Out of Left Field

Chapter 2 - I Can't Do This Without You (Sloane)

Clearing my throat, I mirrored Cami's posture and rested my hands on my lap. "My answer is no. Nothing is going on with Stu that I can't handle myself. End of discussion."

I leaned over to snag a pen from my purse and my trusty notepad, clicking the tip of the pen, "Okay, so I do have a couple of–"

"What the fuck is going on with Stu?" I peeked over at Chris again, his normally calm, happy-go-lucky demeanor was gone. His face was flushed pink, his carotid bulging as it beat a fast, erratic rhythm in his neck. He clenched his hands into fists on his lap.

My leg started bouncing nervously as my eyes jumped back and forth between a very sheepish Cami and a very pissed-off Chris.

"Sloane, I swear to god–"

I let out an exasperated groan. "Honestly, Chris. Mind your own business. You haven't been around for months. Months. And then I'm coming to your rescue and bailing you out of jail. You want to know what's going on in my life? You have to earn that right," I snapped, turning to face Cami instead of him.

I could feel myself turning red. My eyes blurred with tears of frustration, my chest heaving as I tried to keep myself composed. Seeing Stu, bailing Chris out of jail, and getting absolutely no sleep was almost too much for me to handle.

On top of all of that, Cami was basically taunting me with a crush I had on Chris in fucking college and he was beside himself thinking about actually having to be seen as more than a friend to me in the public eye.

Correction. It is too much.

I grabbed a tissue from Cami's desk, blotting the corners of my eyes to preserve the makeup I wore, knowing I wouldn't have time to run home before court.

Cami looked over at me, the playful edge to her features turning apologetic as I fidgeted in my seat.

I have worked so damn hard to prove myself in this world. Crying with a client, at work, was so fucking frustrating and embarrassing. Thankfully, it was just Cami and Chris, but the current situation I was in still burned every inch of my skin with embarrassment.

Chris cursed under his breath, turning to face me but I couldn't meet his eyes, "Pipsqueak, come on. I've just– I've been–"

I scoffed. I knew this excuse, I've heard it a hundred times. "Busy. I know." I didn't even attempt to hide the hurt that laced my voice.

I've been hiding it for entirely too long. Maybe if he saw firsthand that I was hurt by his 'busyness', he would quit pulling away.

Maybe.

"Our relationship is neither here nor there. Camille, who else do you have on your radar?" I readied my pen, waiting for her to list some names. I could jot them down now, do some research later, and soon, we'd find the perfect match for Chris.

Someone who definitely wasn't me.

"I won't do it if it's not you, Pip."

My head snapped toward Chris, the pen in my hand almost slipping out of my grasp and falling to the floor.

WHAT?

Chris stared at me and I stared right back, almost like we were both surprised those words came out of his mouth.

I won't do it if it's not you, Pip.

I swallowed the knot forming in my throat, suddenly desperate for a glass of water. "What do you mean?" I asked, my voice scratchy from the desert currently forming in my throat.

He shrugged. The fucker shrugged. "It's simple. Cami thinks this is the best idea. You fit into the criteria you both had in mind. I trust you, you trust me. Or at least I hope you do. I know that whatever is happening with Stu must be pretty serious if you won't tell me because you never want anyone to worry about you. So that's definitely a factor, too."