“Okay guys, I’ll take your lunch into the break room so when you’re ready you know where to find it. I’m going to get some coffee, do you want anything?”
“Can you get me my usual?” Nyx asks from her station.
“Me too, please.” Ryan jumps in on the occasion.
“Sure. Anything for you, Gavin?” I ask nicely, trying not to sound as angry and hurt as I feel.
“I’m good, thanks.”Again, he doesn’t even spare me a glance. My heart sinks a bit more.
Turning aroundI take care of the bags with lunch that are still sitting on the reception desk.
It wasn’t supposed to be this way. If he wanted to be my friend he shouldn’t be treating me like this. This is not how friends treat each other, but then again friends don’t get jealous when cute deli guys ask their friend out. So what is his fucking problem. I’m my usual self around him. I haven’t made any moves, or flirted with him. He’s the one making everything awkward.
“Hey, Trouble. Do you mind if I keep you company on your break? I need to stretch my bones a little.” Carter stands in the break room door.
“Not at all.” I could really use some company, otherwise my head is going to explode with all these thoughts. I smile at him. “Let me just grab my phone and we can go.”
We walk in silence all the way to the coffee shop. After ordering our drinks we sit at the table near the window.
“That was quite a show Gavin put on back there.” Carter breaks the silence.
“Right? I mean, what’s his deal?” I jump at the opportunity to get a second opinion about all of it. “It’s not like he has a right to be jealous. I was completely open about my attraction to him. I practically served myself to him on a silver platter and he turned me down.” I sigh in exasperation.
“Yeah, I think our boss is trying to fool himself on that.” Carter smirks and sips his coffee, cool as a cucumber.
“Tell me something I don’t know,” I huff and sink deeper into my chair. “He has his reasons for rejecting me but damn, I feel like I’ve offended him somehow and now he’s giving me the cold shoulder over it. It’s his problem, not mine.”
“Okay, I have a suggestion.” He looks at me with mischievous eyes. “Let’s go out tonight after work. We can all go to JACKS. Text Ash to meet us there.”
“Ash?” I’m confused. “Why would I ask Ash out when it’s Gavin I want?”
“Well, we all can see Gav’s reaction every time Ash is around. So I think this will be perfect.”
“Perfect for who? I’m not interested in Ash.”
“Duh, but Gavin doesn’t know that.” He rolls his eyes.
“I’m not going to use Ash like that, I like him. He’s a nice guy. I don’t want to hurt him.” Nobody deserves to be used.
“So be honest with him and ask him to just hang out with us. You’re not asking him on a date. Just a bunch of friends shooting the shit.”
I think about it for a second. Since Game Night I have been so focused on the idea of Gavin, of us being together I haven’t realized that I stopped enjoying myself. Besides the one time I went out with Jordan I’ve had no fun at all outside of work. So consumed with my need to lock down Gavin. And why shouldn’t I be friends with Ash. I need to be honest with him of course. I don’t want him to have hope that something more can happen between us. Even without Gavin in the picture, it would be impossible. He is just not my type at all.
“Okay, let’s do it. But I don’t want to text him. Let’s go to the deli on our way back,” I decide before getting in line to order coffee for the guys. I get one for Gavin because he might have thrown a little tantrum back in the shop but I know he’ll drink it without a word.
Carter decides to go back to work with the drinks and leaves me alone to talk to Ash about going out with us. I’m grateful because I don’t need witnesses if Ash takes offense to me only being able to offer him friendship.
“Hey Pete, I wasn’t expecting to see you here,” he greets me from behind the counter with a wide smile on his face.
“Yeah, I was thinking of texting you, but I was at the coffee shop and decided to stop by on my way back. I wanted to talk to you, if you have a few minutes.” My eyes dart around to make sure there aren’t any other customers waiting.
“Sure, let me just put this in the back and I’ll be with you in a sec.”
The guy is always smiling. I know I’m a ray of sunshine almost all the time, but he is on another level. That’s why we would never work out. There needs to be balance in the world and all that. Us together? You heard about explosions on the sun’s surface? Yeah, it would cause damage to the ecosystem.
“I’m all yours.” I jump at the sound of his voice, knocking over the napkin holder on the table behind me.
“Oh shit, you scared me.” I laugh and quickly fix the napkins back upright then turn to face my soon-to-be new friend. We move to the side so as not to block the entrance and avoid any further clumsy mishaps. “Carter and I thought it might be a good idea to head out, all of us, to JACKS tonight. And we wanted to invite you to come with us.”
