Page 76 of Ink & Ambition

Chapter Thirty

Alex

Theweighthitsthemachine louder than necessary but I couldn’t care less. Leaning down, I add another ten pounds to the resistance and then start my reps again, raising the bar above my head and lowering it down over and over.

I had spent the morning looking over Margot’s notes for the podcast, thinking about how I’d answer some of these questions. Usually we come up with a script during our Monday planning sessions but this week has been so fucked up that we have hardly been seeing eye to eye on anything, let alone the podcast.

I can admit that, right now, my heart isn’t really into this whole podcast thing but, no matter what the situation is with Margot and me, I won’t let her down. I made her a promise and I keep my promises.

As I finish my last rep, my thoughts wander to the events of last night. How could such an amazing date end up with me and Margot barely talking and her instead chatting it up with the enemy? She told me to talk to Kai, and I haven’t yet had the chance but I am going to see what he has to say. I don’t think Margot is naive enough to just blindly trust what Ryan wassaying. There must’ve been some truth in his words that I need to uncover.

The weight drops again as Devon and Keith walk up to my machine. “We’re going to get lunch, you coming?”

“Nah,” I reply, wiping the sweat off my forehead with the bottom of my shirt. They nod as they walk toward the door. Even though we all drove together in Devon’s car, I opt to run home to finish my workout. I still need to blow off some steam.

Wiping down my equipment, I leave the gym, starting my jog toward home. It takes me fifteen minutes to get home and my head is still a jumbled mess as I walk through the door. I was happy to not see Kai when I came in. I know I need to talk to him but I just don’t think I’m ready for another fight. Not before I have to deal with this uncomfortable podcast taping with Margot.

I shower quickly and then get back in the car to pick her up.

Her bemused expression pulls a reluctant chuckle out of me as I drive up to her apartment. She walks to the car but doesn’t open the door. Margot just stares at me through the window, which I roll down.

“Getting in?”

Margot raises her eyes, clearly shocked at the sight in front of her. “I didn’t expect you to pick me up.”

“I always pick you up,” I reply matter-of-factly, turning back toward the dashboard. I have one hand on the steering wheel and one on the gear shift. What’s noticeably absent is the coffee I usually bring her. Which means my own afternoon pick-me-up was also skipped. I may be mad but I’m not cruel enough to get myself one and not her. So we both go without.

Margot hesitates outside the door, not knowing which path to take.

“Come on, I wasn’t going to leave you hanging,” I tilt my head over to her again, egging her into the car. She opens the door, finally, and I take off the minute it closes.

We ride in silence for the five minute drive to campus. Her window is still down, allowing her to take in the familiar sights while her long brown hair whips in the car, sending wafts of her signature scent in my direction. Something I didn’t think would be difficult to handle but I was proven wrong. The hand on the gear shift flexes with the desire to reach over and touch her leg. Caress the bare knee she has exposed through the slit in her long brown skirt. I grip the shift tighter.

Parking in my usual spot close to the media building, we walk to the door in the same silence and suddenly I can’t take it anymore.

“Look, I—”

“Listen, Alex—”

Margot and I speak at the same time, cutting each other off. I turn my palm out to offer her the floor to speak. We still haven’t gone inside the building but we clearly both had the same idea that we should clear the air before we do.

“I didn’t mean to stick my nose in your business last night. Ryan wanted to apologize to me about the other night…”

“Why do you need an apology from him?” I ask, not meaning to cut her off but needing to know the answer all of a sudden.

“I didn’t need anything from him. He seemed to need to say his piece more than I needed to hear it.” She sighs. “I didn’t expect him to tell me what he did but that’s why I stayed to talk to him for as long as I did.”

The only thing that can happen from here is that I need to talk to Kai. I’m still mad at Margot for not taking my side on the matter but that will all have to wait.

“Let’s just go get this done, yeah?”

Margot nods, swinging the door open enough for herself to walk through but hardly enough for me.Nice.

“Hey guys, wasn’t sure if you were gonna show up,” Nathan sat waiting for us at the soundboard. Margot greets him with a smile that is usually on reserve for me but not today. She drops her bag on the chair and takes off her jacket, revealing a white lace crop top that shows a sliver of her stomach.

“Let’s get this over with,” she says with a cheerfulness that doesn’t match the expression on her face. Without another word, she steps into the soundproof recording studio and takes her usual spot. Nathan spares a glance in my direction and I level him with a look like,this is going to be interesting.

When I meet Margot inside the studio, she’s already laid out the session notes for me. “I hope you had a chance to look at my email,” she says, without meeting my eyes.

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