He ignores me at best and make snide comments at worse. When I’m with his brothers, he makes sure never to say anything within their earshot, knowing it would cause an argument. That doesn’t stop him when he catches me alone, though. We try to avoid those moments, and it doesn’t happen often thankfully, but some things he says to me when we are alone are brutal. Sometimes when I’m crossing the street, I swear I can feel him watching me, and I find that when I look back towards the gym, no one is there. His attitude only seems to get worse the closer I become to his brothers. It drives me mad. What have I ever done to him? The guys have spoken to him about it, and he promises to be civil, but nothing changes. I even tried to reach out to him myself, to have a conversation and help him see that I’m not taking his brothers for a ride and I’m in this for the long haul. However, the only responses that I get from him are snide remarks about me trying to expand my ‘little harem’. Hopefully, over time he’ll see the truth of it. I don’t expect him to like me or to become a friend, but just having him acknowledge my relationship would go a long way to healing the rift between him and his brothers.
“Whose face are you imagining there?”
The question breaks me out of my thoughts, and I look up to see who’s talking, confused at the question and unsure who it’s aimed at. Sue, one of my colleagues, is standing on the other side of my table and smiling knowingly, nodding towards the dough in my hands. Glancing down, I realise what she means. I’ve welland truly pounded the dough, overworking it so it’s just a mess between my fingers. It’s ruined, and I’ll have to start again. This is Elliot’s fault. If I was thinking about him, it never would have happened.
“Whoops, I got distracted,” I reply, shrugging sheepishly, smiling at my mistake. It’s the response that she was waiting for as she simply chuckles, patting me on the shoulder and moving to return to her job. We all make mistakes in our work, and she’s probably assuming it’s because I’m thinking about one of the brothers next door. She would be right, but not for the reasons she thinks. Really, I’m full of annoyance and frustration. Thinking of Elliot is getting out of hand, to the point now where it is affecting my job. This is my safe space and he’s invading it. Something needs to be done about this.
Frustrated, I glare at the mess and clean up, wiping down the table so I can start again and prepare a new batch.
I’m just weighing my ingredients when my phone buzzes in my pocket. Fishing it out, I instantly feel my mood lift at the name that appears on the screen. It’s from Bear. Both he and Clay stayed over last night and I’m missing them already. My feelings for them are deep, and I’ve fallen hard.
Bear: I left my watch at your house, could you please drop it off at the gym when you get the chance? Can’t wait to see you later. Xx
A feeling of warmth spreads through me as I read his message and a goofy smile pulls at my lips. I’m sure I probably look like an idiot to anyone watching, mooning over two guys and acting like a teenager, but I can’t help myself. Honestly, this feels so right, and I’m so happy that I don’t care what anyone else thinks.
Pressing thereplybutton, I quickly send a message back.
Holly: I’m excited to see you later. Of course, I’ll drop it off during my break. Xx
I know I’m a bad example, using my phone while working when the rest of my staff are not allowed to, so I put it out in the back office so it won’t distract me. Walking back into the bakery kitchen, I feel much brighter than I did before and find myself humming a tune as I mix the ingredients together. A couple of the bakers notice and glance my way, sharing looks, but no one says anything and I’m too mellow to mention it. I quickly fall into the comforting familiar motions and complete my new batch of specialist bread without any complications. Passing the tray over to Hayleigh, who is working on the ovens today, I leave it with her to bake off.
Glancing down at myself, I realise that I’m covered with flour and in need of a fresh apron and to wash up a bit. While I’m thinking about it, now would be a good time to take a break. Hurrying to my office, I grab my phone and run upstairs to get Bear’s watch. Hopefully he’ll be at the gym and I can say hi properly. I had to leave early this morning to open the shop, so I didn’t get the chance to say goodbye properly. Taking the steps two at a time, I hurry down and exit the building, crossing the short distance to the gym.
Stepping into the building, I pause in the threshold, glancing around with wide eyes and a small smile. I can’t believe how quickly the building has taken shape given the amount of renovations that were needed when they first took over. New shiny floor tiles somehow make the room look bigger, and the wall of windows and many lights placed within ceiling give it a light, clean and airy feel. Rows of machines and other equipment, that, frankly, look like torture implements to me, are placed around strategically, allowing for a large range while still allowing patrons plenty of space to move around. Beyond the main room are the changing rooms and showers, as well as a studio for classes. What really makes this gym different from allthe others, though, is the health bar positioned on the right as you walk into the building.
