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“When did she hand that in?”
“Maybe fifteen minutes ago? Priya called right after she dropped it off.” The assistant stood in the doorway. I never closed the door behind me, so she must’ve heard everything.
Grayson grabbed his jacket, throwing it on while he spoke to the assistant. “I’m going to be out of the office for the rest of the day. All important matters can be re-routed to Luka’s office in the meantime–”
“Like hell they can. You screwed this up once. You’re not going without us,” Luka growled, shoving past him. I launched to my feet, booking it to follow him. No way was I going to let those two idiots go without me.
Grayson caught up to us right as the elevator opened, impatience clear on his face. Luka was seething at this point, and I stared at the numbers as they went down anxiously.
“You gonna tell us what the hell you did?” Luka snarled.
“Shut the fuck up, Luka,” Grayson snapped. “From where I was sitting, you looked just as guilty as I did when Bennett told us. You aren’t innocent in all this.”
Luka spun around, but before he could start a fight, I shoved them both apart.
“Knock it off. It’s not about you two. We need to find Julie.”
Chapter Forty-Six
JULIE
My mind was full of static since the gala. Every time I thought about what happened, I started sobbing. By the time Monday rolled around, I was a complete mess. I barely managed to look presentable so I could bring in my letter of resignation. I wanted to just stop coming in, but that felt wrong and I couldn’t make myself do it. Instead, I put on the bare minimum for makeup, threw on some work clothes, and forced myself into work so I could do it right. I couldn’t go past the front desk, though. I thought about bumping into any one of the guys and almost started bawling, so I just handed it in to Priya and went straight home.
The train ride back was a blur. I got a few funny looks, but that wasn’t really surprising given that I was trying to cry silently. An older woman did hand me a tissue, which was kind.
Getting off the train, I trudged home, keeping my eyes on my feet. The clouds overhead were dark and gloomy, matching my mood. I stopped by the grocery store long enough to pick up some ice cream before heading back home. I made it almost all the way there without bumping into anyone until I came up on the sidewalk in front of my apartment. When I glanced up, I froze. Grayson, Luka, and Bennett all stood in front of my building, impatiently pressing the buzzer to my apartment.
“If you keep pressing it like that, you’re going to break it,” Grayson snapped.
Luka glared at him. “What the fuck else am I supposed to do? Lick the damn thing?”
Bennett stepped back, looking at the building before spinning around. He looked like he was going to walk away, but he came up short when he noticed me behind them.
“Julie.”
My eyes flicked between them warily. Maybe they were here because they were angry about the way I left. I figured they’d understand, but I guess I was wrong.
When Bennett took a step toward me, I stepped back automatically. I didn't want him to hug me. If he did, I’d start crying again, and I’d only embarrass them more. Hurt flashed over his face and I dropped my gaze, the guilt overwhelming.
“Did… Did you need something?”
“You haven’t been answering my calls.” His voice was low and quiet, and I could hear the pain in his voice. Another wave of tears washed over me, and I just barely held them back, my chin trembling with the effort.
“I didn’t–” I didn’t want to answer and hear any more rejection. I didn’t want them to feel guilty over my emotions and pretend everything was okay when I knew the truth. I always knew this was temporary. I wasn’t going to cling and embarrass myself anymore, like I did with Alan.
“Maybe we should talk about this inside,” Grayson suggested. His tone was back to what I remembered, calm and patient. It actually hurt to hear him act so normal after what happened. Like it didn’t affect him at all, even though I was falling apart.
I thought about saying no, asking them to leave. I was under no obligation to return to work if I didn’t actually want to. And I wasn’t sure I could stomach all three of them breaking up with me at once. I should’ve thought about a relationship like this through. Triple the heartache was threatening to buckle me completely.
“Julie… Please…” Bennett begged.
A stray tear slipped over my cheek, and I choked on a sob, nodding slightly. Bennett had done so many wonderful things for me since we met. It felt wrong to turn him away, even if I knew it’d hurt to hear him say goodbye.
Shuffling past the trio, I unlocked the front door of my building and headed inside. They were quiet as they followed behind me, none of their regular bickering or snarking at each other. It felt almost like I was walking to my execution, with how stoic they were being.
I let them into the apartment, shutting the door quietly behind them. Gesturing vaguely to the couches, I kept my eyes on my shoes. “I just need to put these in the freezer. Please have a seat.”
I took my time putting the ice cream away. Anything to avoid joining them and confirming what I already knew. I stood frozen long enough that Luka poked his head in, an uneasy frown on his face. He didn’t say anything, just held the door open for me so I could join them in the living room. I took the armchair, curling my legs underneath me. I almost wanted to squeeze my eyes shut while I waited it out, but I swallowed hard and forced my chin up, looking between them.
