by Ivy Smoak
"Yes you are! Your face is bright red. How the hell did you pull that one off? He's like the most eligible bachelor in the city."
"Wait, I thought you said he was engaged?" Sierra said.
"This just keeps getting better and better!" Tavon said before I could reply. "You're engaged, he's engaged, and you're both cheating and sleeping with each other. That's pretty fucked up."
"You're such an idiot. Clearly he's her fiancé," Zach said. He was staring at me intently. "James the telemarketer, I'm guessing?"
"Yes. Zach wins."
"Oh my God, what?!" Sierra squealed again. Her voice was starting to hurt my ears. "You're engaged to James Hunter? Are you serious? You're so lucky."
Tavon snickered. "So Sierra was kind of right. You slept your way into this job."
"Dude," Zach said. "You shouldn't be messing with her now. If I remember correctly, you made some pretty shitty hypotheses about her fiancé before you knew who he was."
"Penny," Tavon said. "We're cool right? Obviously James Hunter isn't whipped or desperate or controlling. I didn't mean it."
I laughed. "He actually is controlling. It's fine. I'm not going to tell him you said that."
"Wait, I think I remember reading about this," Sierra said. "James Hunter took a break from corporate America after selling Blive Tech International." She snapped her fingers. "He was a professor at some school for a year or something. And he got fired for sleeping with a few of his students."
"He resigned. And it was just one student." What is wrong with people?
"You?"
"I'm going to go get some coffee. Anybody want anything?" When no one said anything, I got up and walked toward the break room. They didn't need any other specifics. Everything they wanted to know was online. I'd hide out here for a few minutes until they were done looking. I grabbed a mug, poured myself a cup, and walked over to the sugar. When I turned around, Zach was standing there with his arms folded in front of his chest.
"So the bruise?" He touched his cheek. "Was that him?"
Oh God. "No." I tried to walked past him, but he blocked my path.
"If you don't want to talk to me about it, you should talk to someone you..."
"No, I actually meant no. It wasn't him."
"Who was it then?"
"Why don't you believe me?"
"Well, for one, you're avoiding the question."
"I'm not. I'm just..."
"So tell me then. If it's not him, it shouldn't matter."
"Fine, you got me. I'm actually in a Fight Club."
Zach laughed.
"Really. And I can't talk about it. The first rule about Fight Club is that you don't talk about Fight Club. I don't want to be kicked out."
He laughed again. "You're too scrawny."
"You wanna bet?"
"Look, if you have a nickname for what your fiancé calls slapping you around, it doesn't make it any better. You can lie to me but you shouldn't lie to yourself."
I tucked a loose strand of hair behind my ear. I didn't want to be talking about this with a stranger. "I'm not lying. And I don't see why this is any of your business."
"It's not." He stared at me for another second before grabbing a cup of coffee for himself. It didn't seem like he believed me at all. "But you admitted that he's controlling and if he's hurting you..."
"He's not. Zach can you please just drop it? You can call me Fight Club as much as you want, but I don't want to talk about this."
"Okay, Fight Club," he said and shrugged his shoulders. "I was just trying to help."
"So why are you such an expert on this anyway?" He had spiked my interest. The tattoos and the tough look seemed to just be a show. He seemed kind and intuitive and for some reason genuinely cared about my safety. Maybe some kind of dark past. Everyone should be asking him questions, not me.
"I don't see why that's any of your business." He winked at me and walked back toward our desks.
I rolled my eyes and followed him out of the break room. I knew he was just trying to be nice, but I didn't appreciate all his prying. Especially if he wasn't willing to give anything away about himself either.
"You have quite the sensational past," Sierra said as I sat back down.
I shrugged my shoulders.
"So let me get this straight," Tavon said. "You fucked your professor. Got caught. Lost your scholarship to the University of New Castle and the respect of your peers. And had to switch schools because of all the scandalous rumors?"
"I chose to transfer to NYCU. We wanted a fresh start."
"So how did you pay for it? NYCU is an expensive college. Especially without instate tuition."
God.
"I'm going to take your silence as confirmation for what I already thought. James Hunter paid for your education. And he obviously got you this job. Everything in your life has been handed to you. This is kind of bullshit. Do you know how hard I had to work to land this internship? How many interviews we all had to do before we got accepted?"
"My transcript is just as good as yours or I wouldn't be here."
"I think we all know that's not true."
"I think you're missing the silver lining here," Zach said.
Tavon sighed and put his hands behind his head. "Which is?"
"Penny has an in with the boss. So if we all play our cards right, we now have a connection that none of the other interns have. You should be happy about this, not pissed off." He gave me a small smile. Having him on my side could be a good thing.
"True," Tavon said. "Maybe the four of us could get drinks one night this week? And you could bring Hunter?"
"Umm..." I let my voice trail off. I didn't know what James would think about hanging out with a bunch of his interns. "I'll ask him. But we're really busy the next few weeks."
"With all the wedding planning?" Sierra asked. "It's probably going to be the most lavish wedding of the year."
I wasn't sure what she wanted me to say. Was she waiting for me to invite her? "I can ask James about getting drinks one night though," I said instead.
