As one o'clock approaches, I feel like I'm going to throw up, I'm so nervous. When Clay finishes his meeting, I'm sitting in the kitchen, examining a document on my computer with a fake focus. I pretend not to see him in the doorway and he leaves after a second, probably not wanting to bother me. I feel bad, but there's no way I can talk to him right now without revealing myself.
At twelve-thirty, I pack up my things and knock on his computer room door. He opens it a moment later with a worried smile on his face. I greet him with the same. "Hey, are you leaving already?" he asks, pulling a pair of headphones down to his neck. I nod.
"Gotta sign in and stuff." That was stupid. I know he can see right through me, but he doesn't mention it.
"Okay... well let me know how it goes and when you'll be back."
"I definitely will!" He seems like he wants to say something, but he stops himself. Just then, Nick walks out of his room and calls out for Clay.
"Yo, are you streaming now?" he asks, joining me in the hall.
"Yeah, I'm just... getting stuff set up now."
"Are you doing the stream too?" he asks me, pulling out his phone to check the time.
"No, I have-"
"A dentist's appointment," Clay interrupts, looking me in the eyes for a few seconds too long. I taste blood and realize I've chewed the inside of my cheek raw. "She's just leaving now, but she might join us later." He doesn't look away from me as he answers Nick.
"Right... Okay, well, see ya!" Nick says, walking past me into the room.
"I better go then," I say, turning to leave. Clay grabs my arm before I can walk away and I turn back to see a heartbreaking look in his eyes.
"Y/n, don't do anything stupid, okay?"
"Clay, it's just the dentist..." His gaze drops to the ground. He knows. "I- Please, I know how to take care of myself. I'll be back soon." He doesn't say anything for a moment and I realize that my arm is actually starting to hurt a little where he's holding it. I shift it away from him and he suddenly lets go and walks into his computer room, shutting the door behind him without saying a word.
Walking out to my car, I feel like shit. I'm lying to him and he knows it. This meeting with Rachel has to go well. I have to have good news when I see him again. I want to be able to tell him everything, but I have a gut-wrenching feeling that that won't be the case.
The drive to the bakery is shorter than it's ever been, yet forty years long at the same time. I check Samantha's location to see that she's still at the bakery. I'm sure that she really wants to be here right now, but she's running it alone right now, so there's no way she can sneak away.
It takes me several minutes to build up my courage, and even once I do pump myself up enough, my hands are shaking. I see her immediately. To anyone else, she would blend in as just another coffee drinker, but her eyes pierce through my soul. I can't help but cower in her presence. Somehow, she still has me in a chokehold.
"Baby!" she exclaims as I slide into the seat across from her.
"Rachel, can you please stop calling me that?" I ask, keeping my voice as light as possible. Her smile drops for a moment, but she fixes it immediately.
"Of course, Y/n. If that's better for you right now, I'm happy to call you whatever you want." I nod just as Riley, my favorite barista, brings my drink over. I try to give her my usual smile because if she asks about Rachel, I have no clue what to say.
"Hey! It's been a while. How are you?" she asks, grabbing some sugar packets from her apron and tossing them on the table.
"I'm good! Just very busy with the holidays, so I thought I'd stop in for a coffee."
YOU ARE READING
family friends
FanfictionA few months ago, you moved into a new house and found that your neighbor, Isabella, loves baking as much as you do. After a while, you become close with her family-at least most of them. She's always talking to you about her oldest son, Clay, but y...
