It’s the right thing to do for all of us.
Chapter 38
Despite my attempt at getting a proper night’s sleep, I don’t. My thoughts are still all over the place, and I’m no closer to figuring out the best way to handle all this.
My main concern is the Oli situation, but I also realized how poorly I handled things with Lex. Back at his place, confusion and dismay made it hard, if not impossible, to think. We had a great time cuddling on his couch, and I was distant and absent-minded in a blink.
So, today, I have two missions. One is to have a serious talk with Oli and make him understand that there will never be anything more than friendship between us. The other is to make it up to Lex and explain my weird mood last night.
When Oli arrives ten minutes late, I understand he also got very little sleep. Visibly tense and uncomfortable, he sits in his chair without a glance at me, and my heart clutches. This is it. After today, we won’t remain friends.
On his desk, I dropped the box of pastries Kate gave me for him. He takes the note taped on it and reads the few words written in Kate’s lovely handwriting. Curious, he tries a cookie, turns around to finally look at me, and offers a small, embarrassed smile as he shakes the bitten cookie. I return one just as awkward.
We all work for a while, and after about two hours of me barely managing to do anything, I send him a message with the company’s internal software.
Andrea Walker: Hey, can we talk sometime today?
Anxiously waiting for his answer, I lean forward in my chair.
Oliver Paulson: Yes, of course. Could we not do this at work?
I let out a small sigh of relief and bring my hands to my keyboard.
Andrea Walker: Absolutely. Maybe we could grab a beer after work?
Oliver Paulson: A beer sounds perfect. Charlie’s?
Charlie’s is an Irish pub about ten minutes from here. It’s always crowded enough to never feel intimate, yet the rich wooden interior and very loaded decor make it cozy and warm enough to not be too impersonal. I agree with one last message, and we both refocus on work.
Some time later, I get an overly excited text from Kate.
Kate
OMG! YOU’LL NEVER GUESS WHAT HAPPENED!!!!!!
I wait a few seconds, thinking she will send the rest, but it never comes.
Me
Elaborate!
Kate
You know Monica, that friend who works with Stefano? The one who introduced me to him?
Me
Considering she put him in your life, do you still consider her a friend?
Kate
Don’t be jealous. You know you’re my ride or die. Anyway. She just called me, and it’s fucking insane.
The bubbles bounce for a while, confirming that Kate is typing. As the seconds stretch, my guts twist and turn in my stomach, wild scenarios flooding my mind. Kate is worth everything, but I can’t bear the idea that I may have endangered others. My brother, his friends, Oliver…
Kate
Okay, so apparently, two cops came to their firm this morning to bring Stefano in for questioning. She doesn’t have all the details, but from what she heard, they received an anonymous tip, and he embezzled and did all sorts of shady things. And when the cops were reading him the charges, she also heard them mention distribution of nonconsensual pornography.
