“I’d like to remind you I’m actually kind of seeing someone,” she said. It meant to come across as haughty, but she sounded breathless.
“Holden?” I scoffed. “That’s got to be a joke. Have you even spoken since you threw him out?”
She looked at me with a steely glint in her eyes. “I did that because you kept hurting him.”
“I think you hurt him worse than I did.”
“Excuse me?”
“You hurt his pride, Scott,” I informed her.
She bit her lip, and I twitched at the thought of doing the same motion to her. Pulling the plump bottom lip between my teeth and having her flush against me. Kissing her and allowing all her chaos to pull me under.
“Isn’t pride a sin?” Scott asked.
I snorted. “You’re a fine one to talk.”
Scott wore pride like a badge of honour. It buoyed her and protected her. If pride were a sin, then she fashioned it into a second skin to ward us away and live a life that she deemed fulfilling.
“Get out of my room, Grayson.” Scott held her dress up with one hand and pushed me out the door with the other.
“Think about it, Scott,” I said, unable to let it go.
This woman and my need to see her fall apart at my hands were quickly spiralling into an obsession.
“All you need to do is ask.”
My week with Cass and Sophie ended all too quickly. They boarded a flight back to New York, and I returned to work with a lingering sense of melancholy that I couldn’t shake. More frequently, I thought about life after this project was done and moving to the States to be with my family. There was nothing tying me here.
“How’s your brother?” Charlie asked, taking a seat at my bench.
I pointed to the wall without looking up and told her, “Lab coat.”
Today’s experiments included RNA samples and any form of contamination would lead to an anomalous result that I’d have to exclude from analysis.
Charlie huffed before walking off, pulling on a coat, and returning to her seat. “What’s wrong with you?” she asked. “I thought you’d be happier after a week off.”
That’d been the plan, but I’d returned to work primarily frustrated because of Gray. He hadn’t let up all week. A perfect gentleman in front of Cass and Sophie and an utter asshole when we were alone together. Although I hated to admit it, it was becoming more difficult to say no, and I’d resorted to masturbating daily to release some tension and not completely lose my mind.
“Sorry,” I mumbled. “I guess I’m more tired than I thought. But yeah, Cass is doing well.” When I looked up, Charlie was beaming at me. “Okay, why are you looking at me like that?”
She stuck out her hand in front of my face. It took me a moment to notice a beautiful diamond ring sitting on her ring finger. It glittered under the lights of the lab as she wiggled her fingers.
“Shut up,” I whispered. Charlie bit her lip and nodded. “SHUT UP!”
My pipette fell to the bench with a clatter, samples spilling out of the well as I raced around and pulled her into a hug.
Sucker punched. That was the best way to describe how I felt. Her news had hit me, putting another crack in my armour and I worried I wouldn’t be able to keep the facade in place much longer.
“Congratulations! Tell me everything,” I demanded, ignoring the dull ache in my chest.
Charlie recounted the proposal, and my cheeks ached from smiling. She deserved happiness. Tyler and Charlie were teenage sweethearts, and he was finally making an honest woman out of her.
“I can’t believe he asked after all this time,” she said wistfully, glancing at her ring.
“He knows he’s got a good thing and he doesn’t want to lose you. He’s ready to make you a Murphy.”
Charlie looked up at me with a grin. “Charlotte Murphy.”
