Who was I kidding, even though it felt like I knew him forever, I hadn’t. And because of that, it shouldn’t hurt so damn much. Make that make sense to my heart though. It rebelled against me, each beat slowly becoming a song shouting his name.
My phone vibrated. I fished it out of the side zip pocket of my backpack to find an unknown number.
Only my grandparents had this number.
“Hello?” I tried keeping my voice low.
“Bunny,” Samuel sighed.
I scowled, squeezing the rectangular phone. “What?”
Silence on the other end.
“What is that tone?” His voice sharpened, causing my heart to jolt. Tears sprang to my eyes, and I couldn’t help my sharp inhale. He exhaled. “Nina.”
I scrambled to hang up. Since he called on my personal phone and I hadn’t clocked in, it meant it was a personal call—which meant I didn’t have to answer. I scowled and the phone vibrated in my hand, so I shut it off to shove it back in my bag. My heart pounded so hard I could feel it hanging out in my throat.
I closed my eyes, breathing in and out slowly to get my heart to calm. So many emotions crowded my chest that they threatened to drown me. How had I fallen so quickly and so hard? Something had to be defective. Was having a first boyfriend always like this?
I sighed and thumped my forehead onto the top of my backpack, letting my hair curtain around me.
The bus hissed to a stop. I hugged my bag to my chest and exited. I’d been wearing flats to work after breaking my only pair of heels, but Judy was bound to notice as soon as the deal with the advertising company closed and she wasn’t so busy. I crossed the congested New York City streets, heading for the skyscraper I worked in. It blocked the sun out as I reached the roundabout in front. Multiple people walked in the same direction. Some holding coffee, others holding briefcases, and some holding both.
I pulled my bag onto my back and headed inside where the sun spilled through the floor to ceiling windows. The tan tile was always so perfectly polished every morning. I hurried to catch the elevator, scurrying to slip on as it whooshed close, but my momentum pushed me to the left and my shoulder smooshed into someone.
“Sorry,” I gasped. A wide hand grabbed my side and straightened me.
“No worries.”
I found myself looking at Ray. I grinned up at him with my thanks on my lips.
A loud clearing of a throat whipped my head to the other side of him. Mr. Astor stared at me, fire spitting at me from his gaze. I inched back from Ray’s help, looking down to hide my scowl. Ray looked over his shoulder, his eyebrows furrowed. He followed Mr. Astor’s angry gaze to me and then back and the confusion grew.
Fortunately, no one else seemed attuned to the look Samuel Astor speared me with. Awkwardness mounted and I debated exiting the elevator with every stop it made.
On the next one, I wiggled my short stature to the side to let a few people through.
“I’ll see you later.” Ray tipped his coffee at me, and I waved. Samuel’s scoff was so low I debated whether I imagined it until I peeked at him to find his glare fixed on me. Oh gosh, now there were only four of us and we had three floors left to go. Hopefully they went all the way up to the floor we would be dropped on. I didn’t want to be left alone with him. It hurt too much.
Ding.
The two strangers left, leaving us alone to ride up the last two floors.
Great.
“Why did you hang up on me?”
I stiffened. He didn’t sound pleased. His voice remained even, but there seemed to be an underlying vein of contained fury. I wet my dry lips.
“Why are you riding the employee elevator?” They had one exclusively for the Astors and V.I.Ps, and if he would have stuck to using it, I never would have seen him. I slightly shook my head. “I don’t want to talk to you.”
He scoffed again, much more obvious than the last time, and grabbed my upper arm, forcing me to turn. I gritted my teeth, valiantly holding in my tears. His angry, furrowed eyebrows softened. “What’s upset you?”
Panic constricted my chest.
I lifted my arm to be able to reach where he held me, and I sank my teeth into the back of his hand. He hissed, jerking it back as the elevator doors swung open. I hurried off.
I careened around the corner, ignoring the few people already here that sat at their cubicles, not slowing until I reached my desk.
