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Except I have no idea how to get someone to trust me. I’ve never had a reason to do so.
“How do I do that? She doesn’t believe anything I say.”
“You’re a smart guy. Figure it out.”
* * *
I peer inside Zahra’s cubicle. If she feels my gaze on her, she ignores it. The only way I can tell my presence bothers her is based on her tiny frown.
I step into the forbidden zone and take a seat on the corner of her desk. Her eyes narrow at her paper. Today’s pin looks like the seventies threw up, with the groovyflower powertext surrounded by flowers. It matches her retro-inspired vintage T-shirt and bell-bottom jeans. I haven’t seen Zahra match her outfit to her pin before but it’s cute.
“We need to talk.”
Her only response is the crinkling of the pages beneath her tense fingers. The silence grows between us to an uncomfortable level.
“It’s considered rude to ignore your boss.”
Her jaw ticks.
I peek over at the paper she has in her hands and read the title.No way.
I rip the application out of her hands.
She spins in her chair and stares at me head-on. “Give it back.”
“No.”
Her nostrils flare. “You’re acting like a child.”
Am I?I’m too far gone to care as I shred the paper into four parts. She blinks at me like I’ve gone crazy. And honestly, maybe I have, but she can’t seriously be considering this alternative. I won’t allow it.
“You’re not quitting.” I dump the job resignation application in the trash bin underneath her desk. Because I’m a bastard, I make sure my fingers skim her body. Despite her skin being blocked by a pair of jeans, her soft inhale of breath tells me everything.
No matter the time, place, or circumstance, Zahra is attracted to me. Nothing she says or does will tell me otherwise. While I might have messed up, I’m done giving her time to think things over.
She crosses her arms. “You can’t force me to stay here.”
“I could.”
She gapes at me. “No. Things are getting too complicated.”
“Thenuncomplicate them.”
“I can’t simply shut off my feelings and carry on with life like none of this happened.” She gestures between us with a slight frown.
“I didn’t mean to hurt you.” The thought makes my heart squeeze uncomfortably in my chest.
“You lied about who you were formonths. I felt guilty for being interested in two different guys while you knew the entire time who I was. That’s cruel.” Her voice cracks.
My entire body responds to the way her eyes shine from unshed tears. Her reaction is nothing close to something I’m equipped to deal with. I don’t know the first thing about working through someone else’s emotions, least of all when I’m the cause of all the hurt.
I reach out for her hand, wanting to break through her cold exterior. She takes a deep inhale as she rolls her chair as far away as it can go.
Her rejection stings more than I care to admit. I hate the distance between us. We didn’t spend months getting to know each other for her to pull away like this.
“Give me one chance to explain myself. If you’re not convinced that I’m sorry”—my voice drops out of habit—“then I won’t bother you about this again. I’ll let you quit.”
“Really?” Her entire face lights up.
