FAT and in Love

Chapter 31: Who is she

"Forget it then!"

I lose my patience and put back her controller and sit down to play by myself. I don't even give her the courtesy of looking at her.

I'm about to relax knowing that I will have to deal with her emotional weirdness and then I hear her suddenly shout at me.

"No, stop it! Oh my God Dominic!"

I think I just processed that she did really late because it's not something that Lacie usually does.

At this moment in time I don't need all of the stress and I want to tell her to leave. She has some nerve talking to me like that. Before I can say anything, while I'm thinking about what I should even say, she sits uncomfortably close to me on the sofa and looks into my eyes, like she's talking to a five-year-old.

"Listen..." she says and then she pauses.

Is she nervous? She doesn't look at me. What is she looking at? It seems as though she's trying to find the right words to say too. At least she has that much respect or maybe fear. Maybe she's wondering what she should say next to do damage control but what she says next actually takes me by surprise.

"I get that I probably annoy you. I annoy everybody and I know that you have very little patience for foolishness and for people in general."

As she says this it's almost like she's reading my mind and I honestly start to get paranoid.

"Trust me the last thing I want to do is add to that and quite honestly sir, if we are going to be working this closely together we're going to have to understand each other and be honest with each other."

Where is this coming from all of a sudden? I swear to God it's probably because she's been talking to Art. She was probably talking to him right before I knocked to get her. Maybe he's been filling her head with all of my secrets since he kind of got pissed with me on the golfing course. Obviously this is not Lacie. This person in front of me is a contrived one, one that is being puppeted by somebody else.

"Ok," I reply still reeling. I'm waiting for what she's going to say next. Or should I say, what else Art told her to say.

"Now, what is it that I did to annoy you? I mean, it's like you don't get the concept of a joke."

Now this catches me off-guard. I mean. Is this her? It's just so unlike anything she's ever done. Maybe a little bit of it is Arturos and maybe some is her. Since she was just on the phone with what I assume to be him, I'm guessing he filled her in on how to talk to me. He's the only other person that talks to me like that, with that kind of confidence and honesty.

Oh that's right she's waiting for an answer.

"I'm bad at that. Every time I turn around I feel like I have to be on guard or else people take advantage of me. I don't want you to get it twisted. We're not friends. I'm your employer."

"Well if that's the case Dominic, then please kindly tell me exactly what it is we are? Because us sitting down and playing a game together is something that friends do."

Is that what she thought? Did she think I was trying to be her friend? Poor girl. This is usually why I don't like getting close to people especially those I work with.

"The reason I have you playing is so you can test my game," I tell her to set the record straight.

"Well! Then I guess the question I asked is not in jest. Am I getting paid for this or not if I'm not, have a great night I'm going to bed."

IS ... SHE... FUCKING... SERIOUS?

"Fine. Goodnight," I retort just wanting to be rid of her. Fuck this girl.