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"Can you get me out of here? I can't be here right now."
"Yeah, of course. I have a free hour. I was coming to bug you, but this works better."
He pulled me around the front, and I jumped in his car, relief surging through me at being out of there. I didn't say anything as he drove, not caring where he went as long as it was far away from Emblazed Tats. When he pulled up to the Dairy Barn, I turned to him and a smile tugged at my lips, wanting to emerge at his thoughtfulness.
"I'll be right back. Grab a picnic table, okay?"
Nodding, I wiped my eyes and headed to the table in the shade. Simon returned a few minutes later, two shakes in hand. Having your best friend as your boyfriend had definite perks. He already knew all of your favorites and what made you happy when you were sad.
"Here we go." Simon sat next to me on the bench, and I leaned my shoulder against him as his arm wrapped around me. "So, who do I need to beat up?"
Laughing through my tears, I tried not to get snot on his nice shirt. Simon dressed well, and I didn't want to mess up his look when he returned to work. "Ugh, Slade returned."
Sitting up, I took the top off my shake and used the straw to play with the whipped cream, bringing it to my lips. I could feel Simon's gaze on me, but I took my time, debating how much I wanted to reveal. The rock I'd been hiding behind kept moving, and I would need to either brave it or find a bigger rock.
"He, uh, was really rude. Demanding me to come to his office, threatening me, and such. Then acted like I didn't know how to do my job, telling me to follow up with the distributor today, which if he'd been here, would've known I did on Wednesday! Ugh, he just irritates me so much. I couldn't take it anymore. He hurt my feelings and pissed me off so bad, so I quit."
"What? Wow, I wasn't expecting you to say that. I can't imagine him saying something that would upset you that much. What was it?"
I debated with myself, the truth right there on my tongue. "He asked why I was wearing jeans and then made some derogatory comment about his dick or something."
Simon looked down, realizing also that I was indeed in jeans. "Okay, he might have a point about the jeans. That is strange. I think I've only seen you in jeans since the summer we were fourteen two times. I didn't even think you owned a pair. Are you feeling okay? Do you regret what happened last night?"
Rolling my eyes, I scooped out some strawberry milkshake and whip this time, shoving it in my mouth before answering. "Don't be ridiculous. Slade's just projecting whatever crawled up his butt. Last night was everything, don’t let him ruin it."
"I feel like I'm missing parts or something. What exactly did he say?"
He studied me quizzically, and I panicked. Kissing him, I took him by surprise as the cold of my milkshake had made my lips and tongue frozen. Simon pulled back after a few minutes, a goofy look on his face, and I distracted him from what he really asked.
"Who cares? It's Slade. He's hated me from day one without any reason. Each time I think he's a human being, he goes and does something doubly douchey. I'm tired of working at a place where I'm not appreciated or ever get to apprentice. Can you just take me home, and I'll work out getting my car later?"
"Yeah, okay. If that's what you want. I just think you should work it out with Slade. You love your job, and I don't think you hate him as much as you protest."
"Pfft. I so do!" I huffed like a child and realized how ridiculous I sounded.
"What was your one line in the ‘15-minute-Hamlet’sophomore year? You know in the second part when it was two minutes?" He grinned mischievously, already knowing the answer since I'd made him practice it over a thousand times with me.
"The lady doth," I mumbled.
"Was that it? No, I think it was something else. A little louder, too, please. I can't hear you with all this noise around me."
I glared, his eyes lighting up in amusement. We were practically in the country, the one road to get here was quiet at this time. The crickets and cicadas were our only audience.
"Fine! ‘The lady doth protest too much, methinks’. Happy?"
Simon roared in laughter, and I stood carrying my now empty milkshake to the trash. I took it back. Best friends made horrible boyfriends because they rememberedeverything.
Simon followed a few minutes later, a smile on his face, and I couldn’t stay mad at him for long. When he dropped me off at the apartment, I had to borrow his key since I remembered leaving my belongings at the shop. Simon kissed me goodbye, but I didn't linger, wanting some time to myself before I had to face the big bad wolf again.
I crashed on my bed, taking a nap for a few hours. When I woke, I managed to shower and eat some crackers before I went back to sleep. I remember Simon checking in on me at one point, but I was a zombie to the world, the emotional turmoil having zonked me.
When I woke up the next day, I felt like a million bucks. I guess I really needed to sleep. All the events of the past week and my injury had caught up to me demanding it.
Dressing, I was surprised when Simon wasn't in his room. It was 7 am, so maybe he ran out to get some breakfast or had an early client. It was the perfect time to run by the tattoo shop, no one else would be in for hours, and I could clean out my area without having to face Slade again. I didn’t even feel bad it wasn’t a two-week notice.
Booting up my computer since my phone was still at the shop, I ordered a Lyft and avoided clicking on my blog. The red notification blinked 200 new messages, and I couldn’t deal with it. Shutting it down, I jogged down the stairs to wait for the car.
The drive was quiet, my driver not in the mood for chit chat and it was something I appreciated about them. Five stars from me! When we pulled in front of the shop, I was startled when I saw Simon's car parked there. I guess he did have an early client.
