Hey guys, if you haven't yet read my profile update please do, because it has my publishing schedule for both EAIF and my new story, SFM.
I really hope you enjoy this chapter, and soon hope to turn your frowns upside down. :)
- cilla ♥
I woke up to playful screaming and the sliding of someone on the kitchen floor. Her laughter and Journey's barking was awfully loud and I immediately smelled pancakes.
His laughter sounded too. It was like they were children or something.
I stood up and stretched, throwing on a shirt and standing in my doorway. Xavier did the same. "Yeah, it woke me up too." He grumbled.
My throat was too dry to speak so we both just headed downstairs, walking like zombies and being half asleep.
Macy and Jared were playing in the kitchen, chasing eachother and seemed to have a pancake batter fight, since both their faces and clothes were streaked with gooey batter while Journey sprinted around the living room into the kitchen and around again, barking in excitement.
Her green eyes flicked up at me and I realized they were still covered. Was that how Macy lived now? Hiding emotion even from her fiancé? Her and Jared looked at both Xavier and me and froze.
"It'd be nice if you kept it down." Xavier grumbled again.
Macy bit her lip, holding back laughter. She looked at me, waiting for me to say something. "You got a little..." I motioned to her face.
She smiled and wiped off not even five-percent of the batter off her pretty face. "Did I get it?"
"Yeah, you got it." I told her and she laughed.
Jared threw his arm around her and gave her a big kiss on her cheek. "Sorry for waking you up, guys." Jared said in embarrassment.
Ha Mr. Perfect is embarrassed! It was the first time I saw him playing with Macy like a child. I missed doing that. "It's all good." I said back, surprising myself by getting along with him so well. I hated this man.
But I was nice to him because my friend was getting married to him.
"Well, go clean yourselves up and don't get my floor dirty." Xavier said tiredly.
Macy jumped on Jared's back and he piggy-backed her up the stairs.
I plopped onto the couch miserably. This was hard. "What's up with you?" Xavier asked.
The shower turned on and I heard Macy's squealing. I took a pillow and stuffed it to my face, hoping I could stop breathing. "Are... they..."
"Ugh fuck that's fucking disgusting, they're showering together." Xavier shivered in disgust and I just wanted to stop breathing. She's only my friend, goddammit.
I groaned louder at the thought and pressed the pillow harder to my face.
"You're gonna kill yourself." Xavier warned.
"Good." I muffled into the pillow and he pealed the pillow away from me.
"So what's suddenly gotten you all casual?" Xavier asked, laying on the other couch while Journey went to sit on the bean bag chair, which he did not fit in.
"We're friends now." I said lowly. It was stupid. I wasn't friends with women. Women were stupid, they were all annoying whores who needed men to survive.
Macy wasn't though. She was independent. Or at least I thought she was, since she was getting married I assumed that meant she needed Jared.
"Friends? What the hell?" Xavier asked in confusion.
"It's the closest I can get without hurting or confusing her." I admitted.
"That's weird."
"I know."
"Conrad, do you know what that's called?"
"Don't say it." I sat up quickly, causing Journey to perk up in wonder.
"It has a specific name..." He smirked and lurked over to me.
"I swear to god..."
"Conrad, you've been friendzoned." He whispered.
"I'm a grown man for godsake!" I groaned, standing up and kicking the couch suddenly. I was so angry at this point. "I can't be feeling like some stupid teenager who never gets the girl."
"Yeah, I don't know how that feels." He said.
Before I said anything rude I took my medicine and rubbed my jaw tiredly. "Whatever, I'm done thinking about this. I have to get ready for work."
"Shit, yeah." Xavier stood up. "Me too."
We both looked at eachother nervously when we walked up the stairs. The shower was still running and I barely heard anything because both me and Xavier covered our ears and repeated, "Ew ew ew ew ew..." Over and over again until we got to our rooms.
By the time I got ready for work I had on slacks and a formal shirt. It was a regular thing now instead of going to work in shitty jeans and a dirty white t-shirt.
