Page 36 of My Hottest Obsession

They nod, standing, and I dial Goldie again. It rings and rings, and I frown.

Is she ignoring me or just asleep? Is she really sick or is this something else?

“I’ll text her from the deli,” I say as I stand and follow them out to the elevator.

We head downstairs and then across the street to the deli, and I grab some soup. I’ll text Goldie again, then let her rest. If she doesn’t answer, then I’ll go to her place tonight and drop it off and check on her.

Then I can figure out what’s wrong and how to fix this and get us back on track.

I feel better with a plan in place, but dread still sits heavy in my stomach as I say goodbye to my friends and head back to my office.

FIFTEEN

Goldie

I’ve been ignoringAdrien’s calls and texts, but I know that it’s only a matter of time before he shows up here to check on me. I’ve been debating pretending not to hear him when he knocks on the door or trying to convince him that everything is fine with me, but I doubt I could pull that off. If I didn’t answer the door, he’d probably call the cops or try to break down the door.

I lean against the kitchen counter, bracing my hands against the cool surface. The cold grounds me, and I take a deep breath.

I can do this. I’ll end things with him tonight, and we can go back to the old way. I’ll be his assistant and he’ll be my boss. We were only together for a week, it should be easy.

Right?

A knock sounds at the door, and my stomach drops like I’m on a rollercoaster. I suppose, emotionally, I am.

I stand up straight, rolling my shoulders back as I go to answer. The nerves are getting to me and I’m glad. My excuse of being sick will actually be believable. My skin feels cold and clammy. I dry my hands off on my yoga pants before I grip the door knob and open the door.

“Hey, how are you feeling?” Adrien asks as he pushes into my apartment.

He sets a takeout bag of soup on the counter and places his hand on my forehead.

“You feel a little warm. Maybe you should be in bed. Have you gotten any sleep?”

He peppers me with questions, and I start to feel sick to my stomach. The anxiety is eating me alive.

I step away from him, and he frowns.

“I’m not worried about getting sick, baby. Let me take care of you,” he insists.

“It’s not that,” I whisper.

I swallow hard, my hands wringing together as I look around my apartment. I stress-cleaned most of the day so the place is spotless.

“Goldie?” Adrien asks, and I can hear the nervousness in his voice.

“I can’t do this anymore.”

He staggers back a step like I’ve hit him, and tears sting the back of my eyes.

“No.”

“I can’t. It’s stressing me out. I can’t keep doing this,” I tell him again.

“I’m not letting you go,” he says, stepping toward me.

“You don’t have a choice,” I snap at him.

He’s making this so much harder than it needs to be, and I hate it. It was hard enough having to break up with him without him fighting me on it.

---