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“Elijah?” Jessica is calling my name, knocking me out of my thoughts. “Does Thai food sound okay with you?”
“Yeah, I’m good with whatever,” I say.
“I’ll take care of ordering,” Jason offers, reaching his hand around her body to grab the laptop.
Heat crawls up my back.Jeongsin charyeo, I say to myself. I need to get my shit together. Enough with the jealous green beast making things out to be something they’re not. All of these feelings are screwing with my head. I need some air.
I quickly turn, grab my backpack, and head for the door. I just need to get out of here for a little bit. I could really use some space right about now. I’m still not used to this lifestyle, after growing up isolated with every move planned for me and every want provided. It’s a tough habit to break. But the most telling thing has been realizing that I truly am an introvert and actually need some alone time to process things, which has proven impossible living and working with nine other people.
I make it to the elevator before I hear someone call my name.
“Elijah?”
I beg for the doors to open but the counter indicates it’s still twenty floors away.
I take a breath and then turn around to face her. I don’t know why I’m suddenly acting this way. I need to get my shit in check.
“We were gonna hit up the Garment District and pick up the fabric we need to cover the booths and the participant tables,” she says. “Remember they said stock is a lot better before the weekend.”
“I can just go alone,” I offer. “You should stay here in case anyone has any questions or something. I’m sure Jason would appreciate you sticking around.” God, I can hear the jealous whine in my own voice and I hate the sound of it.
She purses her lips together, swallowing slowly and then nodding as if she can tell I’m trying to escape, that I need to get away. She drops her eyes and avoids looking at me.
Shit.
“Oh, um, okay then. Actually, why don’t you go on and take care of whatever you were about to do. I can get it on my own. You don’t have to hang around here if you have somewhere else to be,” she says. She’s lost all the confidence I’m used to hearing in her voice.
I am a dick.
The elevator dings but I follow Jessica where she’s heading back to the war room. “Wait,” I call out, reaching to take hold of her arm.
“There’s no way I’m letting you go into Midtown on your own,” is what comes out of my mouth. I might as well have pounded my chest and grunted a few times. The murderous glint in Jessica’s eyes makes it seem like I have.
“I’m perfectly capable...” she starts.
“I just meant that you’re right. It’s a good idea if we went together since there’s probably a lot to carry,” I clarify.
She narrows her eyes at me, confirming that I’m not actually questioning her capability to traverse the city alone. I wonder if it’s written all over my face that the real reason is that I’d do anything to spend more time with her, just the two of us.
“Fine. Meet me in the lobby at seven o’clock. I think the stores close by nine,” she suggests.
“Yeah, sounds good.”
“You’re, um, not staying for dinner?” she asks.
Just then the elevator dings again and the doors open. A startled Grubhub delivery guy steps out. “Order for Jessica Lee?” he asks, first looking to me and then to Jessica.
“That’s me. Thank you,” she says. She reaches for the heavy-looking bag with all our dinners. But I grab it, and the second bag as well, from the delivery guy.
“I can take them if you have somewhere to be,” she says.
“Nope, I got ’em,” I say. “And I have nowhere else to be.” And I mean it.
“But we called ahead and put all those yards of remnant fabric on hold. You can’t sell them to someone else.” The panic in Jessica’s voice rises with her every word.
The fabric store is packed. Which is odd since there are like a hundred of similar-looking stores lining the streets of this neighborhood. Who are all these people needing so much fabric this time of night?
A part of me just wants to step in and say we’ll pay double what anyone else offered. I’m pretty sure this cashier wouldn’t say no to that.
