He slowly moves his head to the side so he’s looking at me through his dark-framed aviators. “Have I told her to fuck off? Have I tripped her on purpose? Did I punch her at any point in time?” When I don’t answer, he continues. “Didn’t think so. Now, get off my back.”
God, he’s being so... nasty. What’s his deal?
“Well, you could stand to be nicer to me, that’s for sure. You know, we have to spend two weeks together.”
“I’m well aware of my sentencing.”
“Sentencing?” I say with a gasp. “That’s what this is to you? A sentencing? Because, to me, it seems like a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to help restore a building to its glory days while making it modern and sustainable.”
JP smooths his hand over his jaw and says, “Of course you’d put some sort of fairy-tale spin on it.”
“It’s not a fairy tale. This is a huge opportunity.”
“I’ll tell you what this trip is going to be, Kelsey. We’re going to have to share a penthouse for two weeks, which I know won’t be big enough to stay out of each other’s hair. You’ll follow me around to different meetings, I’ll get to hear you say the same spiel repeatedly about how using bamboo organizers are so much healthier for the earth than the plastic ones, and you’ll get all excited about everyone else’s excitement. Meanwhile, I’m counting down the minutes until I can return to my normal life in LA.”
When he turns back to the window, I say, “Or you can use it as a chance to get to know me better. You know, the option to be a friend is still there.”
“Why the fuck would you want to be my friend?” he asks.
“Why wouldn’t I?” I ask, feeling affronted all of a sudden.
“I’m an obnoxious asshole in your opinion. You think I’m some sort of sycophant who preys on women when they’re at their lowest. Why would you want to be my friend?”
“When have I ever said that?”
“You didn’t have to,” he answers.
“What the hell are you talking about?”
His eyes shoot to mine and he says, “The night of the gala. You assumed I was trying to take you to bed. Couldn’t have been further from the truth.”
I pause and allow my mind to rewind back to that night. We had a nice time dancing, Edwin left with Genesis, and I was feeling out of sorts, like I wasn’t good enough. JP took me back to his place...and said so many kind words that I’ve banished from my mind.
Until now.
“What he should’ve said the moment he saw you was how fucking breathtaking you look... He should’ve lifted your hand and pressed the lightest of kisses to your knuckles, just so he could claim you in front of everyone around him... And when he lowered your hand, he should’ve leaned inches from your ear, and said how intoxicatingly beautiful you smelled.”
Because they’d seemed so out of character for JP, I’d largely ignored how I’d reacted to them. What I had recalled waswherehe’d had his driver take us.
“But you took me back to your place. If you weren’t trying to do that then what were you doing?”
“Being nice,” he wails. “Something, apparently, you don’t think I can be. Your opinion of me is so low, that you believe only the worst.”
“But...” I chew on my bottom lip, trying to figure out the details.
“Just forget it, Kelsey.”
“No, JP, let’s talk about this.”
“I don’t want to be on this airplane right now, so do you really think I want to talk about that night? I don’t. So, fucking drop it.”
And then he turns away from me, shutting me out.
The rest of the trip is spent in silence. I can’t be sure what he’s thinking about, but his words are playing on repeat in my head.
Your opinion of me is so low, that you believe only the worst.
Have I always gotten along with JP? No.
