Page 62 of Falling for Nicole
“Yeah,” I whisper.
“And you won’t tell him about any of this?”
“Of course not, you’d hate it if I told him about that photo and how he has a much bigger cock than you.” I burst out laughing. I can’t help myself, the look on BJ’s face is too funny.
“Fuck off,” he grunts. “And to think I was trying to help that wanker out.”
“Thank you, Ben,” I say, once I’ve contained myself. “I guess I’ve got some grovelling to do.”
“Just don’t make it too easy on him,” he says as he helps pull me up and begins walking me back to work. “I’ve already taken care of Georgia. She won’t be bothering you again.”
I would have hoped I’d feel a little lighter knowing the truth, but the knowledge that I’m the one in the wrong here weighs me down even more than when I thought Dec was cheating. I spend all afternoon beating myself up about the fact I didn’t believe him, that I didn’t even give him a chance to explain.
By the time the end of the night starts to roll around, I’m in a foul mood. We had a couple of shitty kids come in who kicked off when we refused to serve them, and I managed to drop an entire pitcher of margaritas down myself. All in all, it’s been a bit of a crap day, and I can’t wait to get into bed. All I really want to do is think about how to deal with the Dec situation, but locking and cashing up takes priority right now.
“Jesus fucking Christ,” I shout when I walk into the office and find Dec sitting at his desk. My heart thunders in my chest as I take some slow breaths to try to calm it down. “You could have warned me you were in here.”
“Why? You wouldn’t have believed me.”
My eyebrows draw together as I stare at him, the cash tray in my hands. “Dec, please, we need—”
“Too late, Ginge. I’ve given you the opportunity to talk and you threw it back in my face. Just do your job and fuck off.”
I stand stock still as I stare at him in disbelief. I really only have myself to blame for the dickhead Dec I remember all too well from my childhood to reappear.
“Okay,” I whisper, trying not to allow emotion to crack my voice.
My hands tremble as I sort out the cash, and I drop more than I manage to bag up.
“Are you fucking capable of doing that without chucking it around, or do I need to do it for you?” he barks.
“You know what?” I shout back, spurred on by his attitude. “You fucking do it. I’m going home.”
I feel a tiny amount of victory when I look up and see the expression on his face. He wasn’t expecting that.
I grab my bag and umbrella and I’m almost out the door when he calls my name.
“What?”
“Text me when you get home.”
“What? Why?”
He shrugs. “I just want to know you’re safe.”
Now it’s my turn to be gobsmacked. “I didn’t think you cared.” I know it’s the wrong thing to say because he’s proved quite well that he does care, but I’m angry and my mouth seems to get the better of me.
“Of course I care,” he says, standing from his desk and looking me dead in the eyes. “I care too fucking much. But look where that’s got me,” he adds quietly. “Now fuck off, before I say something I’ll regret.”
Although I’m desperate to know what it is he might say, I do as I’m told and walk out of the office without looking back.
The walk home is short, but my umbrella doesn’t do a lot to keep me dry, especially at the slow pace I’m going. I can’t shift the nagging feeling that there was something final about what just happened in his office, like that was him telling me he was done and we’re going back to how it used to be. I’m on the cusp of turning around and running back to him the whole walk home.
By the time I put the key in the front door, I tell myself it’s for the best. Us being so angry will only lead to more insults being thrown and more pain for both of us. It’s best we calm down and talk when things aren’t so tense.
“Bailey,” I call once I’ve shut the door behind me. He’s usually here the second he hears the key. “Bailey?” I shout again when he still doesn’t appear.
Another couple of seconds go by and my panic starts to increase. I poke my head into the living room, but nothing. I take the stairs two at a time, telling myself he’ll just be asleep on my bed, but my heart drops when I get there because it’s empty, with only a dent where he was earlier in the day.
