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“What’s funny?” I snap.
He shakes his head. “Nothing. I didn’t realise you thought you were hanging out with the invisible man?”
“Yeah, well I am. A very annoying, big-mouthed invisible man … who, actually, isn’t that invisible.” I sigh as we pull into the traffic.
We buy our lunch and eat in silence. My mind is racing a million miles per minute. Am I doing the right thing? What if I do really lose him? Oh god, please let me not lose him.
“What does Ben want to see you about?” I ask with a mouth full of food.
He continues chewing and shrugs. “I think I’m getting a finishing date.”
My eyes widen as I chew. “Finishing date.” I repeat as I wipe my mouth with my napkin.
“Pretty much.”
I frown. “What will you do?”
He shrugs. “Go back to America,” he says dryly.
“But I thought your romance was going well. She’s lovely. Are you just going to leave her?”
“It is going well. Too well, but I’m not allowed to stay here if I’m not employed. You know how strict Australian immigration laws are.”
“Oh,” I whisper. “Do you want to stay?”
He nods. “Yes, I would love to see how this goes. I haven’t liked anyone like this for a very long time.” He frowns. “I even like her kids.”
I chew as I think. It’s not that bad having him around is it? Maybe I could stretch this out a bit for him.
“Tell Joshua that I feel unsafe after the robbery and that you need to stay and guard me for a while.”
He wipes his mouth with a napkin as he frowns in question.
I shrug. “Why not? It’s not like he can’t afford to pay you?”
“But I thought you didn’t want to be guarded permanently?” he asks.
“I don’t, but I can put up with it if you get rid of the other dickheads.” I flick my head towards the corner.
His eyes flick over to the table of four guards sitting at the front of the restaurant waiting for us and he smirks.
“If he thinks you don’t feel safe he won’t leave me alone with you, he will want at least another guard left.”
“Fine, just one,” I sigh.
He smiles. “You know he will probably sack me anyway because he knows we get along well.”
“Tell him I won’t have anybody else and if he doesn’t like it then I will be scared stiff and it’s all his fault.”
He smiles. “You drive a hard bargain Miss Marx, but you know what? He might just fall for it.”
It’s six o’clock Friday night and dark, the building is dead silent and I am in the office alone. Max and the other guards are in their cars out the front of the building. I can see them from my window. I’m procrastinating because I don’t want to go home. Joshua leaves Australia tomorrow and I desperately want to see him. I want to say goodbye … Hello … I love you. Why am I doing this to myself? I stare into space for about the fourth hour today; my last appointment was two o’clock. I lean my elbows on my desk and put my face into my hands as dread seeps into my every pore. How am I going to stay away from him tonight? How in the hell am I going to find the strength to do this? I just want to talk to him … I miss him desperately. I want to tell him about this terrible person who has hurt me so deeply. I want him to protect me from him and I know he would be outraged if someone hurt me like this. But then I remember the cold reality that he is that person and I am the only one who can protect myself. He offers no protection, only hurt. I blow out a breath as I start to slowly close the programs on my computer, my computer pings and a
YouTube tab comes up in the middle of my screen. I frown, what’s this? Don’t tell me I’ve got a computer virus now.
A curser flashes on my screen … huh. I watch in wide-eyed horror as a message starts to type on my screen.
Precious girl, please talk to me.
