“Mhmm.” I gave him a shy smile. “So good.”
He bit his lip as he watched me bite into the bagel next, and I stifled a moan.
“Milo…” His eyes were strangely dark, and he looked like he was debating whether or not he should say something.
“Yeah? What is it?” I asked, in between bites.
“Milo, about last night?—”
My eyes widened, and I shook my head, holding a hand up to cut him off.
“Jay, don’t worry about it. Nothing happened. I’m sorry I was so unprofessional, it won’t happen again.”
He frowned and spun his coffee in his hands.
“We weren’t in a professional setting. I don’twantyou to have to be professional with me on your time off. I know I’m your boss, but if we’re spending time together off the clock, I don’t want you to be constantly worried about being…professional,”he said, wincing as if the words pained him to say. “Milo, I want us to be?—”
“Friends, I know. I want to be your friend too, Jay,” I reassured him. He looked almost put out by my statement.
“Right…” He eyed me skeptically, the perplexed look on his face deepening. “So the other day, when we were testing the manipulator and the NeuroGlyphs said you had a cru–”
“Arghh! Stop!” I cried, dropping my bagel in horror. My cheeks turned red hot, and I buried my face in my hands.
Omgomgomgomg! I was freaking mortified!
Hehadseen my thoughts!
“I’m sorry!” I whimpered into my hands. Strong fingers wrapped around my wrists, and Jay tugged my hands away from my face.
He towered over me, and his woodsy scent enveloped my senses, causing my already frantically beating heart to speed up to a canter.
“Shh, shh, it’s okay, Milo, you don’t have to be embarrassed.”
“But Iam!I’m so sorry you saw that. I don’t want to make things weird. I want to be friends, and I also care about this job. I don’t want to mess everything up like I always do!”
To my horror, my eyes began to sting, and Jay’s concerned face blurred with tears.
He looked distraught, and he let go of my wrists. Cupping my face gently, he used his thumbs to wipe away one of the tears that slid down my face.
“You’re not messing anything up, Milo,” he said softly, and I sniffled, still absolutely mortified.
“It feels like I am,” I whispered, and his face crumpled at how upset I was.
“Look, I’m sorry I brought it up. Let’s forget about it, okay? Please don’t cry.”
“I’m trying not to,” I whimpered, being fully serious. My throat was burning from how hard I was trying to keep the tears at bay. This was even more humiliating than the time I ate concrete in front of him.
He gave me a warm smile, and he gently wiped away one more tear.
“You’re cute when you cry, too.” He smirked, and I huffed out a surprised laugh, swatting him on the shoulder.
“Stop saying things like that. It’s not helping with my… predicament.”
He handed me a napkin to wipe away the rest of my anxiety-induced tears, raising an amused eyebrow.
“Your predicament?”
“Yeah. You know. The thing we’re never mentioning again. Mypredicament.”
