I roll my eyes. My adoration of my friends and the way they protect me doesn’t mean I can’t see how ridiculous they get with it sometimes. “Anyway, he said something about being fluent in grunting and how at least Vivi doesn’t expect him to use words. I asked who Vivi was, and…” I make avoilàgesture.
“I guess that makes sense,” she concedes. “Hey, Phil?”
“Yeah?”
Her grin takes over her face. “You’re designing a gown for Margaret Haywood.”
Our combined shriek brings our staff running.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
GRIFF
It’s been a whole week,and when I think about my text exchange with Phil, I’m still befuddled and… happy. That’s such a weird way to describe it, but I can’t think of a better word. Those messages made me smile—still make me smile when I think about them. I’ve had to stop myself from texting him random shit just so he’ll text me back. Maybe we’ve already evolved past professional acquaintanceship into professional friendship—a lot faster than I ever have before—but the fact remains that the biggest part of our relationship is still professional. The last thing I need right now is for Damian to have another reason to question my actions toward Phil.
Though, Damiandidfuck and then move in with one of the clients on his roster, so he wouldn’t exactly be on solid ground disciplining me. Hypocrite, much?
Not that I’m going to fuck Phil. That’s not what I mean, even if I have thought about it a little bit. It’s just that if I do text Phil some non-work-related stuff, Damian can’t really get mad about us becoming friends.
Except I know Damian wouldn’t get mad about that—if anything, he’d be pleased. He likes Phil a lot, and Kaneadores him. What Damianmightget mad about would be me potentially complicating a relationship with a designer by fucking them. Which I’m not planning to do… exactly. But you know, if it were to just happen naturally?—
“Hey, Griff!”
“I wouldn’t!” I snap, and Kane’s pretty blue eyes blink at me a couple of times. “Shit.” I slump in my chair, grateful Adam isn’t at his desk to witness this.
“Uh-huh,” Kane says slowly. “You doing okay?”
Pulling myself together, I nod. “Yeah. Sorry about that.” He’s still looking at me like he’s trying to read my mind, so I add, “Damian’s in his office.”
One golden brow goes up. “Yeah, I know. I just left there.”
Did he? Fuck. I didn’t even notice when he arrived. How long have I been mooning over a bunch of week-old text messages instead of actually working?
“You sure you’re okay, Griff?”
“Positive.” The concerned frown doesn’t lift, and I really don’t want him telling Damian he thinks something’s going on with me, so I add, “My sister wants me to meet her new boyfriend during the holidays.”
Kane’s face instantly relaxes. “Ohhh. You worried he might be an ass?”
I shrug. “The last one was.” I’m not going to add more—the only reason my colleagues even know I have a sister is because I mentioned Carter one time.
“Fingers crossed this one’s better, then” is thankfully all Kane says.
I grunt agreement, and then wait. I like Kane a lot, and we’ve casually gotten to know each other since he started dating Damian a year and a half ago, but we’re not buddies. If he just stopped to say hi, he’ll be on his way now.
“So anyway, Damian mentioned that you’re collaborating with Phallacy,” he says… because of course. He must misinterpret the look on my face, because he holds up a hand and adds, “I don’t want to know which client or what the design looks like, I swear.”
Good. Because I wouldn’t have told him.
“It was kind of a shock,” he admits. “Your clients don’t usually go for that kind of look. But it’s exciting that you’re branching out, and Phil and Calla are so amazing to work with. They’re the best.”
I grunt, then remember this is my boss’s boyfriend and turn it into clearing my throat and make myself add words. “They’ve been great.”
“It’s kind of silly, but I felt like I’d unlocked some kind of treasure when they kept working with me after I met Phil. Calla’s so protective, and I know she would have ripped up the contract and kicked me out if she thought Phil wasn’t comfortable with me. It was like getting validation that I’m not a terrible person.”
I’ve never lacked in confidence, but self-doubt is suddenly taking up a lot of space in my head. I know—I’m pretty sure—that Phil and I are good now, but… “Yeah, uh… I still worry that I fucked up,” I confide, keeping my voice low. “Since he didn’t talk during our meeting.” That’s safe enough to tell him, since Damian was there during said meeting and already knows.
Kane nods sympathetically. “I freaked out after one of my fittings because he was nonverbal during it. He’d talked to me before, but that time he couldn’t, and I was sure I’d done something wrong and caused problems for him.”
