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He gives me a tight-lipped smile and an awkward shrug. “I’m alright, Mr. Gage. Thank you for asking.”
I glance back at the break room, noting that all the employees have gone back to chatting amongst themselves. No one else is around us, so I figure it’s safe enough to be candid with him. “You and I should talk.”
His eyes gloss over. “Us? Why us? What’s wrong?”
I go for humor. “Other than everything?” After a chuckle that earns me nothing, I straighten my face. “Nothing’s wrong, Elijah. But you, most of all, I think I owe an apology to.”
He looks stunned. “I … M-Me? Why me?”
“With Trevor trying to keep our secret, it put this … wedge between you guys. You mean the world to him, and it was shitty of me to compromise your friendship like that.”
“You don’t have to apologize.”
“No, I do.”
“Really, though. I mean, maybe he kept things from me and lied a lot, but … I knew he was seeing someone,” Elijah explains, “and I knew that someone was giving him a little hop to his every step. Now that I know it’s you, well …” He smiles. “You’ve done more for him than anyone I know. You made him happy.”
I can’t help but feel a stroke of glee at hearing those words. If only Trevor knew how much he’s done for me … “I’ll still apologize anyway for any strain on your friendship. It wasn’t intended.”
Elijah considers it, then reluctantly nods at last. “Alright. I accept your apology, Mr. Gage. Th-Thank you.”
“On a related note …” I lean toward him and lower my voice. “Where is Trevor? He hasn’t come in, which I understand, but he’s also not answering his texts or his phone. I’m worried about him.”
“He’s … He’s at our place.” Elijah licks his lips, nervous. “But I don’t think he wants to see anyone or speak to anyone. He’s waiting out the storm. I … honestly don’t know if he’ll come back.”
Those words hit me the strongest. “Elijah. Please look out for him. And keep me updated, will you? It’s killing me, this silence.”
“I will,” he promises.
46
Trevor has made up his mind.
“It’s nice to be twenty-one at long last,” declares a lazy Elijah, chomping on a slice of pepperoni pizza as he kicks back on the couch.
I’d already finished mine, curled up in the armchair with a glass of cheap wine hanging from my hand. “I feel shitty that we aren’t going out and partying or anything for your birthday.”
“Dude, just because my real birthday is today—a Thursday, of all boring days—it doesn’t mean I won’t celebrate with a big bash. I’m thinking this weekend, maybe. Friday or Saturday. We can all go to that bar down the street.”
“All?”
Elijah glances at me, squirms a bit, then adjusts his statement. “Just you, me, and Ashlee. And a couple buddies from campus, my media buddies from school. No other interns,” he quickly puts in. “I know you’re … probably not cool to be around them. I get it. I totally get it. But Ashlee’s cool, right? She’s angry for you, y’know. She wants Brady to pay.”
I give him an apologetic smile which quickly dies. I hate that it’s even an issue. I know he probably would’ve rather had all the interns going out for his birthday, but has to hold back because of me. Always because of me.
“Anyway, no interns other than Ashlee. Oh, hey, we can hit up a club around the corner afterwards, maybe, because I clearly will not be wasted enough by then. Ashlee said it’s totally a clean place. Clean except for the bathrooms after 1 AM. And then—”
“I’m going home, Elijah.”
He stops cold and stares at me, confused. “Uh, what?”
I set my glass down on the side table, then sigh. “I’m moving back home. I … I made the decision today while you were at the office. I already packed my things.”
Elijah drops the pizza to his plate, his jaw dropped. “No, dude. No, no. You’re not—”
“I called my parents. They’re expecting me.” I can’t quite look him in the eye just yet. “I don’t want to upset you, especially on your birthday, but you’re making all these plans for the weekend and … well, really, I think you should do what you really want to do. Invite all the interns. Have a blast, dude. I … I just need to be home right now with my family.”
“Come on. You’re running away? After everything? You can’t just go home,” he states pleadingly. “I’m your family, too! We were just getting into our groove here. Salamander’s even warmed up to you. Kinda. Not really. Anyway, the paparazzi aren’t outside our doors anymore. The story that’s out there circulating the net is already taking things in a whole different direction.”
I did notice the changed attitude on the news and on the blogs I browsed today, curled up on my bed with my laptop and all my precious, hurt feelings. The headlines made me smile, admittedly. Benjamin Gage is an ass man. Benjamin Gage is a man of few words, but one amazing set of gym-bred cheeks. Benjamin Gage makes his employees work overtime and makes no apologies for it.
