I haven’t seen hide nor hair of him at the gym either. A mean feat, seeing as it’s notthatbig of a space. Well, maybe it would be if I left the safe confines of my studios and ventured out into the main area of the gym…
But still, my point stands; I couldn’t stop running into him before and now I haven’t crossed paths with him at all.
Suspicious much?
Although, it has made it slightly easier to pretend he doesn’t fucking exist.
I should have known once I told him I needed to tell him something important, he would run for the hills. They always do.
“It was okay,” I settle on, digging my freshly painted nails into the fleshy part of my palm. “I just stayed at home. Nothing too interesting to report.”
“No Friday or Saturday night dates?”
I shake my head mutely.
“Come on, Gee.” He uses my nickname again, making my skin crawl, while he plants his hands on the counter and leans forward so our faces are closer together. “A beautiful young woman like you should be out on the town every weekend, kissing the endless line of guys waiting to snatch you up… I’m free next Saturday if you want to—”
“Don’t fucking finish that sentence.”
I turn instinctually at the sound of the familiar gravelly voice coming from behind me and then wish I hadn’t.
Hudson’s face is screwed up into a pissed off expression I know only too well, his arms folded tightly across his chest, which only highlights the bulge of his biceps.
Turning back to face Freddie, I stare straight ahead at the now blended fruit soup dripping into my acai bowl, unwilling to give Hudson the satisfaction of meeting my eyes. Rather, I sense him take a step closer to me. So close in fact, that the heat of his body radiates against my back.
“I was only joking,” Freddie backpedals on seeing Hudson. “Gee and I joke—”
“Don’t call her that.”
“He can call me whatever he wants,” I hiss between my teeth. I don’t mean it. Of course I don’t mean it. I don’t want Freddie to call me anything except my god given name, but I’m just as pissed off at Hudson right now and if it cuts him… then so be it.
Now both of us can be hurt and angry.
Out of the corner of my eye, I spot the way Hudson’s jaw ticks in annoyance.
“Do you have time to make a chocolate and peanut butter protein shake or are you too busy flirting to do the job you’re employed for?”
“We weren’t flirting!” I say, at the same time Freddie bites back with more gumption than I thought he had in him. “I didn’t realise you were my new boss, Millen… or do you just get off on telling people what to do?”
“Wouldn’t you like to know, Freddie boy,” Hudson retorts with a snide smirk and a quick sideways glance at me.
With an expression resembling something of a snarl, Freddie stomps over to the barrel-like containers of protein powders lining the back wall, unscrews the plastic lid and scoops out three large spoonsful into a reusable cup.
“You can be a right dick when you want to be,” I hear myself say, watching Freddie angrily rip the keep fresh tab from a carton of cold milk. “Do you know that?”
Hudson stays quiet for a beat; so quiet I’m not even sure he’s heard me, until he whispers, “I know, Giselle. Believe me I know.”
We stand there, together, but silent, while Freddie finishes up our orders.
“One acai bowl and one chocolate and peanut butter protein shake.” Freddie scowls, pushing them towards us.
I point down at the sloppily cut discs of banana decorating the top of my purple smoothie. “Um, Freddie, I asked for no banana—”
“Oh, for fuck’s sake, Giselle!”
“Hey!” Hudson raises his voice, his eyes narrowed like slits. “Don’t fucking talk to her like that! It’s not her fault you’re useless at your job—”
Profanities spew from Freddie’s mouth as he drags my takeaway bowl back across the counter and unceremoniously discards the banana with a flick of a spoon. He shoves it back towards me with so much force I only just manage to catch the thing before it tips over the edge and lands with a splatter onto the tiled floor.
