he pointed to the glass doors on the side that led to the gardens.
“If you have anything to say, say it here, or leave, Dylan,” I snapped.
He gave me a searching look, as though his version of me was new to him.
“Fine,” he said, talking louder. “I miss you, Lexi. And Evie.” He added as an afterthought.
“How did you even know I worked here?” I demanded, feeling riled up.
He smirked. “Your mom told me you were interviewing with this company, so I looked into getting work here too. Turns out they needed an office technician, and I got lucky with a contract position.”
Shit.
“Were you fixing the copier machine the other day?” I asked.
His smile told me he’d seen me then too. I cursed myself for telling my mom about the interview.
Dylan’s eyes went distant. “She’s gambling again, by the way. Thought you should know.”
I didn’t need the reminder. I’d already given her five hundred dollars the last time she’d called and I regretted it. Just like I regretted Dylan’s presence here.
“Why are you here?” I repeated.
