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“Ha! I don’t think that will happen, but if it’s true that we get early access, I will for sure be picking that one out.”
He laughs. “Thank you for coming.”
I step into the hallway. “You’re welcome. I’m glad to see you are doing better.”
We say our goodbyes before I head over to the lift. There are two flats on either side of the hall. The stairs are to the back of the building and the lift is at the front. Not wanting to walk down a dozen set of stairs, I opt for the lift.
As the doors close, I give him one final wave, conscious that he’s still watching me. It’s not until the doors close that I take a breath.
I never expected to be here this long. Being around him for that long has stirred up feelings I thought I had burnt years ago. It has never been easy to be around him, but tonight reminded me of why I liked him so much to begin with. He’s interesting, funny, and we’re into similar things. He’s comforting, like a baby’s blanket you carry around long after you should have stopped.
The doors open, and it doesn’t take me long to let myself outside. I head over to where my car is parked, but stop short when I see the last person I expected to see.
“Zach, what are you doing here?”
“I knew you were fucking lying to me.”
My brows pinch together. “What are you talking about?”
“It was him, wasn’t it? He’s the reason you broke up with me.”
My eyes widen at the accusation. I thought I had set the record straight where Ben is concerned. “Zach, you were at my office. You saw the gift basket they gave me to give to him. That’s why I’m here.”
“For five hours? Yeah right. You’re even wearing his shirt.”
“Zach, you are misreading the situation. It isn’t what you think.”
“Like I believe you. I thought I meant more to you than this. I would never have cheated on you, much less looked at another woman. How could you? Have you forgotten what he did to you? Did you forget what I did to help you through it? This is a low blow, Imogen, even for you.”
His eyes swarm with tears, breaking my heart. “Zach, it really isn’t what you think it is. I promise.”
“You’ll regret this, Imogen. You really will. I never believed your bullshit excuse and now I have my answers.”
He turns to leave. “Zach, wait! Let’s talk about this.”
He pulls open his car door. “No. I’ve been wanting to talk to you for days and you’ve ignored me. Stay away from me, you lying, cheating whore.”
“Zach, I haven’t cheated,” I yell.
“You know what really hurts? I still love you. I would take you back tomorrow. That’s how much of a hold you have over me. But this… this is cruel. You could have at least waited until the bed sheets were cold.”
I jerk at his words as he closes his door. I have never cheated on anyone, much less Zach. Even during the times I knew it had to end between us, I never wanted to hurt him. We had been friends first, and that meant more to me than anything. He brought me out of a dark place, something not even my family could have done. He made me feel worthy of love, and treated me like a woman.
Where it went wrong, I don’t know.
But the Zach I’ve encountered the past few weeks…
He’s a stranger to me.
CHAPTER SIX
Imogen
George dramatically closes the door to my office with his foot. In one hand is a bag filled with food, and the other holds two drinks secured in a cup holder. The smell coming out of the bag is to die for. Larry is a legend for hiring real cooks for the cafeteria instead of a cafeteria assistant where the food is microwaved and tastes like cardboard.
Here at Castle and Games, we have a variety of the best foods. Anything that’s left over at the end of the day is taken down to our local homeless charity. They serve the food on the night to those sleeping on the streets. How we have so many homeless is beyond me and not something I like to get into. I get so mad and don’t know when to stop.
“If we ever had a zombie apocalypse, Daniel would be the first to go,” George growls, placing the food down on my desk. I barely move my papers in time.
