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Chapter 11
Jordan
There was a knock on the door. I opened it and there he was: the asshole. He was wearing joggers and a hoodie pulled up over his head. His long blond hair was loose and flowing. I slammed the door before he could say anything to me.
“Jordan!” he yelled through it.
“Leave me alone!”
“Let me talk,” he said.
I opened it again and leaned in on the door frame. “What do you have to say to me? You even brought up anti-fraternization policies during one of our conversations. This is over.”
Cal sighed as he brushed back his long hair out of his face. “Can you let me in?”
“Why should I? If anyone sees us together, they will crucify me!”
“I was not using you. I really like you,” he said. “I see a future with us.”
“No. You don’t get to use me like this,” I said.
He started pacing in the hallway of my apartment building. I hoped none of my neighbors cared much about this argument in the hall. I should have invited him in, but deep down I didn’t trust myself to be alone with him. Usually, I was a quiet neighbor. Just like at work, I wanted to avoid being perceived by anyone.
“I wasn’t using you,” he whispered as his fingers slipped through his hair in frustration.
“What we did was wrong. Delete my number. Forget about me. I can dart behind shit when you come by. We’ll never see each other again.”
“It’s never that simple.”
“And I amazingly didn’t see you for a whole week at work. I keep my head low and stay out of the shit. You are the shit now.” I crossed my arms over my chest.
Cal sighed. He looked defeated as his eyes lost some of their sparkle. His shoulders slumped as he steeled his jaw. “Fine.” He walked off.
Closing the door, I released a sigh. It shouldn't come as a surprise that everything unraveled so quickly. In my kitchen, I could feel the coolness of the tiled floor beneath my bare feet. I grabbed a coffee mug and put it under my coffee maker. Scooped the coffee and threw it in the basket. Yeah, it was late. Most girls would drown themselves in ice cream. I’m going to drown myself in coffee. Coffee makes me happy. As black liquid dripped down, I pulled out my creamer from the fridge. I mixed it in the mug, grabbed my e-reader, and sat on the couch. I pulled a throw over my legs as I started to sip and read my book.
I was still responsible for retrieving his stupid coffee.
The thought of spitting in it crossed my mind, but I refrained from doing so. Instead, I left him a pissy note and lashed out. Was I angry that this relationship was impossible now? A few days ago, Cal was perfect. Now, life was in the way of my happiness. As I was passing the elevators on my way back from giving Kate her coffee, Alana grabbed me and pulled me behind a corner. I could see the copy room that housed my little desk from where we stood. It was normal to chat here for a quick bit, because it would give us a moment if Kate was looking for me.
“What happened with your guy?” she asked.
I shrugged as I looked around. “We had to end it. Things weren’t gonna work out anyways.”
Alana looked disappointed. “It sounded like everything was going fine!”
I picked at the hem of my blouse. “Sometimes things just don’t work out. We’re both adults,” I said.
Alana’s brows furrowed. “Did he hurt you?” she whispered.
I reared my head back as I dramatically rolled my eyes. “I’m fine. It was all consensual.”
There was a slam down the dark alley. My eyes widened. Alana smiled. “I wonder what girl has thrown themselves at him this morning. Seems a bit early to be trying to get dick, though.”
“You’re HR. Shouldn’t you be mad about it?”
Alana shrugged. “Consenting adults and all. Anyways, he has shut down every girl who has walked into that office,” Alana said. “Out of everyone in this office, I think he will be okay. I like him. Grumpy but seems like a good guy.”
“I thought they would stop soon,” I muttered. Confusing feelings started to surface as I thought back to how gently he touched me. We were over. I shouldn’t feel hurt that everyone kept trying to throw themselves at him.
