Playing Catch-Up

by Zoey Lennox

  Shopping for household essentials had proven to be an enlightening experience. Having quickly learned that the cost of basic supplies far exceeded her meagre budget, Alexis had been equal parts relieved and pissed off to discover her father had deposited three thousand pounds into her bank account. Blood money was what Lauren called it, and Alexis had to agree. She’d agonised for what felt like hours before concluding that she couldn’t let pride stand in the way of necessity.

  Darkness had fallen by the time they left the final department store. They had tried to source second-hand items where possible, but some things were only available at full price. With weariness and hunger seeping in, they’d left the car loaded and agreed to pick up where they’d left off the following day.

  “Is that Ramie?” Lauren asked when they pulled up to Alexis’s flat on Sunday. She pointed with her chin to a lone figure leaning against a wall by the road.

  Alexis peered out of the passenger window, her heart rate picking up. “Yeah. She offered to come over and help me set up the new furniture. I’m just going to say hello. I’ll be back in a minute.”

  Before Lauren could protest, she was out of the car.

  “Hey, you,” she said, drawing level with Ramie.

  Only a day had passed since she’d left the narrowboat, but it might as well have been weeks. She wanted to tell Ramie she’d missed her but didn’t want to come on too strong again. Instead, she settled for a hug which, to her delight, Ramie returned with vigour.

  When she pulled back, Ramie’s eyes were warm and welcoming, with no trace of the distance that had been there the previous morning. Thank God.

  “Did you get all you needed?” Ramie asked.

  “I think so. I’ve got a few pieces of furniture being delivered this afternoon, and we managed to squeeze everything else into the car.

  Ramie looked over Alexis’s shoulder at Lauren’s jam-packed Lexus. “What did you do? Empty a couple of shops?”

  Alexis laughed. “Almost.” She took Ramie’s hand. “Come on, we’d better get the car unloaded. Lauren has somewhere to be.”

  Over the course of the next few hours, Alexis worked with Ramie to construct flat-pack furniture, unbox household goods, and take delivery of a futon, coffee table, and TV. The radio played in the background while they worked, and they giggled like teenagers, snatching kisses and touches at every given opportunity.

  By the time the final scatter cushion was placed on the futon and the curtains were hung, Alexis was exhausted. Ramie had been a godsend. There was no way she would have been able to get everything done by herself.

  “Shall we order a takeaway?” she asked. Her stomach had been gurgling for a good hour and she was worried it would eat itself if she didn’t give it something to chew on soon.

  Ramie climbed down from a step ladder where she’d been mounting a modest flat screen TV to the wall. “Sounds good to me. What do you fancy? Pizza or Chinese food?”

  Alexis raised a brow. “Is there even a question? Chinese food, of course.”

  After the delivery man left, Alexis headed over to the futon and unloaded the plastic bags onto the coffee table. They had ordered a good spread, and the enticing aromas wafting out of the cardboard containers were making Alexis’s mouth water.

  She sat down beside Ramie and held her hand. “Thanks for helping out today. It means a lot.”

  “You’re welcome.” Ramie delivered a quick peck to Alexis’s cheek. “Are you feeling more positive now?”

  “Definitely.” Alexis scanned the room for what felt like the billionth time that day. “I can’t believe what a difference painting the walls white has made.”

  “The carpet has cleaned up well too.” Ramie ran her hand along the floor. “Who would have thought the floor was cream beneath all that dirt?” She filled two glasses with Coke and handed one to Alexis. “You ready to start your new job tomorrow?”

  Just the mention of her new job set Alexis’s nerves on edge. She had managed to put it to the back of her mind until now, but with the big day imminent and the flat in order, the time had finally come to face it head on.

  “I am a bit nervous.” More like scared shitless. “I don’t deal with change well.”

  “You’ll be fine,” Ramie promised. “You’re finally getting the fresh start you’ve always wanted. Aren’t you excited?”

