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He suggested, “Let’s go up to the rooftop.”
“Oooh, privacy.” Misty hopped out of her chair with a wide grin. “I like that.”
The rooftop was a hotspot for Rayburn’s staff. It was a great place to get some sunshine and air while appreciating the view of the city below them. Because of this, the company had set up benches and tables with umbrellas so everyone could be comfortable while taking their break.
If it were later in the day, the space would be packed. However, it was just ten a.m.. A four-person group was having a meeting in one of the corner spots, but other than them, no one else was around. The group wasn’t part of the EV department, and they didn’t seem particularly interested in what Barry and Misty were up to.
Barry could work with that.
He chose a table a good distance away from the group and led Misty there. Once she sat down, he took the seat directly opposite her.
Smiling, Misty asked, “You know this is where all the office couples hang out, right? Is this your way of telling me that we’re finally_”
Barry cut her off. “Did you follow me to the restaurant last night?”
Misty’s eyes widened and her breath rushed out in a sharp, loud gasp. “Huh?”
If Barry were being honest, his first instinct was to avoid discussing the previous night’s happenings and continue ignoring Misty’s crush. However, as sexy as Xolani’s jealousy was, it was also a wake-up call. He’d realized that if he didn’t do something about Misty, he might actually lose Xolani. And he refused to let that happen.
Studying Misty steadily, he repeated, “Did you follow me to the restaurant last night?”
“H- huh? Wh- what?” She blinked several times and tripped over her words. “No. N- n- no. Of course not. Wh- wh- why would I…”
Despite her denials, the severe stuttering and nervous look in her eyes offered a different answer. Xolani had been right.
“You’re lying.” Barry went for the jugular. “You followed me.”
“No, no, no, no, no,” Misty insisted vehemently. “I- I- I didn’t.”
“Then why are you nodding while saying No.” He leaned back in his seat and folded his arms over his chest as he scowled at her. “That’s a clear tell.”
Misty’s lips parted, and it looked like she wanted to say something, probably another ‘no’, but then she closed her mouth again and stared at him. Though she didn’t say anything, her eyes said that her brain was spinning. Was she looking for a better lie? Or was she thinking of a better excuse to pacify him? Barry stared back at her silently, letting the tension and awkwardness between them simmer.
It was only when that tension reached a crescendo that she broke. “Okay, maybe I might’ve followed you, but it was because I was worried.”
Barry’s eyebrows shot up. “Worried about what?”
“I was worried about you!” Misty rushed to explain. “I saw you with that Xolani woman, and I thought she was going to take advantage of you. So I followed you to make sure that you were fine.”
As far as excuses went, this was one of the most ridiculous ones Barry had heard.
“I’m an adult, not a child,” he reminded her. “I don’t need anyone, especially you, to worry about me.”
“But I still worry. I can’t help myself.” Misty’s hand moved on the table as if she was reaching over to touch him.
Thankfully, he was leaning back in his seat, far, far away from her.
Her voice softened, her eyes watered, and her bottom lip trembled like she wanted to cry. “I really like you, Barry. Don’t you know that? I worry about you because I like you.”
Misty looked so sincere and pitiful that Barry felt sympathetic for a second. However, the image of Xolani’s furious expression as she’d confronted him about Misty quickly snuffed out that sympathy.
“Well, do me a favor_” Though he hated to be cruel, he pulled out his iciest tone. “Please stop liking me. I’ll never return those feelings, and you using them as an excuse to behave badly is ludicrous. What you’re doing now feels like stalking. It makes me uncomfortable. Please stop.”
“Stalking?” Misty’s tears disappeared so fast it was like they never even existed. Anger filled her expression and her voice rose. “For real? Stalking? That’s an exaggeration.”
“Is it really an exaggeration?” He demanded, “You hit on me. I said no. If you’d stopped there, then everything would be okay. But you refuse to give up. You keep sending me messages and calling me to reiterate your feelings. I’ve said I’m not interested every time.”
He listed on, “You tell everyone who has ears that you and I will be perfect together and that I’m just playing hard to get. You keep inviting me to things I don’t want to go to. I’ve said no to those invites every time. It still hasn’t stopped you. Now you’re even sneakily following me around. What part of that sequence of events doesn’t say stalking? This is textbook stalking.”
