“Well,” I huffed out, “a warning would have been nice. You know, before I got too deep into it with him.”
“I thought he was done with that stuff, which was why?—”
“You said the things you did.”
“Partly, yes.”
“Except you saw how he was acting out there tonight.” How Lennon was focused on certain people, and how I was only with him for a little while before I found a corner of my own.
“I don’t know why he makes the choices he does when itcomes to the people he associates with. Part of me didn’t want to believe it. The other part… I didn’t want to get involved. Shit never ended well in the past when I made Lennon’s relationships my business.”
“What happened after you told her?”
“Didn’t talk to me for five months.”
A tight smile pulled at my lips despite no one being able to see it. “How it must feel to be shunnedandwrong.”
“Feels like absolute shit.” There was this long pause that extended out for a few seconds. “Ever since you walked into the damn break room, you’ve been knocking me down with that fiery fucking mouth of yours. I’ve been nothing but an asshole to you tonight.”
A heavy breath left me. “You do realize that you’ve been treating me kind of assholey longer than tonight, right? Tonight isn’t the first of it. Just the worst.” The strings of my heart pulled tight. “You consistently ignore me and act as if I’m not in the same room as you. When we do talk, you’re always snippy. I’ve dated your brother for a while now and have been around your familywithyou present, and you still can’t seem to mutter more than a few sentences in my direction. It’s like there’s something wrong with me. Do you know how that makes a person feel?”
I wanted to hear his response so badly. His excuse as to why he acted so distant all the time. Why he was adamant on not being friends with me like any other person would have done if I was dating their brother.
“I couldn’t talk to you,” he said on a rough breath, that voice of his grumbly. It reminded me of the thunder that took out the electricity.
I exhaled. “That doesn’t make any sense.”
“It makes all kinds of sense to me.”
“Yeah, because you have a front row seat in your ownhead. I don’t—but whatever you say.” Annoyance thrummed through me. It was always one step forward and two steps back with him. Would there ever be a day that real progress would be made between us?
It was unlikely.
“Don’t give me that attitude,” he snipped in response. “I’ve had enough of it. Foronesecond, I’d like to not have to deal with it.”
“Oh, wow. That’s rich, considering that’sallI’ve had to deal with when it comes to you. Ever since I started working for you, it’s been a continuous string of cold shoulders and clipped words. God forbid you have to deal with someone else’s emotions. Ones that, might I add, are caused byyou.”
He ignored me. “The day after you started working for me, you allowed Lennon to charm his way right into your life.”
Was that what this was about? Lennon expressing his interest in me?
“It wasn’t the day after I was hired.Weekswent by before I even spoke a word to Lennon. Actually, I’m pretty sure that you and I talked before your brother said his first hello to me. Do you recall that? Or are you only choosing to remember what benefits this narrative you’ve created?”
“Recalling when your relationship with Lennon started doesn’t benefit me in the goddamn slightest. In fact, it does the exact opposite.”
An annoyed grin pulled at my lips. “Oh, so you’re jealous. Why didn’t I realize that before?”
I couldn’t believe I didn’t see it sooner.
“Because it’s not the truth.”
I turned to him, even though, again, it was so dark. Our primary sense was our hearing. It was the only thing we really had to lean on. “You are, but what I want to know iswhat exactly it is you’re jealous of because I know it sure as hell doesn’t have anything to do with me.” I kept going. “So, what is it? Is it a one-time thing or is this common for you? Did you spend years of your childhood being jealous over everything your brother had?”
“Watch it, Olivia,” he warned.
No fucking thank you.
“That’s what you’d like, isn’t it?” I said in a scowly whisper. “For me to back down and shut up. For me not to question what this is between you and me. Why you’ve treated me like shit for so long. You know, just because you’re the boss doesn’t mean you can get away with it.”