  Deep inside, Alexis supposed she was a little bit excited. A few weeks ago, she had been working a dead-end job, being harassed by Patrick, and living under Carol’s control. Now, here she was, on the precipice of achieving her major goals. New flat. Check. New job. Check. Amazing woman. Check. She had no idea how she’d wrangled that last one.

  Alexis studied Ramie’s profile as she took a swig of her drink. A strong chin led up to full lips, which sat beneath a roman nose and soulful brown eyes. Ramie was gorgeous. And she was hers.

  Except, she wasn’t, not really. A heaviness spread throughout Alexis’s chest as she remembered they were supposed to be keeping things casual. Each day her feelings for this incredible woman grew, and no matter how hard she tried she was powerless to stop them.

  “It’s freezing in here,” Ramie complained once their plates were clear. “Why don’t we set up the futon so we can watch a film and try to warm up.”

  Alexis grinned. A few hours cuddled up next to Ramie sounded like a brilliant idea.

  She stored the leftover food in the fridge, found an old black and white film on TV, and then hunkered down on the pulled-out futon with Ramie.

  When Ramie wrapped an arm around Alexis’s shoulder and guided her head to rest against her chest, Alexis attempted to swallow past the ball of emotion clogging her throat.

  Moments like this were bliss. To know they were only fleeting was almost too much to bear. To herself, at least, Alexis could admit that she wanted more. Much more. And it was a punch in the gut to know she wasn’t going to get it.

  Chapter 12

  Of course, Alexis’s alarm didn’t go off the next morning. And of course, once she and Ramie had finally managed to get dressed and pull themselves together, neither had any idea where the new bus stop to Alexis’s work was located. It took a frantic call to the bus station by Ramie, and a lot of faffing about, before Alexis finally located it down a side street.

  By the time she made it to work, she was more than flustered. Her new boss was expecting her at nine o’clock sharp, and she was pushing punctuality to the limit.

  Her heart was galloping when she entered the university library. Spread over four floors, the red-bricked, utilitarian building boasted a coffee shop and museum as well as the university post office in the basement.

  Bypassing the coffee shop and its tantalising aromas, she made a beeline for the reception desk. A middle-aged man sat on the other side leafing through some paperwork. When he didn’t immediately address her, she coughed.

  “Yes?” the man asked.

  “Hi, I’m Alexis Lenz. I’m supposed to be starting work in the post office this morning.”

  The man stared at her doubtfully from beneath a set of bushy eyebrows. “You sure, luv? You don’t look the type to be working downstairs with that lot.”

  Alarm bells rang in Alexis’s head. “Yes, I’m sure.” She had to fight to keep her voice steady.

  The man motioned towards some chairs to the left of the reception area and punched a few numbers into his phone. Alexis perched on the edge of the first one and tried to keep calm.

  “Your new girl’s up here,” the receptionist barked into the mouthpiece. After a few more gruff words, he slammed the phone back onto the receiver. “Someone will be up to collect you in a few minutes.”

  Alexis took in her surroundings while she waited. In all the years she had worked at the admissions office, she had only ventured to the library a handful of times. As a caffeine fiend, the coffee shop had always held a strong draw, but with her funds stretched to the limit, she’d always tried to steer clear. Taking in the calm, peaceful environment now, she regr
etted not seeking it out earlier.

  “Alexis?”

  The silky, smooth female voice had Alexis swinging her head around so fast, she smacked herself in the face with her ponytail.

  “Hi, I’m Shay,” the insanely attractive woman standing before her said. She wore her red hair in a thick braid that fell to her waist and had the palest skin Alexis had ever seen. “Do you want to follow me to the post room?”

  She turned and crossed the library without another word, and Alexis jumped up to follow her.

  “I hear you’re an internal transfer,” Shay said, glancing over her shoulder. “It’s quite rare for us to get a newbie without getting to interview them first.”

  Alexis didn’t reply. She was too mesmerised by the sway of Shay’s hips, and the colourful swirl of tattoos sweeping down her arms, to form actual words. She hadn’t realised a uniform would be required to work in the post room, but the light blue shirt with navy pinstripes looked right at home on Shay’s curves.

