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“Ironing your clothes.”
“You don’t iron socks.” I huffed.
“I do. It keeps the fibers tight.” She shrugged, going back to it and ignoring me so thoroughly I felt my blood boil.
“Normal people don’t iron socks!”
“I’m not normal. I think we’ve already established that fact quite nicely, so move on. Can I help you with anything?” she asked sweetly, still refusing to look at me or smile properly or…pay attention.
I wanted her attention, Goddammit, and when she kept withholding it, I started to sweat and wonder if this could be fixed. We’d made a mistake. I’d made a mistake, but dammit, it wasn’t anything…we were both adults. We could get past it and move on.
Deciding I didn’t want to think about that night and her sweet, syrupy, perfect—
“Need help?” I offered to cut off my thoughts.
I figured being nice could work. Catch more flies with honey and all that, right?
“Nope.”
“Uh, how are you? I mean, how are you doing in that trailer?” I tried again, scrubbing at the nape of my neck when she shrugged. “It’s coming up on fall soon. I could come out and take a look, make sure the trailer is weather tight.”
“No thanks.”
Fuck!
“Your car? Been thinking I could take a look at it and make sure it's running. Be safer if you drove home.” I murmured, watching her so closely I should be drilling holes into her head by now.
“No thanks. I’m just fine. I like walking. Besides, I’m a grown woman, and I can fix my own problems. Now, if that’s all, Mr. Chase, I’m kinda busy.” Ren murmured, looking up at me finally.
When she smiled at me again, that polite, impersonal, vacant look I’d started to despise, my temper couldn’t be contained. I wanted her smiling at me, chattering, being my friend, and Goddammit, I missed her. I missed her kindness and caring and the warmth she’d forced into my life since that first moment. I even missed the creepy way she snickered to herself sometimes, as if she was thinking something evil about someone she didn’t like and didn’t think anyone could tell.
I missed her, and hearing her call me Mr. Chase just made it even worse. So much worse, I snarled loudly and stomped my foot like a two-year-old.
“Goddammit, would you cut the shit, Ren! You’re ignoring me!”
“I’m working.” She said, giving me another sweet smile that annoyed me so much I felt a vein in my forehead throb.
“Ren, could we just talk, please? Whatever you’re upset about, we can fix it. You’re angry, I get it, but avoiding me isn’t going to settle anything.” I huffed.
“I do not want to talk, Mr. Chase, and neither do I want to spend my morning discussing mistakes. I know what I am, trust me. I get it. I’m always a mistake, but what I won’t be is a fool. Lesson learned, Chase. Okay? Lesson, freaking learned. We’re not friends, and I’m just a woman who cleans your house and cooks for you. Got it. So that’s what I’m going to do. If you have any feelings about the rest of it, do me a favor and go have them somewhere else because I’m busy, and I’d like to get done before going home. Now, if you’d be so kind, I want to get back to work.”
“Ren.”
“Lunch is in the fridge.” She barked, slamming the iron down and ignoring me so thoroughly I was left with no choice but to leave eventually.
Bewildered, pissed off, and uncertain of what to do, I grabbed lunch and flopped down in my studio. My bear grumbled his disapproval at me while my wolf stayed eerily silent, and me, I was alone. Again.
“But we’re friends,” I whispered, my chest aching at the loss of Ren’s brightness.
Sure. Because friends call each other mistakes and then try to ignore the fact that they owe their friend an apology. Nice going, dumbass, I huffed, my frustration becoming misery as I glanced around me, and not even painting appealed.
I’d fucked up and lost something special with Ren. There was a lot more to it than sex, though. We were friends, and I missed her. I needed that back, and I knew I couldn’t let it go until I made things right.
“I can fix it, though,” I murmured, helplessness filling me when I thought of ways to make this better and got nowhere.
Ren didn’t want me fixing anything, doing anything, or being…anything to her. That was all on me and my stupidity.
“Fuck.” I whispered as loneliness I hadn’t felt since Ren arrived, slamming into me in full force.
