Page 128 of Through You
He twists his lips and sits down next to me. Our hands are intertwined. I remember that we’re sitting right outside the company building, and I move my hands away. He arches an eyebrow.
“Does it bother you if someone sees you with me?”
“No.” I shake my head. “But this is my place of work and I think if people see us together it’ll create complications. Haven’t you heard about sexual harassment in the workplace?”
He points to himself. “Are you accusing me of something?”
“I’m just kidding. Still, it’s not good for us to be seen together,”
I tell him in all honesty. “When we’re not at work, it’s a different story.”
“Stop trying to seduce me, Claudia. I innocently approached you to make sure you were okay, and you come up with this.”
“You? Innocent?”
He rolls his eyes.
“I am.” He leans back next to me. “I was a lonely iceberg until a fire girl came along and melted me, robbing me of my innocence.”
I laugh and lightly punch him on his shoulder. “I really missed your overly dramatic takes.”
I’m hit by a wave of nostalgia, and think back to all those times Artemis would come up with creative and overly dramatic lines to justify himself as the victim. I stare at him like a fool.
There, in the light of day, I examine every detail of his face—his light beard and the tiny wrinkle that forms between his eyebrows—when he catches me staring.
“What?”
“Nothing.”
I arrive at the realization that when the moment is right, I’ll tell him exactly how I feel about him. And that it doesn’t matter that he’s already made his declaration while I haven’t. What binds us together is stronger and more resilient, beyond what anyone could ever imagine.
In spite of what happened this morning with Carl, Mrs. Marks, and the discomfort I feel, I’m very happy right now here in the company of the man I used to call Supercat when I was a little girl because he was going to protect me against all evil. I want to stay like this for the rest of the day. However, life has a way of complicating things when we least expect it, which in this case, is the moment right after I stand up, when I become dizzy, faint, and end up in the hospital.
Thirty-five
You had me worried!
CLAUDIA
A very bright white light is the very first thing I see when I wake up. I blink in discomfort, trying to adjust to the intensity. The blurriness in my vision starts to wear off, and a white ceiling lamp I don’t recognize comes into focus. What happened?
Where am I? I’m assailed by a sudden wave of dizziness as I try to organize my thoughts. I remember I was at the company, there was a meeting, and Carl stole my idea, there was Alex, I threw up, I went outside to get some fresh air, and ran into Artemis.
Then I stood up and . . . and? It all went dark. Did I faint? I cough a little, and look over to my side. I’m lying in a hospital bed and my left arm is hooked up to an IV.
“Claudia?” I hear Gin’s voice coming from the other side of the room. I turn my head in the direction of her voice. “Oh, thank god. You’re awake. I came as soon as I heard.”
She gets up from a couch with an expression of deep concern.
“You had me worried!” She comes to my side and takes my hand. “How do you feel?”
I wet my parched lips before I speak. “I’m fine.”
“Come on, please don’t give me this bullshit about being fine, that nothing’s wrong. That’s what landed you in the hospital and looking like this!”
“Gin . . .”
“No, Gin nothing. I have to go and tell the doctor that you’re awake. And you better follow his orders so you can get better.”
