“I’m not looking for sex right now, Connor.”
Connor crossed his arms, his muscles bulging under his lavender Justin Bieber t-shirt he wore with pride.His eyebrows pinched together, as if he didn’t understand her sudden and illogical tirade.
Join the club, bucko.
“I didn’t assume watching Wheel would mean sex, BB,” he said calmly, but Aspen could tell he, too, began climbing the angry scale.“It’s obvious you’re upset, and I thought doing something that brings you joy, a-k-a watchingWheel of Fortunewould make you feel better.”
Before Aspen could respond, the air conditioning unit suspended in the corner of the bakery let out a long grind before making a massive pop and then nothing.
It stopped working.
“Of course.Ofcoursethe damn air conditioner would go out,” Aspen threw up her hands and stormed around the counter to where the air conditioner mocked her with a few whisps of smoke climbing to the ceiling.
She looked up at the unit, trying to channel the superpower of a mechanical air specialist to fix the damn thing.
“No need to get upset, I’ll check it out.It’s probably a belt or something.No big deal.”
In a move Aspen was sure to regret later, she turned her full ire toward Connor who happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.
“It’s a very big deal, Connor.Some of us don’t have the kind of money you have.I just can’t turn around and write a check to make this shop a highly functioning modernized bakery.And I sure as hell can’t keep asking you to fix my shit all of the time.”
They were now standing nose-to-nose.Well, Connor had several inches on Aspen, but close enough that their radiating anger roiled with one another.
“First, you don’t ever ask me to ‘fix your shit,’ BB.I have done that because I wanted to.If you’d let me help you, youcouldtransition this place into a highly functioning modernized shop that could compete with the national chain coffee shop down the street.But you won’t, BB.You’re too stubborn.Too controlling, which is ironic since you lectured me on that shit the other night.”
“Stubborn?Controlling?”Aspen couldn’t believe what he was saying.“Oh, that’s rich, Connor.You, who needs to control every single aspect of your life, and that of your friends.You can’t even let Mia explore a relationship with Matt on her own.You’re there at every turn, at arm’s length, of course, making sure everyone stays in their lane.With me too.You trying to tell me how to fix my shop and make it successful.You trying to push things like grants my way.”
“Stubborn?That’s all you, sweetheart.Those grants that you’re turning your nose up at willhelpyou.Like I said, yeah, I could write you a check to give you some room to breathe, but you won’t even consider it.You’re in a financial hole for some reason and I can’t figure out why,” he gusted out a breath of air, probably trying to reign in his anger.“And what in the hell do you mean arm’s length?Last time I checked, I fucked multiple orgasms out of you last night.That didn’t seem arm’s length to me.”
“Connor, I already have a loan, and what little I have left, I send a portion to help my parents so they can have some semblance of a retirement.I owe it to them,” she explained, but knew he just didn’t understand.“As for arm’s length, you keep everything so buttoned-up.You won’t share anything.It was all I could do to have you tell me about Elle.”
“Sorry I’m not all touchy-fucking-feely, babe, but this is about you right now.Your issues.”
“You won’t even call anyone by their name!”Aspen yelled.
“What?”
“You won’t call anyone by their name, Connor.Me included.Rookie, squirt, captain, BB,” Aspen clutched her chest.“If you can’t call anyone by their name, how on earth can you even have a real relationship with them?”
“I’m about done with the psychobabble,Aspen,” he spat out.“I was here to help you.Hang out.Fuck.Looks like it’s run its course.”
He turned to walk away.
“That’s it?You can’t even talk it through?You’re just going to leave?Call it quits?”
“Your stubbornness and unwillingness to deal with the fact someone with the means wants to help you ended things between us before they could get started,” he paused with his hand on the door handle.“I may have all the faults you said, and probably more you couldn’t even think of, but all I wanted to do was help you.”
Utter silence followed Connor’s exit from her shop.
What had she done?How could she lose it in such a mammoth way?
She had concerns over his lack of engagement, but taking out her frustrations about the shop and another shit conversation with her mom wasn’t what Connor deserved.
“Idiot.”
And she wasn’t talking about Connor.