  Alexis had to mentally shake herself to get her mind out of the gutter. Everything had taken on a sexual edge since the loss of her lesbian virginity.

  Shay led the way down a long, wide corridor and into an ancient lift. Once the shutter was pulled, she hit a button and they descended to the basement.

  “Just to warn you now, our manager Dan might be a bit grouchy. He likes to vet new recruits himself before giving them the all clear and wasn’t too impressed when you were hired over his head. Expect to be put to the test today. The work’s pretty physical, but it beats sitting at a desk.”

  Great. The last thing she needed was another vengeful boss.

  Shay slid the shutter back with a bang when the lift creaked to a halt, and they walked side by side into a large room packed to the rafters with letters and packages of all sizes. Some were neatly sorted into cubby holes that lined the perimeter of the room, but the majority were sitting in teetering piles waiting to be filed.

  “Hey, Dan!” Shay had to shout to be heard over a radio that was blaring rock music. “I’ve got the new recruit here.”

  A man in his early fifties turned from one of the tables and scowled at Alexis.

  Yep, shit was about to go down. Alexis fought the urge to shrink back and took strength from the brief squeeze Shay gave her wrist before taking off.

  “Here.” Dan lobbed a work shirt at Alexis, which she only just managed to catch against her chest. “Get changed, and then I’ll show you the ropes. There’s a toilet down the hall and to the right.”

  Alexis scurried off and cringed when Dan called after her.

  “Hurry up. I don’t want you slowing me down. There’s a lot of stuff to get through today. I won’t stand for slackers.”

  Five minutes later, Alexis returned. The shirt was way too big, but she’d cuffed the sleeves so they sat high on her arms and tucked the remainder of the voluminous fabric into her trousers.

  “Right,” Dan said, spotting her. “This place is the hub of the university. No post comes or goes anywhere without going through here first. Each person you see has a specific job which they’re responsible for, but for the time being I’m going to make things simple for you and have you deliver the post.”

  Alexis relaxed. She had opened the post every day at the admissions office. Delivering it couldn’t be much harder.

  “You’ll start by delivering those bags over there to the north side of the campus.”

  Alexis followed his outstretched arm and saw a pile of mail bags stacked together by the back door.

  “There are six bags in total. You need to load them into the back of the cart waiting out back and drop them off to the corresponding departments. Once you’re done with that, get your arse back here and we’ll have more waiting for you.” He started to walk away and then turned back and tossed a set of keys to her. “It’s the green key you need to fire her up. Hurry back. We’ve got a deadline to meet.”

  Alexis stared at the keys. Did she need a license to drive a golf cart? She hoped not.

  The bags were heavier than she’d expected. Much heavier. After trying to lift them and failing miserably, she resorted to dragging them along the ground. The difficult job was made tougher by the spectators openly ogling her, but she persevered and managed to not only get them through the propped open door but loaded onto the nearby golf cart.

  Breathing heavily, she flopped down into the driver’s seat and stuck the green key into the ignition. She turned it, but nothing happened.

  Fuck.

  “You’ve got to shimmy it!” Shay called from inside the sorting room.

  Alexis gave her a thumbs up in thanks and tried to appear nonchalant.

  She shimmied the key, and like magic the engine started. After navigating the steep incline, which took her from the basement car park to ground level, she took to the warren of pathways crisscrossing the campus.

  By 12pm, she had completed her task and was headed back to the post room.

  She smiled. That wasn’t so hard. She could totally do this.

  “Oh, look,” Dan said as she pulled into the car park. “You’ve decided to grace us with your presence.” He had a clipboard in his hand and glared at her as he flicked through the papers attached.

  How had she messed up already? She’d done exactly what he’d asked of her.

  “You’re late,” Dan hissed. “What have you been doing? You’ll not last long if you keep dithering.”

  Alexis exited the cart and began the tedious task of offloading the hessian sacks piled into the rear.

  “What are those?” Dan demanded.

