Page 58 of Hired By the Enemy
“Whatever, I gotta go. I’ll see you around.” He turns away.
I can’t let him leave like this. I can’t.
What the hell do I say?
I think I’ve fallen for you.
How can I say that to Liam Jamieson, of all people?
I trust Liam now that he wouldn’t ruthlessly mock me if I told him that. But what happens if he doesn’t feel the sameway? Do I honestly believe there can be a future for us with all our history?
Doubt floods through me, engulfing my body, keeping my feet anchored to the floor.
And so I watch him walk away.
Reality sucks.
For the next week, I go to work, I go home.
I’ve always loved my apartment in a sleek, modern building in the middle of the SoMa district, within walking distance to work and furnished by a cutting-edge interior decorator in a minimalist contemporary look.
But after the snug coziness of sharing a villa with Liam, it seems soulless and empty.
It’s not just my apartment that seems empty. It’s my life.
It appears I left part of my brain on a tropical island with Liam because I can’t focus properly. I’m too caught up in remembering the way he touched me, the way we laughed together.
I want to send him a message, talk to him, but I have no idea what I want to actually say.
In lieu of contacting him directly, I stalk him on social media.
Liam posts regularly on Instagram and TikTok, mainly videos about his clients celebrating their achievements, but he’s often in the photos, looking impossibly handsome with a gorgeous grin.
He doesn’t look like he’s missing me at all.
Why would he? Hooking up with me was probably a pleasant, unexpected perk of a job he’s not even thinking about now that he’s back to his normal life.
Has he gone on any more fake dates? The thought makes my stomach hollow.
It hollows even more when I give in to temptation and scroll through all the comments on his posts. They’re generally from other gym bunnies, flirty, admiring comments from guys who are almost as gorgeous and fit as Liam.
Guys who suit him far better than I do.
The day before I’m due to travel home for Christmas, I schedule another meeting to talk through the research I’ve done on the eco-reward system. I’m determined not to let my idea die, and I want my whole team on board with it going forward.
Paul is late walking into the meeting. He stops still when he sees the title of my presentation.
“I see Gen Z is still on their crusade to save the world,” he says. He slides a smirk at the rest of the team as he takes a seat at the table.
I take a deep breath and determinedly ignore his barb.
“Thanks for joining us, Paul.” I keep my voice calm as I flick to the first slide. “As you all know, I’m passionate about us adopting an eco-reward system. You’ll see from the research that there’s been incredible growth both in electric vehicle sales and carpooling apps. We need to adapt to reflect the new reality of our market.”
Paul leans back. “I have no doubt your intentions are good, Matthew, but you’re being naïve. You’re young. It happens. I was young once, too, although you may not believe it.” A few chuckles break out around the table. People are grinning at Paul, and a sinking feeling starts in my stomach.
Shit. He’s yet again using my age against me, trying to portray me as inexperienced.
Liam’s voice is suddenly in my head.