“They’re not here.”
Elliot’s voice makes me jump, scaring the life out of me, and I press a hand against my chest as if to stop my heart from leaping out of my rib cage. Slowly, as though I knew he was there all along, I turn to face him, finding him stocking shelves behind the health bar. I was so busy looking at the transformation in the gym that I hadn’t noticed him standing back there. The little smirk at the corner of his lips winds me up, and we both know that he caught me by surprise. I wish there was a way to wipe that smug look off his face, but I need to try to be civil. He is the one who has been causing the issues, and I’m not going to give him an excuse to cause more trouble.
The health bar looks like any you would find in a trendy bar, except instead of spirits lining the walls behind it, there are various smoothies and health shots. Bear did try to explain it to me, where Elliot will pair up the gym user with the appropriate drinks and supplements to help get them to their fitness goals. There’s a lot more that goes into it than just that, but that’s where it all went over my head.
I have to admit that Elliot has done a good job, even if it pains me to admit it. All three of the guys have done amazingly with getting this new business set up, and in only a few short days it will be open for all to use.
I need to take a second to compose myself, so I take a deep breath and clear my throat. “Bear asked me to drop off his watch. He left it at mine.” Lifting said watch in explanation, I place it on the bar, assuming that he will pass it on for me.
This is painfully awkward. Why did I assume that Bear or Clay would be here? If the former was here, he would have come got the watch himself. Instead, now I’m here and wishing I was anywhere else.
Elliot’s gaze slowly slides down to the watch on his bar, expression taut as though I’ve just placed something foul there. Picking it up, he examines it closely in his hand.
Frustration bubbles up inside me as I watch the charade. What is he looking for? Is he checking if I’ve damaged it? Knowing him, he’s probably only doing this to try to get a rise out of me. Whatever the reason, it seems to pass his test as he drops back down on the bar without a care.
Crossing his arms over his chest, he pins me with his acrid stare. “I’m surprised you didn’t decide to keep it for yourself.”
Blinking, I stare at him for a moment. He can’t have said what I thought he just did. A frown pulls at my brow as I try to compute what’s happening here. However, as I examine his expression I see that I heard him right the first time. “Excuse me?” It takes me a second to put together a coherent reply, pure outrage making me see red. “Are you implying that I’m a thief?”
I’ve been called a lot of things in my life, but never a thief. In fact, of all the insults that have been thrown my way, I think this one hurts the most. How dare he treat me like this?
Sneering, Elliot places his hands on the bar in front of him, leaning forward to deliver his comeback. “I’m implying that you are a manipulator, and you get everything you want.”
A manipulator? Ouch, that one hurts. What I don’t understand is how he’s come to this conclusion. We have barely spent any time together, so how could he possibly have decided that I’m manipulating everyone? He seems to believe I have this plush life, where everything is handed to me on a silver spoon, taking away from all of the hard work that has gone into building my business and this life that I live.
“Where are you even getting this bullshit from?” I fire back, shaking my head in disbelief. I’m deeply offended, but more so than that, his words have wounded me. I don’t know why I care about his feelings when he clearly cares nothing for mine, butthis whole interaction is tearing me up inside. My eyes sting with unshed tears. I won’t let him see them, though, he doesn’t deserve to witness my pain. “What have I ever done to you to deserve this hatred?”
The look he gives me makes it clear he thinks I’ve just asked the stupidest question in the world. “You’ve taken my family away from me and destroyed everything we had worked for!” Pain resonates through his voice, and I can see grief shining in his eyes.
Part of me stirs awake at hearing his pain. It’s quite possible that there’s some jealousy going on here, but not for the reasons that Ashley seemed to think. The three of them have always been together, and now I’ve arrived in their lives and changed the dynamic. I suppose to someone with boundary issues that it could seem like I’ve taken his family away, but that’s not true. We are not going anywhere, yet he’s the one putting distance between them. The last thing I want to do is get in the way of their relationship, but he has to give all of us a chance to settle into the new dynamic, and acting like a child is not going to make that happen.
That gentle, understanding part of me is quashed by my outrage. Everything he say is wrong, and he doesn’t seem to be finished yet.
