Page 51 of Friend Zoned

I want to take the note, put it to my lips and kiss it, but all I can do is look down at it. I don’t even realize I’m smiling until I hear a loud throat clearing. It’s Layla, and when I catch her eyes, she subtly tilts her head toward Quintin.

His face suddenly looks ashen, and his eyes have hardened. He takes a step closer, and I fold the note and put it in my pocket.

“Layla, have them put the food in the small conference room in the back. No one touch it until I come out. Looks like there’s plenty for everyone.”

“Sushi at Gary 46, Jeannie. Hurry because I’m hungry.” I know she dropped the name on purpose. Sushi at Gary 46 is one of the most expensive sushi restaurants in midtown. Only a certain subset goes there. Layla leaves, and the two guys follow her. I stand from my desk, walk to the door, and hold it open for my unwanted guest.

“Sushi at Gary 46, huh? A guest must have sent that as a thank you?” I don’t know why he poses it as a question. He must know by now that I would never answer it.

“Goodbye, Quintin. Please get the hell out of my office and never return. I don’t care about you or what goes on in your life. I thought that was implied when I divorced your ass, but you can’t seem to read between the lines.” I gesture for him to leave. He stands there a little dumbfounded. I’ve never been so blunt in my life, but that’s part of my growth. You have to ask for what you want because nobody is going to give it to you. By no means do I think this will be the end of Quintin though. He grabs his coat and leaves my office without another word. Once he’s gone, I close my door and grab my cell phone. Aiden probably won’t answer, but I’ll leave a message. He answers on the second ring.

“Hey, baby,” he says, and I almost fall over.

“Hey, yourself. Thank you for the food. The staff thanks you as well.”

“My baby wants sushi, I’m going to make sure she gets it. I only wish I was there with you.”

“I only mentioned it in passing,” I tell him. “But I wish you were here too.” Before I can say more, I hear a loud whistle in the background followed by several sets of loud footsteps.

“Practice,” he says as an explanation. He yells something away from the phone.

“Okay, sounds like you’re busy. I just wanted to say thank you.”

“You’re welcome. How’s your first day back?”

“Busy, but Quintin just stopped by and tried to ruin my day. Like he has that power.”

He stays quiet for a few seconds. “I’m going to have to have a few words with that guy one day soon.” There’s no playfulness in his tone. The deadly calm of his voice sends a shudder through me.

“No need. I can handle him.”

Another whistle and more yelling from Aiden.

“I’ll handle him, but I have to go, baby. The car will be there by seven.” He blows me a kiss and tells me he’ll text me the details later.

My stomach growls, reminding me that I haven’t eaten since the light breakfast I made for me and Aiden. I leave my office to make the small trek to the room we use for staff meetings. To get there, I pass the front desk and go down a long hall that houses offices for the sales team and Eve. As I’m walking down the hallway, Eve’s door opens before I can walk past it and I almost collide with Camille. I manage to sidestep her, but she stands there like a deer in headlights. Eve sees me and mouths sorry, but I just shake my head at her.

I don’t know why I do it, but I look into Camille’s face. She won’t make eye contact with me. In fact, she lowers her head and looks away, but from what I saw, she looks awful. She’s always had acne, but it looks like she’s going through a bad outbreak. She’s not very tall, and the pregnancy makes her look shorter, even stout.

“Eve, come have some sushi when you’re done,” I say as I continue down the hall. I don’t look back.

Chapter 27

Jeannie

“Do you need a tranquilizer?” I ask Layla, who has not once stopped talking since we left work and got into a waiting Maybach. Now we’re following the usher to our seats.

“This is center court. You will not kill my joy,” she says to me. “Oh my god!” She stops walking and I collide with her back. “Is that Vickie Chastain sitting over there? I swear, if we’re sitting next to her, I will die. Just die.”

“Are you majoring in hospitality or drama? Relax.”

She takes another step but stops abruptly. She turns and squeezes around me. Once she’s behind me, she says, “Go.” She gives me a slight push.

“Next time, I’m leaving you at home,” I tell her as I follow the usher. He points to the two seats next to Vickie and leaves.

“Oh my God,” Layla whispers behind me. “This boyfriend of yours is the best thing to happen to me in my life. I can die after this.” I ignore her and take off my jacket. Not only did Aiden send tickets and a car, but he also sent jerseys and polo shirts with the team’s logo. I chose a polo because I don’t want to wear another man’s name. Layla grabbed a Harris jersey. According to her, she’s over Jarvis and Harris is her dream man now.

From the corner of my eye, I see Vickie typing something on her phone. Once she puts it down, she looks up and sees me. Her face transforms into a smile and she stands and takes me into a hug.

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