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The door opens, and Carter steps in with a tray containing three to-go coffee cups.
“Understandable,” Gavin says with a nod. “If you ever change your mind, I’m always happy to provide some feedback on your writing. Feel free to share anything with me.”
“Thanks,” I say, tucking a strand of loose hair behind my ears.
My eyes sweep up at Carter, who’s glaring back and forth between Gavin and me.
“How’s everything coming along?” he asks with some venom in his tone. He sets the coffee tray down on the conference table.
“Pretty well,” Gavin says, completely oblivious to Carter as he seethes in front of us. “We just need to solidify the filming locations, but Mia has some great ideas.”
Carter glances at me, a slight scowl on his face. The three of us were getting along so well before he left for his meeting. For the first time since I was hired, I didn’t feel any weird hostility from him. Is it about the coffee? Should we have told him not to bring us back anything? He’s the one who offered though.
He removes a cup from the tray and reads the label. “This one is plain black. Yours, right, Gavin?”
“Yes, that would be mine.” Gavin rises to accept his drink. “Thanks, Mr. Cogswell.”
“Sure thing,” Carter says and removes the last two cups from the tray. “Would you mind if I speak with Mia about the film sites in private?”
“Of course.” Gavin starts to collect his things. “I was just about to leave anyway. I need to report back to the other screenwriters about the progress we’ve made so far,” he says, before sliding his black backpack over his blue dress shirt.
God, he’s such a puppy. It’s upsetting to see Carter so visibly angry at him.
“See you later, Mia,” Gavin says, giving me a small wave as he heads out.
Carter shuts the door behind Gavin. As soon as we’re alone, he faces me, and the annoyance he let off only slightly before has now turned into full-on rage.
He picks up one of the to-go cups and reads it, then hands it over to me. My mocha latte.
“Thank you,” I say as I accept it from him, but I feel so uneasy. I can already tell he’s ready to explode.
“You two seemed very cozy while I was gone,” he says, taking a sip from his coffee.
“Gavin is nice,” I admit, running my thumb along my cup. “And really helpful. I like working with him.”
Carter tilts his head to the side. “Is that all you like?”
I scoff. “What is that supposed to mean?”
He shakes his head. “Nothing. I just noticed the two of you were sitting awfully close.”
I narrow my eyes on him. Is he jealous? For someone who’s done nothing but scold and boss me around, he has no right to act possessively over me like this.
“We were sharing a laptop screen,” I say. “Should we remain six feet apart at all times?”
“No, but I hope you remain mindful of other people’s personal space preferences.”
I take a sip of my latte, enjoying the sweet taste of mocha as it hits my lips. Through the corner of my eye, I can spot Carter watching me take pleasure in my drink. His gaze remains on my lips as I move the cup away from my face.
“If Gavin felt uncomfortable, he would have told me,” I say, fighting with all my might to remain civil. I throw in a forced smile for good measure. “But I’ll be mindful. You said you wanted to see the film locations?”
He nods. “Show me what you’ve got,” he says, taking the seat Gavin once occupied. He scoots the chair so close our legs touch.
“Excuse me.” I push his leg away from mine. “You’re invading my personal space.”
“I don’t mind being this close to you,” he says. He rests his elbow on the table and cups his chin in his palm, observing me in all my confusion and anger.
His face is so close to mine, I can feel the heat of his breath against my cheek.