"I can't wait!" Sierra said. "I've always wondered what he was like outside of work. It's like hanging out with a celebrity. I'm so jealous of your life."
"If you don't tone it down Fight Club won't even ask him," Tavon said. "We'll be cool, I promise. I'll get Sierra under control."
I laughed. I glanced at Zach, but he was just staring at me skeptically. "Yeah, I'll ask James and let you guys know." I turned my attention to the computer screen. Maybe hanging out outside of work with them would help us bond. And Zach seeing James and me together might get him off my back.
Chapter 15
Tuesday
I grabbed the handle as soon as the door buzzed. Tyler had done well for himself in New York. He had aced his first interview and landed the job he had wanted as a business reporter. And he had already gotten a few promotions. Him moving here after he graduated had been wonderful. I think the time we spent apart allowed James to move on from everything that had happened between me and Tyler. They were actually friends now. And I guess it had been good for Tyler and me too. We still talked on the phone every now and then while he was still in Delaware, but we weren't very close anymore. As soon as he moved here, though, it was like we were best friends again. Our friendship had picked up right where it had left off, minus the sexual tension.
I stepped onto the elevator and pressed the button for the fifth floor. Transferring to NYCU had been hard. Everyone had already made friends freshman year, which left me pretty much on my own. Luckily Mason had started dating Bee. She was pretty much the only friend I had made in New York besides for James' friends. And they didn't really count because I couldn't really talk to them about anything personal, despite how inappropriate Rob was all the time. Bee was so great because even though I hadn't known her in Delaware, we could easily talk about home. We even knew a lot of the same people. And the fact that our dating situations were similar made it even easier to confide in her.<
br />
I stopped outside of Tyler's apartment. Josh had broken up with Melissa after he graduated. He didn't even want to try to attempt a long distance relationship. Melissa had been devastated. She started coming up and visiting a lot more afterwards. But now I was wondering if she was more interested in seeing Tyler than she had been in spending time with me. How long had this really been going on? How could I have not realized it? And why were they hiding it from me? I knew that Melissa thought Tyler was hot. She had repeatedly talked about his abs and thought I was crazy for not jumping at the opportunity to be with him. Had she liked him that whole time?
And Tyler hadn't dated anyone since moving to New York. At least, not that he told me about. I felt like I could talk to Tyler about anything. It hurt to realize that he didn't feel he could do the same with me. It hurt even more that Melissa wouldn't tell me about their relationship. But I had kept James a secret from both of them for a long time. Maybe I deserved to be kept out of the loop. This whole thing was so weird. I knocked on the door. I didn't want to force them to tell me about their relationship. But if I didn't bring it up, I was worried they never would.
When Tyler opened the door he had a huge smile on his face. He was still wearing a suit from work. For some reason I always expected him to be wearing jeans and a polo like he had in class. But I was the only one that seemed to be having a hard time transitioning into the real word. "Hey, Penny. It's nice getting to hang out with you on a night that isn't Friday."
Tyler and I always watched Shark Tank together on Fridays. It was our thing. James never wanted to watch it with us. We had concluded that he was just bitter that he hadn't been asked to be one of the sharks. And he didn't deny it.
"I thought it would be fun for the three of us to hang out," I said.
"Yeah." He didn't sound quite as convinced, but it could have been my imagination. "I just have to go change. I'll be right back."
I walked into his apartment and sat down on the couch. I hadn't been there since Melissa had moved in. Despite the fact that she claimed it was only temporary, her stuff was everywhere. There was only one bedroom and the couch I was sitting on hadn't been made up with a sheet or pillow or anything. They were definitely sleeping together.
Tyler came out, pulling a t-shirt over his head, and collapsed beside me on the couch. He looked exactly like he did in college when he wasn't in his work clothes. "How's the new job going?"
"It's good, I'm still getting used to..."
"Geez, what happened to your face?"
"Nothing. I'm still getting used to the dynamic at work," I continued. "I just told all my co-workers that I was marrying the boss." I laughed and kept my face turned away from him.
"If you aren't going to tell me, at least let me get you some ice or something."
"No, it's fine. I can't even feel it anymore."
"I guess you've had worse."
"Please don't tell me you still feel bad about that? That was so long ago. And it wasn't your fault."
He scratched the back of his neck. "Yeah, well..." He let his voice trail off. "You're really not going to tell me what happened?"
"I'd rather talk about something else. How's living with Melissa going?" I kicked my shoes off and tucked my legs underneath of me on the couch. I wished I had gone home and changed out of my skirt and blouse before coming over. Maybe Melissa would let me borrow something more comfortable to change into when she got here.
"Do you want a drink?" He stood up and walked toward the kitchen.
I laughed. "That good?"
"I just needed a drink."
"Okay. I'll have whatever you're having."
He grabbed two beers out of the fridge and popped the tops off before handing me one. He sat back down beside me. "No one ever told me how hard it was to live with the opposite sex."
I laughed. "It is kind of an adjustment."
He smiled at me.
"But it's just temporary?"
"I don't know." He took a huge sip of his beer. "It's nice not living alone, I mean."
"I thought you liked having your own place after living in the frat house? You went on and on about it when you moved here."