Down stairs was only Journey and Macy with her hair wet. I cringed to myself and rushed to the front door. "Don't forget your wallet." She said to me.
And I realized I left it on the counter. She wasn't good for nothing, that was for sure. "Thanks." I told her and slipped out the door, feeling as if I was able to breath again.
...
"Hey Rookie." Someone said.
I turned around and met with a very serious looking business man. Around his forties it looked like.
"Yes, you." He told me. "I'm John Hughes." He stuck out his hand and I shook it formally.
"Conrad." I said back in suspicion. "Can I help you?"
The man smirked with crossed arms, beginning to circle me slowly, obviously trying to come off as 'intimidating.' This bitch didn't know who he was fucking with.
"So Conrad." John stretched out. "Tell me, where did you work before you got this job?"
I had no shame, and I didn't care whether he knew or not. My boss knew, and I still got the job. No he doesn't know about the bidding part I had worked in for a few years... But he knew about Herb's. "I worked as an assistant at a car repair shop." I said boredly.
He looked even more amused. I couldn't care less what he was thinking so I kept walking to the computers office. He followed me in. "A car shop?" The man laughed. "Oh, you're hilarious."
"Yeah, I'm glad you think so." I said distractedly while typing on the computer, finishing up what work wasn't even mine.
"Who's work is that? Isn't it a little too soon for you to be editing blueprints?" John said rushingly, he sounded apalled and I assumed my boss, Carl, wasn't supposed to assign me such work so soon, but I didn't mind because I felt myself moving up already. I must've been too, since John didn't look the slightest happy.
I shrugged at him as if I wasn't paying attention and he stormed out of the office. I had a feeling he would be speaking with someone other than Carl about it soon.
My work took a serious hold of my mind and I was lost in numbers. I got so into it I hadn't even noticed when a coworker of mine sat herself down next to me until she cleared her throat. Actually, she wasn't my coworker.
I looked to her, noticing her for the first time. She was hot. And definetly not like most women I'd mess around with. She was a worker, and she was classy looking. She looked respectable with blonde hair and calm makeup.
"Uh, can I help you?" I grumbled, being frustrated at how my mode was ruined.
She raised an eyebrow at my tone and crossed her arms. "I'm your boss's boss. You don't talk to me like that." She said boldly. "And I just came in to check to see if you were doing your work."
"And?" I said, turning back at the screen and typing more.
"And." She shut off the screen and I held back the urge to yell at her, instead closing my eyes to hide all my irritation. It probably didn't work. "You're not."
"I'm just checking over Carl's calculations."
"That's not your job." She said louder.
I turned to her and narrowed my eyes. "My boss told me to, so I did. What's the problem?" I asked boredly.
She just kept staring at me with intimidation, but it didn't work. I saw her attractive face and looked lower, seeing her shirt was neatly buttoned, up to the collar. But she didn't have a shirt underneath, and it was enough to show how large her chest was because it looked like a few of those buttons would soon pop off.
I looked lower and saw her legs. They were thin, but they were long. "Don't check me out, that's innapropriate." She snapped.
I shook my head with a smirk and turned back to the computer, turning the screen back on. "I wasn't done talking to you." She growled.
"What more do you want from me, a date?" I mocked, annoyed.
She just kept glaring at me and then rummaging through her purse for a small silver box. She took out her business card and slipped it to me, standing up to leave. "Call me at six and drop all your plans tonight."
I just stared at her in confusion, holding the card in my hand. "I was joking, but okay." Was all I could say because I was still very confused. One minute that bitch was interrogating me and the next she was throwing her number in my face. Another date? Did I really want to go on one with a woman like this? So... real and calm.
I stared at the business card that had in bold black letters, Desiree Jenson.
I guess a date with a normal woman wouldn't be too bad.
...
"What is the matter with you?" Xavier asked me for the billionth time.
I didn't know, honestly. I was still debating whether or not I should call her. It was past six o'clock, too. Wasn't it 'innapropriate' to be going on dates with the people who work below you? Rookies especially? I didn't know if I wanted to anyway. "Conrad!" Xavier clapped his hands in my face and I flinched.
