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I think I might throw up. “This is Alice, my friend. She came to pick me up for lunch.”
“It’s Thursday,” Alice says, as if David is going to have any idea what that means.
As expected, he blinks in surprise. “Yes, I suppose it is.”
“Sorry, sir.” I wince when they both look at me with various degrees of incredulity at my word choice. “I… sorry?”
“Um, no,” David says. I frown. He frowns. Alice sighs. “May I speak to you a moment, Miss James?”
I nod hurriedly and shoot Alice a look. She nods and sits in my chair.
David walks to the hallway. I follow him and, after a second, dart into the stairwell that I saw Amber go into. It’s empty, and I assume from her purse and coat that she went down to go outside. He looks up while I look down, and then we both meet back by the door.
I don’t know why, but I feel nervous. Like I’m about to get in trouble. I try to ignore the feeling the best that I can.
“I… didn’t realize that we weren’t allowed to receive visitors in the office,” I blurt out. “I’m sorry. I’ll tell Alice to wait outside?—”
“Why does it seem like your friend knows about us?” David asks, voice tight.
I blink.
He stares at me.
The look on his face is one I’m unfamiliar with. It’s not what I expected him to say, that’s for sure.
I look out the window of the door and then frown. “Because she does?”
David inhales sharply.
When I look back at him, he seems almost… angry.
“Why would you do that?” he demands.
I am so shocked that I don’t even know what to say. “I—I mean—I—” I stammer. “I don’t know why I wouldn’t?”
“This is meant to be casual, Laura,” David bites. He runs his hand through his hair, tugging at the strands. I feel lost.
“I’m sorry, when did you hear me tell Alice that we were dating? Exclusive? Going steady?”
“This isn’t a joke, Laura.”
“This isn’t anything!” I exclaim. He shushes me, and I feel primordial rage like it’s my ancestors inside of me coming out. “Casual doesn’t mean secret, David.”
“Yes, it does. Everyone knows that. Everyone knows that you can’t just tell people?—”
“What is wrong with you?” I step away from him. “There’s nothing wrong with my friend who doesn’t even work here?—”
“She’s in the office!” he interrupts.
“I feel like I’m missing something,” I tell him. “Did Alice come in with a giant sign that said my friend is fucking the boss?”
“Can you please behave?” He pinches the bridge of his nose.
My stomach falls. “This is exactly what I was afraid of,” I tell him. “You’re… you can’t talk to me like that.”
“Like what?”
“Like I’m a child.”
