Page 9 of Hiding From Laughter

I wasn’t going to pretend to have done muchtalking but he kept making little comments.

“Um, do you understand why I don’t believethat? Howard wouldn’t even believe that.” Sawyer’sduhtone had me tryingnot to laugh.

“He puts you in the weirdest positions.”That got another eye roll from the dramatic worrier. “How about I promise tokeep to more normal hours, and you just tell him that it seems like Micha and Ihad a silly argument but we’ve worked past it?”

Clearly liking that idea, Sawyer tried notto show it as he studied me. “If I tell him that and then your life implodeslike that guy downstairs who works at the law firm, Howard is going to kill usall with guilt.”

I would never understand how they’d managedto collect so many dramatic nuts in one company. Hell, even the straight guyswere ridiculous. It was definitely Howard’s fault in some way but I stillhadn’t figured it out.

“Yes.” I’d done this to myself but I had noidea how to get out of it. “Honestly. This is not going to blow up in anyone’sface. No guilt besides mine at driving my partner insane.”

And everyone at work too.

“Alright.” Not liking the situation, Sawyerglared at me. “Don’t make me a tattletale and a liar.”

Snickering, I shook my head. “You told mewho sent you and I told you what to tell him. No tattletales here, just a bosswho doesn’t understand limits or social situations.”

Oops.

There was a flash of knowledge in Sawyer’s eyesand it was enough to have him crossing his arms over his chest. “Limits arevery important and should be respected.”

Well, clearly, he wasn’t as vanilla as hecame across…two partners or not.

God. Somehow I’d dug myself a deeper hole.

“And sometimes pushing them and figuringout where the limit should be is healthyandfrustrating.” I was hopingthat would be enough and relief seemed to hit us both as he nodded slowly.“Howard doesn’t need to know that part.”

“Agreed.” Shaking his head, Sawyer’s mouthturned up at one corner. “But the offer to talk is still on the table if youneed it.”

Since I was starting to think he mightactually be able to handle it without dying, I nodded. “Thanks. I appreciatethat.”

And I also appreciated someone pointing outI was making my coworkers and boss worry.

I wasn’t sure there was a lot I could doabout the worrying in general, but I could make more of an effort to fake it.There was no way that Micha would buy the act, but my coworkers probably wouldas long as I left at a reasonable time and stopped wandering around at oddmoments talking to myself.

That was probably what caught Howard’sattention, but I was glad he hadn’t explained that to Sawyer. Having Howardthink I was losing my marbles was enough. But was telling Sawyer I was having alimits crisis any better?

I still wasn’t sure as he left, but I wasglad I hadn’t killed him.

Howard really liked him and he was a hardworker.

“Time to go home.” Before someone else cameto check on me. “But first I need to apologize to Micha.”

And distract him.

I wasn’t under any delusion that he’dgotten distracted or had decided to leave the whole new kink conversationalone. But I was hoping our odd stalemate would last a few more days so I couldhave more time to ignore it before he made me talk about it again.

It was only Tuesday and that was a longtime away from Friday, so I’d know what to say before then.

Hopefully?

Ugh.

I needed more caffeine to be able to handlereality.

But first, I picked up my phone and studiedit for a few seconds. “Text.”

He’d hear the stress in my voice if I triedto call and that wasn’t what I was going for. Stress meant I’d end up on hislap talking.

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