“Hey, party girl,” Alex greets as I pull out my desk chair. “How’d the rest of your weekend go?”
“Pretty good, how about you?” I try to smile, but I can’t tell if my facial muscles are working properly.
“Oh, good, good.” Alex leans in as they lower their voice. “Crazy news though, right? How does Asher feel about it?”
I glance at his desk, clenching my jaw at the unfairness of the situation.
“He, uh,” I don’t know what to say.
“I mean, he didn’t know, right? He would have told you at least, even if not the rest of us, but I saw your reactions. Neither of you knew?”
I shake my head, wary of airing his business.
“Holy shit. That’s crazy. Kendall, did you hear that?” Alex is still whisper-yelling, and my eyes dart around the open space.
“Heard it,” Kendall says, not caring in the slightest.
I spare a quick thought to wonder if there’s anything Kendall does care about.
“So, what happened?” Alex asks.
“I don’t know if we should talk about it,” I say, doing my best to end the conversation before it goes off the rails.
“Right, right.” Alex leans back over their own desk.
“Anyway, I think we should probably focus on work stuff today. Who knows what the new bosses are like, right?” I say.
I sigh at the pointed look Alex directs at Asher’s deserted desk because yeah, he would know. Unfortunately, I have an impression as well.
As the day progresses, it becomes clear that ours isn’t the only group feeling uncomfortable. While some people seem excited about the new names that have taken over, it’s clear by the atmosphere that many others are wary. The first day under the new regime passes uneventfully, despite feeling like I’m more tense than a rubber band about to snap. I don’t see any of Asher’s family, and I have a tiny kernel of hope that things won’t be so bad after all.
When Asher doesn’t show up again on Tuesday, a couple people stop by to ask about him. Tension in the workspace mounts in the following days when he still doesn’t return, and word spreads that he’s taking an undetermined amount of time off.
Thursday rolls around, and I try to harness my usual cheer when I tread to the kitchen for a coffee refill, but the atmosphere is off.
“Well, well. What do we have here?” Chadwick’s drawling voice fills the kitchen with an icy chill as he walks in behind me.
The coffee pot drops back into its spot with a clatter and I whip around.
Chadwick looks completely healed; arms at his sides with his hands tucked loosely in his pockets, his face is back to hard edges with menacing eyes, and his suit is cut to perfection. He exudes an air of barely restrained violence with an undercurrent of rage when he stares at me. He looks like my worst nightmare.
Correction: heismy worst nightmare.
My chest tightens and I’m unable to draw in air. My thoughts race and my eyes turn fuzzy as he walks toward me. Before I know it, tingles race along my skin. I try to ground myself and hold it off as long as possible as I dodge around him and sprint out of the room.
“Leaving already?” His cold voice calls out behind me. “Guess I’ll catch up with you later, then.”
I chant to myself as I run down the hallway, not caring if anyone sees or hears. “Almost there, just make it to the bathroom.”
I slam and lock the door behind me before collapsing to the floor and letting go. I shift into a rabbit, and am promptly buried in my clothes. A sensation I wish I wasn’t getting used to.
I feel like crying, but apparently I can’t in this form, so I sit and wait as tremors wrack my body and a flashback to Friday night attempts to infiltrate my mind. I focus on the ground beneath my fuzzy feet, and how it felt to be wrapped up in Asher’s arms all night.
When I shift back, my only goal is to get out. I punch the button for the elevator, hitting it over and over, and twisting to look over my shoulder as I wait, dreading every moment I have to stand here alone.
I leap in, then it descends slowly, but I’m finally able to pull in a deep lungful of fresh air when I exit and hit the sidewalk. My feet mindlessly carry me away from the building to a park bench near the river.
It doesn’t take long to realize I can’t go back there today, not even to grab my stuff. Not wanting to worry Asher or interrupt his day with my near-breakdown over something he predicted happening, I call Zuri for help instead.
