"He seemed quite upset today. I know he likes things a certain way, but I hope he’s not as strict with you,” Julian joked and threw me a small smile, but he was far removed from my reality.
"Not at all. He's very different when he's not at work." That was true; he waswaymore lenient with his coworkers than with his daughter.
"D-do you think...” Julian stammered but visibly forced himself to continue. “He would bite my head off...if I asked you out on a—"
"Welcome to Starbucks! What can I get started for you?" Poor Julian was viciously cut off by the barista, and my surprised eyes involuntarily traveled from Julian's red face to the lady behind the counter. I placed my order and he did the same, his awkwardness spilling over to everyone around.
"On a date?" I completed his question and smiled kindly, knowing that Alex would probably rip his head off if he ever found out Julian was bold enough to ask me out. My smile widened at the thought of Alex’s jealousy.
"Yes." Julian interpreted that smile as if it were for him. "Do you want to? I mean, it's okay if you don't, I just thought—"
"Yes, I'd like that," I interrupted his stream of consciousness. “But I think...it's best we go on that date when this is all over? Otherwise, it doesn't look good for either of us. An investigator dating the lawyer working on the case? People might get the wrong idea, you know?" How he didn't understand that was beyond me.
"Oh…yes. Of course. That was stupid of me. Yes, that makes sense." Julian looked defeated, but that’s when I played my trump card and manipulated the situation to my advantage.
"But maybe another coffee together won't be so bad? Maybe I can come by the precinct next week?"
Julianlitup. His hopeful eyes filled with such joy at my empty proposition. Oh no, I felt bad for him.
"Y-yes, I'd love that. I'm there all week. Drop by anytime."
I placed my hand on his arm and nodded, throwing him my most genuine smile. “Perfect. Then it’s a mini-date.” I blinked with such innocence, keeping my eyes on his naïve ones, giving him the biggest false hope in the history of humanity.
Julian was the perfect man to use.
The rest of the day passed by in a blink, and I was still riding a high from the opportunity that presented itself in the form of Julian when I unlocked my front door at six o'clock in the evening. Eager to shed the constricting clothes of the day, I kicked my heels off and rushed into my living room, only to receive the shock of a lifetime.
33
Like Velcro
Alex
Soaked, without a bike, in the middle of the night, I was on the run, shaken and truly scared. Scared that I wouldn't see Jade again. That I wouldn't have a chance to hear her angelic voice, to taste her sweet skin, to look into her mesmerizing eyes.
The phone rang and rang, and finally, Andrei's sleepy voice responded, "This better be good becau—"
"Destroy it all. The whole building. Everything. Go. Now. Blaze it up." I spat out urgent instructions at three in the morning, standing on the side of the road, in the middle of nowhere.
A beat of silence passed while he digested my words, and then, “I'll go now." He was fully alert and promptly hung up, leaving me alone in the darkness and vastness of our shitty situation.
I hung up the payphone and finally breathed out, calculating how to get to our nearest warehouse. It would be a few hours’ walk, but…beggars can’t be choosers.
Motivated by pure adrenaline and that one bratty girl who occupied every single thought, I half-jogged, half-walked the distance, catching a break only when I reached the unmarked building.
Fuck, I had made a huge mistake, and at this point, I had no idea if going home was even an option.
I didn’t want to go there anyway—there was only one place I wanted to be.
Jade's home smelled like her—sweet and calming. I climbed in through the balcony and just stood there, taking it all in. It was quite tidy except for her work desk, which was littered with files and sticky notes. Her degrees hung on the wall above the desk, and a bookshelf stood beside it. I perused the books on the shelf; mostly law, but there were a few others too—some French lit classics, romance, thrillers, and two travel books: Spain and Morocco.
I made a mental note: we’d fly to Spain right after this shitshow was over.
I decided to wait for her to get home from work, and after I showered, I shamelessly made myself at home in her kitchen and prepared dinner from whatever she had in her fridge. Then I took a little nap on her couch, exhausted from a sleepless night.
The keys jingled in the door a little past six, and there she was: my girl. Her hair was down, and she wore a white button-down shirt tucked into a pencil skirt that ended just above her knees. She was the perfect picture oflaw.
"Oh my God!" Jade shrieked as soon as she saw me lounging on her couch in only a towel. "What?! What’re you doing here?!"