"What?" I snapped.
"Why are you so out of it?" He asked.
Macy was downstairs, so he didn't seem to care about asking even when she was around. I shrugged at him. "There was a woman at work today." I said lowly, in thought.
"And...?" He asked, suddenly interested.
"And she's my boss's boss."
"Go on..."
"And she came in the office to get mad at me for doing Carl's work, then she threw her business card at me and said to call her at six to go on a date."
Xavier stared at me. "What is she like?" He immediately asked.
I groaned. "Zave, no, I didn't even really meet her today."
Xavier checked his watch and jumped up in shock. "It's six-thirty, dummy, call her!"
I shrugged.
"Is she even hot?"
I laughed loudly. "Oh god, yes."
"Then call her!"
"But I don't want to go on a date."
"You mean you don't want to have a one-night-stand with your boss's boss?"
I shrugged again.
"You guys don't even have to have sex." He threw in and I laughed at him.
"That's not even funny." I said, pushing his shoulder.
He only stared at me. "I'm serious. Conrad, have you ever thought about having a relationship with someone?"
I looked at him funny. He knew what he was asking, but I lied and said no anyway.
"Well just try it out."
"Oh sounds so easy."
"It is when you find the right person."
I scoffed. It hurt too, because that meant Macy wasn't the right person. It wasn't even the tiniest bit easy. She had someone else to top it all off.
And maybe Xavier was right...
"I'll be right back." I said and jumped up from the chair I sat in and dialled in her unfamiliar number. I walked past Macy on the couch and she gave me a casual smile. I just gave her a casual nod and went on with it. This is so fucking painful.
"Desiree Jenson, can I help you?" She answered the phone professionally.
"Hey." Was all I said.
"Oh. Hi." She sounded suddenly bored, already seeming to know who it was.
"So-"
"You called late." She pointed out.
"I know." I said.
"So where were you planning on taking me?" She asked suddenly.
I released a sigh. "I'll be honest, I'm cheap and didn't want to spend anything this week."
There was a bit of silence on the other end and I was kind of hopeful that she'd change her mind. But she didn't. "I'll bring the wine then. Where do you live?"
I looked around nervously. "Uh, I hope you don't mind a full house." I said, realizing Mary was going to come by soon. "And dogs." I added in when I felt myself being shoved by Journey's broken-hearted face.
I patted his head affectionately and he rub himself closer to me.
"I don't mind." She said.
"Okay, then I'll send it to you. When were you going to leave?"
"Now. Send it quick." And she hung up.
I looked at my phone in confusion. Did this bitch even know my name?
"Xavier!" I shouted, walking into the living room.
"So are you taking her out?" He asked excitedly.
"She's coming over here."
His face sort of fell. "Carol's coming over." He said.
"And Mary, if that's okay." Macy added in innocently. She was reading a book, looking like she wasn't even listening to us.
"It's not my house." I said.
They both looked at me and she laughed, shaking her head.
"Well Conrad, you're gonna have to to think of something to make for all-" He stopped himself and began counting on his fingers while I texted Desiree the address. "Seven? Yeah. All seven of us."
Macy smiled and nodded over to Journey. "Eight." She added in with a whisper.
I rolled my eyes. "I'm not going to make dinner for all of you."
"Macy will help you!" Xavier threw in.
Macy looked up from her book. "What?" She asked in offence.
"No. No no no no..." I shook my head at him. "That's not a very good idea..."
Macy furrowed her eyebrows and stood up in front of me. "And why not?"
Xavier laughed. He did it on purpose.
I groaned at her. "Don't do this right now."
"Come on." She demanded and turned me around and pushed me into the kitchen.
"What..."
I turned around to face her, which was a bad idea because she held my arms tightly with sneaky look on her face. She was too beautiful for her own good, I felt nervous again so I tried to pull back but she only held me tighter.
Her eyes said nothing. But her tone and her smirk. She obviously wasn't trying to, but it didn't stop her from sounding so damn hot and seductive. "Oh Conrad." She sighed. "I'm going to help you with dinner."