“Rough day?”
Fabian is leaning against the wall near the glass railing, arms crossed, watching me like he already knows the answer. He’s mostly stationed in our department aka Level B, quiet most of the time, observant in a way that makes you think he doesn’t miss much.
I try to keep my irritation from showing, but it’s probably all over my face. “Don’t,” I mutter.
He raises both eyebrows. “Yeah, falling like a bat outta hell from the boss’s good graces is one way to pep the mood.”
That earns him a frown. I’m still too annoyed to joke about it. But he doesn’t push; instead, he falls into step beside me as I head toward the break area.
A moment passes before he asks, “Yeah, what do you like to do outside of this? It’s not the kind of job that I would imagine someone who looks likeyouwould be doing.”
I stop and look at him. “What do you mean by that?”
“I don’t know, you look like a model or something.”
“Oh stop. You’re just saying that because you’re trying to be flirty.”
“Maybe I am flirty by nature but I’m telling the truth. But that’s good. I don’t really see a future in people posting all of their slutty pictures on the internet.”
“How do you know that I don’t?”
“That’s a good point. Do you?”
“No, I don’t.”
“Well, there you go. Do you have social media?”
“Yeah.”
“I have social media too, but I’m not on it a lot.”
“I’m not on it a lot either.”
He studies me for a beat, then asks, “Is it true that you were married to Lincoln?”
“Yeah.”
“Are you guys still together?”
My throat tightens. There’s no clean answer for this one, and I hate that. I still have feelings for Lincoln, embarrassingly deep, complicated ones, and I know damn well we’re never getting back together. But I don’t want some random coworker dissecting our history.
I sigh. “Yeah, we were married, you know. We’re just friends now.”
“If you don’t mind me asking, what does that mean? You know, friends that fuck on the side or friends like emotional support animal or friends like, hey, we just get along? Because there’s a rumor that you guys live together.”
“Yeah, he’s helping me out right now, but I am gonna get my own place. But we’re not fucking.”
I have no idea why I’m sharing this with him. It’s not his business.
“Are you just saying that? So that’s what people think or is that really the case?”
A soft laugh escapes me. “You’re quite a nosy person, aren’t you?”
“Yes, I’m very nosy. I don’t beat around the bush about things that I want to know when it suits me.”
“And why would this suit you?”
“Because I’m interested in getting to know you. And I don’t want to waste my time. I’m also very curious, why a woman like you, is someone that Lincoln would let go?”
