I gawk at her. “I asked you a question. What is your problem with Dex?”
She darts her eyes around quickly and steps closer. “He’s making a fool out of you. He’s telling you nothing is going on between him and Pippa Grace while there is something definitely going on between them. Come on, Janie.”
“Where’s your proof?” I ask, folding my arms across my chest.
Her cheeks hollow. “Look at her social media. It’s all about the two of them together.”
“Yeah, because they are writing a book together,” I growl.
“I just don’t know how you sleep at night knowing he’s with her.”
“With no underwear on, just in case anybody wants tokiss my ass!” I storm out of the little cubicle area. Everyone in the office is peeking over their workstations at my outburst. I rush for the bathrooms, but the new intern is in their hysterically crying, surrounded by the other interns patting and rubbing her back.
She sniffles in my direction. I’m angry and grumpy and all screamy, but something in the girl’s eyes reminds me of a younger me. I rip up a wad of tissues from the dispenser and shove them in her hands. “Is this what you want to do with your life? Write?”
She nods her head. The other interns stare at me wide-eyed.
“Then write the shit out of whatever they give you. Don’t ever give anyone an opportunity to tell you who you are or what you can or can’t do.” I walk into one of the stalls for privacy and slam it shut. The stupid thing bounces right back at me and thuds me hard on the crown of my head. Tears fill my eyes as I fumble to lock the dumbass latch.
Karma, again. What the hell? What did I do now?
I pull out my phone and text Dex.
Jane:I miss you.
Jane: Kind of losing my shit here.
Jane: Can you talk?
Outside the stall,the interns are talking about me in muted whispers. I can’t concentrate in here. I leave without looking up from the floor. My mind is reeling and it’s not just the things Julia said, it’s everything. It’s the last two weeks of being without Dex. It’s listening to my own insecurities festering and biting into my brain.
I slam into Gail in the hallway. She looks me up and down once and snarls. “Go ahead, write the rest of the day at home.”
“But, I didn’t ask you for—”
“You were going to. Go, before I change my mind.” She waves me off without another look.
Dazed, I grab my stuff and head for the elevator. Outside, the city feels huge and lonely, and the thought of my and Dex’s relationship coming to an end presses heavily on my shoulders. I look back down at my phone. There’s still no answer from Dex.
What is he so busy doing that he can’t answer a text?
A cab pulls up to the curb in front of me and a couple climb out, pointing up at the tops of the buildings. I swerve around them and take their spot in the backseat. It reeks of vanilla air fresheners and an undercurrent of pepperoni pizza.
The driver looks over his shoulder at me. “Where to?”
I have to repeat my address three times for him to understand me.
When I get home, Damian is once again wearing a pair of my bottoms, snoring while a soap opera blares out of my television. There’s a breaking news flash ticker taping on the bottom of the screen. Damian Miles was spotted in Australia, hiking with the Torres Strait Islander peoples. Who the hell is feeding the media all this bullshit?
I look back and forth from Damian to the television. My muscles are coiled tight, and without thinking too long about it, I drag over my garbage bin and swipe every drug and bottle from off the coffee table in one grand swoop.
Damian doesn’t move.
I storm into my room and flop onto my bed. I try to call Dex.
He doesn’t answer.
I try again every fifteen minutes.
