The Secrets She Kept

The Secrets She Kept - Chapter 16

There was an unwritten rule about working in an office. Things never remained a secret for long.

I knew Richie had told the others of the altercation at the coffee shop with sleazy Steve.

Not that I minded – much.

He had at least had the forethought to ask me first. If I had said no, I had little doubt that the office would have learned the truth soon enough. They always did. If not the truth, then something worse and even more outlandish.

I supposed it could have been fun to see what they came up with.

Instead, I had to live with the humiliating truth that they all knew about my failed attempt to date even if they hadn't witnessed it.

Still, not a single one of them brought it up. Perhaps that was some unwritten rule too. There were covert looks and quiet conversations though. The open knowledge that they were all talking about me behind my back.

There was something else too.

Something that just... changed. It happened so slowly, over a period of weeks, I hadn't even realised it was happening. 

It was fortunate that it had gone that way. If I had noticed sooner, I would have resisted. If I had seen those changes happening, maybe I would have put a stop to them before my co-workers had managed to infiltrate my life in small and irritating ways. In ways that, now I had gotten used to them, I didn't want to give up.

The biggest change was in myself. That had been gradual too and all down to them.

I walked a little taller. I didn't run from the room as quick as I had in the past. Though I tried to keep myself to myself, as I had for the past few years, others were less inclined to let me escape. 

In the mornings, Richie would meet me in the kitchen. An eternal morning person, he was the sunshine to my rainclouds. We'd make our first drink of the day side by side. He'd exchange pleasantries. I'd stand in resolute silence, only cracking a smile when he nudged my shoulder with his.

In the afternoons, Lindsey would perch on the edge of my desk and chatter about her daughter and her latest antics. Her face would light up every time, even if she tried to play the aggrieved parent.

Would my mum have had the same expressions on her face when she talked about me?

Probably not.

At one time, I might have thought so. Yet, the discovery that she had secrets - secrets upon secrets -  it made me question everything I thought I knew about our relationship. That horrible little box had tainted everything including the last good day my mum had had.

"What's got you so down today?" Richie asked, passing across the milk just as I stretched out my hand.

I blinked down at the bottle before picking it up. I tried not think about how well he knew my routine. I tried not think about how easy it was to be around him. The non-kiss had been relegated to things we didn't talk about. Secrets between us. Secrets we both would prefer to remain in the dark depths never to resurface again.

However, I was a prisoner to my own mind and anxieties. There were many occasions where those short minutes had replayed over and over again in my mind. It was a warning. A taunt just in case I got any more stupid ideas. Not going to happen, Rosie.

"Nothing," I replied, focusing intently on my tea.

His hand gently closed over mind, halting my movements. "You can talk to me, you know? We are friends -."

I raised both of my eyebrows. "Friends?"

He huffed and rolled his eyes. "Yes, friends. Whether you like it or not." He grinned. "Though, we all know you like being my friend. There's no point denying it."