He shrugged. "People change, Penny."
"I know." I hadn't realized he was lonely. It made sense. He came home every night to an empty apartment. I don't know why I hadn't realized it sooner. If I had made any good friends in New York that were single, I would have tried to set them up with him.
"James' parents' place was really nice," he said. He adjusted himself on the couch so that his back was against the armrest and his feet were resting next to my legs.
"Yeah, I think that was the first and last time I'll ever be invited there."
"I was kind of wondering about that. Was James' ex wife really there? Isabella, right?"
"Yeah."
"Kind of strange to invite their son's ex to celebrate his new relationship."
"They were trying to scare me away. And when that didn't work they tried to pay me off."
"Seriously?" Tyler laughed. "What dicks."
I laughed. "Couldn't have said it better myself."
"And the black eye happened sometime between that night and today. I would have remembered seeing it at the party."
I knew better than to think Tyler would drop it. And it wasn't like Zach prying. Tyler cared about me. "Actually, it was Isabella. She decided to confront me after his parents' bribe, and I was upset and I called her a bitch. So she slapped me."
Tyler laughed.
"It's not funny." I pushed on his foot and he playfully kicked my thigh back.
"It's kind of funny. James sure comes with a lot of baggage."
"Well, he's tossed it all away. His parents aren't even invited to the wedding anymore."
"He's okay with that?"
"I think it's what he wanted the whole time. I was just too stubborn to see it." I bit the inside of my lip. "It was stupid, I just really wanted them to like me."
"That's not too much to ask from your future in laws."
"Apparently in this case it was."
"Are you sure you're okay?" His eyes had gravitated back to my cheek.
"Honestly the clothes I'm in are more uncomfortable than the super small bruise on my face." I moved my legs again, trying to get comfortable on the couch.
He laughed. "I already put a pair of sweats for you in the bathroom. I was wondering when you'd start complaining."
"You know me so well. I'll be right back." I got up and went to the bathroom. Sure enough, there was a pair of sweatpants and one of his University of New Castle t-shirts folded on the shelf. I quickly changed. I loved Tyler's sweatpants. They were big and comfortable. And no matter what I was wearing when I came over, I usually found something to complain about so that I'd get to change into a pair. Eating popcorn in sweats while watching Shark Tank was more accurately our thing.
It was nice to know that just because he was with Melissa now, we could still hang out like this. I made my way back out into the living room. "When is Melissa usually done work?" She had found a summer internship at a law firm nearby. In the fall she'd be going to law school. She was still waiting to hear back from where, but I was hoping it would be in the city.
"She'll be here any minute."
I wasn't sure if it was better to ask him about it now, or wait until they were together. I just wanted to get it over with. "Are you and Melissa dating?" I blurted out, before I could change my mind.
He choked on his sip of beer. "No." He cleared his throat. "I mean, why would you ask that?"
"James thought he saw something going on between you two."
"And that bothered you?" He didn't deny it this time. He wanted to know how I felt about it. That probably meant it was true.
I laughed. "No. I just...I want you both to be happy. You know that."
He didn't say anything, he just took another sip of his beer.
"But you two are my best friends. I guess if you dated...I don't know. I
don't want to lose you."
"That's not really fair. You never wanted me to begin with, Penny. You can't lose what you never had."
"I mean our friendship."
He sighed. "I don't really know what to tell you."
"The couch isn't made up. I mean, it's pretty obvious that you guys are sleeping together."
"I don't really think we should be talking about this."
"But we're friends."
"It's weird, Penny. You must realize that. With our history? It's complicated to say the least."
"So, you are then?" I asked.
"This is so awkward."
"Tyler."
"I'm not going to talk about my sex life with you, Penny."
"That's what friends do."
"Not when one of those friends used to be in love with the other friend." He stood up. "Not when we've had sex. Not when I compare every girl I'm with to that night we had." He shook his head.
I didn't know that. My hanging around all the time maybe hadn't been as fun for him as it was for me.
"This is enough for me," he said. "If I can't be with you, I decided being your friend was good enough. And you are my best friend. But I can't talk to you about this. This is where I have to draw the line."
"I'm sorry."
"And I'm not going to feel guilty for hooking up with Melissa. Because I'm allowed to have a life outside of whatever this is. You do. You get to go home to James. And at least Melissa actually likes me. Or liked me. I don't know, it's complicated." He sat down on the couch again and scratched the back of his neck.
He was opening up about it. I didn't want him to close off because of our past. I didn't want to be left in the past too. "Why is it complicated?"
"Because she thinks I'm still in love with you."
I swallowed hard. I didn't want to know the answer, but it felt important to ask. If he was, I shouldn't be coming over here all the time. Or at all. And I definitely shouldn't be wearing his pants. "And?"
"I don't even know anymore. I look forward to Friday nights. I haven't really been trying to meet anyone. I've been stuck. I just wanted something less complicated. And Melissa was easy." He coughed. "Not like that. Sorry, I didn't mean it like that. I just already knew she liked me. It wasn't like it was with you. It wasn't this instant attraction. But, I don't know, our relationship slowly changed into something more. I like having someone to come home to."
