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“This is your last warning, Luka. If you get Julie into trouble because of your recklessness, I’ll have no other choice but to let you go.”
With a sharp nod, he pushed away from the table, heading for the door. I stopped him before he could open it, my hand on his arm.
“Please don’t make me be the bad guy anymore. You’re one of my best friends. If I had to let you go, it’d kill me.”
He softened a little and stepped back, releasing the handle. Scrubbing his hand through his hair, he sighed.
“I’m sorry. Some shit happened, I got jealous, I wanted payback. It wasn’t… I wasn’t thinking.”
“I thought you guys agreed to the schedule? To fix the jealousy thing.”
He scowled. “We did. I called on Bennet’s day since we stayed too late at your place and didn’t get a chance to take her back to mine. I figured since he’d still be with her, he might hear me out. Instead, the asshole fucked her while I was on the phone.”
I couldn’t help it. I burst out laughing. Of all the messed up shit they’ve done in their little prank war, that was just wrong.
“Seriously?”
A grin pulled at his lips, and he nodded. “Yeah. It was like torture. I know what faces go along with those noises. I was dying and because it was his day, I couldn’t go anywhere near her.”
Shaking my head, I chuckled. “You couldn’t just hang up?”
He shot me a dirty look. “You try it some time. One night with her and you’ll be as addicted as I am.”
I didn’t need to remind him that wasn’t going to happen. I wasn’t part of their relationship, and it irritated me just how often I was put in the middle.
“Well, jealous or not, you can’t bring that shit here. Not at the expense of Julie’s career. And Bennett’s. And mine, for that matter.”
“And mine?” he queried with a smirk.
I lifted a shoulder. “Take it or leave it.”
It made him chuckle, and we both relaxed a little. I could understand his jealousy. Hell, I was jealous just from listening to the story, but he needed to do his revenge thing while they were at home.
“Next time, don’t waste your night together at my place. I don’t need a babysitter.”
He waved dismissively. “It doesn’t matter. Julie added game night to the schedule, so it doesn’t conflict with our group thing. She likes spending time with you.”
Elation filled my chest like a balloon. They could’ve decided to stop coming to my place since it interrupted their schedule, but instead Julie wanted to make game night permanent so she could keep hanging out with me. I shouldn’t have been as happy as I was about that fact, but I couldn’t stop the smile on my face even if I wanted to.
Luka considered me, tipping his head. “I know you’re a work first kind of guy, but you might want to consider giving her a chance. She’s worth it, Grayson. She’s worth the risk. And I know you like her just as much as we do. Stop hiding behind your work and missing what’s right in front of you.”
I froze at his words. I didn’t realize it’d be so obvious how much I wanted her. Luka clapped me on the shoulder, shooting me a knowing look before he headed out of the conference room, leaving me spiraling on my own.
Was he right? Was I hiding behind my work? I avoided relationships like the plague. Julie was the first person I allowed myself to rely on outside of Bennett and Luka in years. Was I using work as an excuse to keep people at a distance?
Distracted, I made my way back up to my office. I only focused when I realized Julie wasn’t at her desk when I got upstairs. I let out a heavy sigh. If I found her with either Bennett or Luka, we’d have to sit down and have a real conversation about appropriate workplace behavior. This was why I didn’t let myself rely on people. They always disappointed me in the end.
I considered going back to my office and waiting for her, but after the insanity of that meeting, I was on edge and irritated. I decided to go looking for her, to catch her in the act. I couldn’t exactly accuse her of anything if I didn’t see it for myself. I checked the copier and the break room before heading downstairs. I sought out Priya, since I had mentioned that Julie should contact her. She was at her desk, directing someone towards the elevators. When her eyes landed on me, she smiled brightly.
“Mr Andrews! I don’t see you down here very often.”
“I’m looking for Julie. Have you seen her?”
Her brows drew together tightly. “She was just here a minute ago. She came down to pick up the documents you were asking for.”
I wanted to assume that I’d just missed her, but the last time I did, she was under the conference table.
“How long ago was that? I didn’t see her on my way down.”