  Alexis looked from the sacks to Dan. “The outgoing post.”

  Was she not supposed to pick them up? Dan hadn’t told her to, but she’d thought it was kind of a given.

  An abundance of emotions washed across Dan’s face before it finally settled into a scowl. “You’ve wasted so much time this morning it’s almost lunch. Get these bags inside and then go and get something to eat. You’ve got twenty minutes.” As Alexis followed him in, he added, “Don’t be late coming back from lunch. There’s a lot more work to do. We’re just getting started here.”

  Alexis almost tripped over Shay when she went in search of sustenance. Perched on the edge of the curb, she sat with her knees pulled into her chest, a plume of smoke billowing out of her mouth as she puffed on a cigarette.

  “Hey there,” she said. “You mind if I join you?” She stood up. “Dan’s scheduled my break for now too, and I’m craving a caffeine fix.”

  “Sure.” Company would be nice, and Shay seemed friendly enough. “You want to stop by the coffee shop upstairs?”

  “Sounds good. We’d never make it back if we hit the town centre.” She bumped shoulders with Alexis. “Lucky for us the one on campus is far superior.”

  “Lead on.” Alexis made a swooping motion with her hand.

  Shay threw her cigarette stub on the ground and extinguished it with the heel of her boot before taking the lead. They took the scenic route instead of going back inside and using the lift. Alexis didn’t mind; she kind of liked being outside. It sure was chilly, though. She rubbed at the goosebumps prickling her arms.

  “Here.” Shay unfastened the blue and black paisley shirt from around her waist and shoved it into Alexis’s hand. “Put this on.”

  “Don’t you need it?” October was almost upon them and Shay wasn’t exactly dressed for the weather either.

  “Nah.” Shay waved her off. “The cold doesn’t affect me much. Give it back once you’ve warmed up a bit.”

  Alexis threaded her arms through the sleeves and breathed in the heavy scent of sandalwood. It was a stark contrast to Ramie’s delicate jasmine, and somehow suited Shay perfectly.

  “Ladies first.” Shay held open the door to the library and waited for Alexis to step in ahead of her. They took a left and approached the coffee shop counter.

  Alexis consulted the chalk board on the wall. “I’ll have a mocha and an apple Danish, please,” she to
ld the barista.

  “Good choice,” Shay said. “I’ll take a triple expresso and a glazed doughnut.”

  Their orders were promptly filled, and they headed towards a small table in a quiet corner of the bustling shop.

  “Oh wow. This is heaven.”

  Alexis’s eyes locked onto Shay’s mouth as she bit into her doughnut. There was something oddly sensual about the way her plump lips brushed against the sugary confection, and Alexis fidgeted in her seat as Shay rode out her food orgasm.

  “So…” Shay said, once she had devoured her first mouthful of doughnut. “What’s your story?” She brushed her lips with the back of her hand and smeared off the remnants of sugar glaze onto the wooden table.

  “My story?”

  “Yeah. Everyone has a story, and yours must be juicy if it entailed an internal transfer with no interview first. Give it up, girl. I want the deets.”

  Alexis sighed. She was tired of rehashing the whole Patrick incident. How was she supposed to move on if it kept coming up? But if Shay wanted the details…. “I was being sexually harassed by this bloke in my department. He got fired after I reported him, but it was a case of too little too late for me. I’d already put in a transfer, and I definitely wasn’t going to stick around after that, especially since his girlfriend was my supervisor and was already making my life a living nightmare. My boss was nice enough to pull some strings when he found out I’d applied for this position.”

  Shay made a face. “Woah. That’s some heavy shit. I don’t blame you for wanting to leave.”

  Alexis took a slurp of her drink and winced as the scalding liquid trickled down her throat. “Yeah, and now I get to spend my days getting shouted at by my new boss who hates me instead.”

  “Dan doesn’t hate you. He’s a decent bloke when it comes down to it. He’s just pissed someone got hired for a job in his department without him being consulted. He tests everyone at first. Try not to take it personally. He’ll back off once he sees you’re capable enough.”