“You’re an asshole,” I declare as I shoulder past him, darting to the toilets. I keep my head down, pushing away flashbacks of a night I’d sooner forget.
“Blake? You in here?” I hear Aimee call quietly.
Shuffling on the toilet with my head in my hands, I reply, “Yeah.”
The door bangs open, and her heeled feet click-clack along the tiled floor as she walks to the stall I’m currently sitting in, feeling sorry for myself.
“I brought spare clothes.”
I let out a watery laugh. “Thank you.”
Aimee slides them under the door, and I reach down to grab the slacks, clutching them to myself like they're my lifeline because right now, they are.
“I ran down to the store to grab them for you. I hope they're the right size?” she asks gently.
“I’m sure they’ll be fine. I’ll be out in a minute.”
Touched by Aimee’s kindness, I swipe a hand under my cheeks to remove the tears that haven’t stopped falling and get up. After changing, I feel better, like my armor is back in place and the mishap—sorry, the blatant sabotage—didn’t occur. Only I know it did.
Taking a deep breath, I decide one of two things can happen here. Either I put on my big girl panties and walk out of here with my head held high and get him back, or I stop with the pranks and ignore him.
The problem is that I can’t ignore him since I need him, but he won't listen to reason—he’s too far gone for that.
I exhale, opening the door to find Aimee propped against the sink with her arms folded across her chest, a worried expression on her face.
“Are you okay?” she asks softly.
“Not really, but I will be,” I reply, walking to the sink and washing my hands.
I peer at my reflection in the mirror—my mascara has run because of the tears, my hair is all over the place where I’ve been running my hands through it, and my face is red and splotchy.
“I gave him an earful for what he did… Theo, I mean,” she rushes to add as she stands up. “He’s usually so friendly, so I don’t understand why he’s being like this with you.”
“Who knows,” I mutter. Straightening, I grab my bag from the sink. “Thank you for the clothes. I’ll pay you back.”
“Don’t worry, I put it on company expenses,” she dismisses with a wave of her hand.
I nod, giving her a small smile. “Thanks again. Not what I thought I’d be doing today.”
“What are you going to do now?” she asks, a mischievous glint twinkling in her eyes. “You can’t let him get away with it.”
“Honestly? I don’t know. I’d love to say I’m going to get even, but… I just don’t know.” I sigh.
She places a gentle hand on my arm. “My personal preference is to get even, so if you need any help… give me a shout.”
I chuckle. Maybe getting a bit of help wouldn’t be a bad idea?
Chapter Thirteen
THEO
Ishouldn’t care; Idon’tcare. But when I saw Blake’s reaction to what I’d said, something didn’t sit right. The way her face paled, her eyes went wide, and a terrified look crossed her face doesn’t add up. I just don’t know whether I care enough to try to figure it out.
Blake was everything to me until that night. The first time I met her, I felt like I’d been punched in the gut. Every part of my body screamed, “mine,” so I went after her, making excuses to see her, to be around her. At first, she held back, stayed distant with her shields up, but little by little, those walls started to come down, and I got to see someone that others didn’t. I felt like the luckiest son of a bitch in the world. Until I didn’t.
“You’re a fucking asshole, you know that, right?” Aimee exclaims, thundering into my office and slamming the door. “That was completely out of line, even for you.”
I run a hand down my face, almost like I’m putting a mask on. “Aw, come on, short stack, it was just a joke. She’s fine.” I wave my hand inthe air like it means nothing because it doesn’t. “I’m just welcoming the new girl.”
