Chapter 14
It was only about twenty minutes after Alex left that Josh and Larry came to work. Grant was up top working under the hood of a car when they arrived, and he couldn’t look the other two in the face. He spent the rest of the day avoiding speaking to anyone and simply doing his best to focus on his work. His emotions about Alex disconcerted him. Love, lust, long term or short, he didn’t know what to do anymore. He thought he was heading in the right direction with her, and he was comfortable over the weekend at her place. He supposed the comfort was what spooked him.
The better part of two weeks passed, and he avoided calling Alex. He didn’t answer the one time she called, but he did text her to tell her he was busy. He was trying not to be a complete dick, but he wondered if he was failing at his efforts.
Alex was slightly concerned when Grant didn’t want to talk. They had spent little time on the phone before, though, so she tried to put it out of her mind. They were more of a booty call type of couple, and she’d tried to make peace with that. After all, it was what she’d agreed to do. Grant had been very upfront from the first time she’d flirted, and she had no one to blame but herself if she was getting hurt while trying to change the course of their relationship. She thought about it all the time when she wasn’t at work. She couldn’t seem to shut off the over thinking part of her brain that wanted to analyze every action either of them had taken. She figured she’d better spend time with her friends to keep herself busy or she’d wind up obsessing.
Carmela picked her up, and they met Hailey at a restaurant near the school. Alex, for one, planned on getting drunk. She didn’t like the way she was so preoccupied with every move Grant made. She promised herself she wouldn’t act that way and then she did exactly that.
“Hey!” Carmela greeted Hailey when they were shown to the table.
“Hi, Carm.”
“Hi.” Alex leaned down and hugged Hailey before taking her seat. “How were classes today?”
Hailey shrugged. “Not too bad, honestly. I had a pretty good week overall. How about you?”
“I had to attend another development class on Tuesday, so my week was weird, anyway.” She paused when the waiter came by and took their drink orders. Alex was ready to swim in a few margaritas. “Other than that, my students have been well-behaved this month so I guess it qualified as good.”
“And yet you needed a girls’ night out,” Carmela said. “Why?”
The waiter came back with waters and bread for the table. Once they’d placed their orders, they resumed their conversation.
“Was it something outside of work, then?” Hailey asked.
Alex tried to pretend she didn’t know what Hailey was talking about. “That’s fine, too.”
“Liar.”
Alex glared at her cousin. “Am not.”
“Look, I know you think you can pretend I don’t know you as well as I do, but I can see that something is going on.” Carmela leveled her with alook. “You’re antsy and your shoulders are all hunched.”
“Whatever, bitch.”
Their drinks were dropped off and Alex went in deep. Carmela raised a brow and sipped on her soda. She’d promised to be the designated driver for Alex.
“Even I can see that something is troubling you,” Hailey said softly.
Alex frowned. “Great, so I’m transparent?”
“Other than the margarita guzzling? You’re avoiding eye contact.”
Alex stared at Carmela. “There you go. Better?”
“And you’re being snippy.”
“Okay! It’s Grant. Happy now?” Alex pushed at her silverware for something to do with her hands that didn’t involve throwing her drink in Carmela’s face.
“What is he doing now?” Hailey asked.
“Or not doing. What?” Carmela said when Alex glared at her.
“It’s complicated,” she muttered.
“It’s always complicated when you’re a lovesick fool. Is he leaving you horny?”
“Fuck, no.”
