“The fuck?”
He smirked at me. “Don’t ask. Just… the thing about me? I know things. I always fucking end up finding out shit I don’t wanna know.”
“Yeah, and I heard this office has been witness to some things others wish they didn’t know…”
Micro grinned widely. “That’ll teach them not to knock…”
“Maybe it should teach you to always check the door’s locked.”
“Noted. Anyway, I’m about ready to head off if you’re cool with us picking this up tomorrow? I’ll have your patch for you then.” He stood up, so I followed suit, and took his hand when he offered it as he stepped around his desk. He bro-hugged me, and we both stepped back, but now I was looking at the guy I was second in command to, and that felt really fucking good.
“Yeah, man. Oh. You wanna call Church for after you finish work? We’ll announce it, and then we can go over stuff once that’s done.”
I grinned at him. “My first official VP duty, only we can’t call it that until after the fact.”
Caroline
IALMOST KISSED HARLEY yesterday, beyond the ‘almost’ attempt at least. I mean, I suddenly wanted to, so badly, so intensely, but I chickened out. I chickened out several times, because it felt like there were multiple moments where the mood was right, where it looked like he wanted me too, but… well, I overthink, and I convince myself I’m misreading situations, and I do nothing.
I really thought he was into me, but then he acted like it was just a normal business thing, and I left. He refused to charge me though, and that left me feeling weird about it. If he didn’t want money for it, was he expecting something else?
Did he have ‘sexpectations’ about how I’d repay the favour? Did I want him to? Was I just falling into a pit of bizarreness, based on my weird attempts at perception of normal humanbehaviour? Was I just second guessing everything, because I thought a normal woman would have known what to do, and I messed it up?
Did Harley watch me leave with relief? Regret? Frustration? Confusion? Disinterest? I wished I knew the answer, because not knowing was messing with my head.
Every time I visited his shop, I got to know him a little more. We spoke, we laughed, he showed me that he respected my choice of motorcycle, and the fact that I rode fearlessly. And I still didn’t know how I did that, when everything else in life terrified me. Why did just that one thing make me feel free?
He even touched me several times yesterday, something he’d never done before, and for some reason it didn’t freak me out like it did with literally anyone else. I actually really liked it.
I suddenly remembered that he did say I could do something in return. Something to pay him back. Buy him a coffee. Did that mean just to bring him one at the shop, or did he mean a date? If it was a date, was I supposed to contact him to ask him out? Had he already asked me out? What the hell was I supposed to do here?
I grabbed my phone, and dialled my mum’s number.
“Oh hey, sweetie, you’re up early.”
I bit the inside of my cheek, trying to force my thoughts into less of a spiral so I could actually speak and make sense.
Mum seemed to understand immediately, but then she’d had plenty of practice, hadn’t she?
“Just take a breath, sweetie. I’m not in a rush. That’s it, just calm down, focus on your breathing. Do you want me to come over?” No. I couldn’t ask her to do that. She was probably on her way out to work anyway. What time was it? I glanced at my watch, and grimaced. It was only six thirty in the morning. She was more likely trying to get a little more sleep.
“I… I’m sorry. It’s so early,” I finally whispered, and mum laughed softly.
“I was up already. You didn’t wake me. You can tell me anything, love, what’s going on?”
She always knew. She always instantly knew when I was losing it.
“I… there’s a man…”
She took a deep breath. “A man you like, or is there a man giving you trouble?” Haha! Both in some ways, but not the way she meant.
“I… I like him.”
I could almost hear her relaxing at my words, and I curled up on the sofa with the phone, waiting for mum to impart some words of wisdom to untie my brain from the knots I had it in.
“Does he like you?” My breath hitched in my throat.
“I don’t knowwww!” I practically wailed in response, feeling the overwhelming panic and uncertainty crashing down on me again. It took mum several minutes of waiting quietly, and offering supportive shushing sounds, before I calmed again.
