by K B Cinder
Lee wrangled Jesse and a few of his friends to help, clearing my apartment as I scrambled to shutter my life in the city. I closed my lease early and canceled utilities, taking a hit more than once. Thankfully, I still had some savings to raid.
Little by little, my apartment became an empty cavern of memories, Hank's meows echoing from his temporary bathroom jail cell. Any furniture would rest in Lee’s basement until I was situated, Dad’s cabin too small to house anything extra. I packed the essentials, stuffing things into suitcases and eventually trash bags when I ran out of room. It was a flashback to my exit from the condo with Justin.
This time was different-raw, stinging, and painful. The lie was more disgusting than Justin's cheating, robbing me of pride. Jason forced me to be the other woman, knowing damn well the scenario ruined me before.
He played me, and I was done being a toy for anyone. It was time to take back control, and I did, deciding to end the cycle once and for all. So what if I would spend the foreseeable future in my childhood loft out in the middle of nowhere? I had a lot of learning to do, something I could only do away from it all.
I glanced at my phone, wiping sweat off my forehead from my latest mad dash with bags, a stark contrast to the crisp air outside, fresh sleet falling. I had a narrow window to make my escape. Jason was on his way back from Florida, likely oblivious to being exposed as a liar and a cheat. I had to be on the road as soon as possible.
“I love your hair like that!” teased Lee, appearing with another load of bags, gesturing at my octopus-like topknot. “Total hottie.”
“Thanks,” I breathed, a small smile peeking through. I’d stripped out of work clothes for something comfier, settling on leggings and a hoodie for the long road ahead.
Unlike her typical self, she didn't smile back, her heart just as broken as mine. Even she knew this was different. Anger was replaced with sorrow, a final scene to a horrific chapter of my life.
This was the end of things, the end of Ithaca. We were together through the birth of some of her babies and had girls' nights aplenty at Crow Bar. She was there for every tear. Every laugh. Every meltdown. She was absurd and obscene but always steadfast in her loyalty, and I repaid her by lying to her. I didn't even trust her enough with the biggest, baddest secret of them all. I didn't deserve her.
As she stuffed those last few bags in the backseat, she turned to look at me, lip quivering. All that was left to grab was Hank in his carrier.
Lee was the first to break, a slight whimper escaping. “Ugh! This is such shit!” she cried, rubbing at her eyes.
“I know,” I breathed, trying to avoid a full-blown meltdown all over again. “And it's all my fault!”
“Shut up!” Lee snapped, hurrying over and pulling me into a hug. “Shut the fuck up right now! This is not your fault!”
I melted into sobs, clutching my best friend close.
“You fell in love, and that's never stupid or anyone's fault! Ever!” she ground out, squeezing me tight. “This is another hiccup, and we will get through it!”
“I love him!” I admitted, my heart breaking for the hundredth time that day. “I still do!”
“I know, baby, I know.”
“But I was so stupid!” I cried, reeling. “I should have known! No guy like that is single! There's always someone somewhere! Always! He screamed douchebag for a reason!”
“He's a creep. Not to mention I kinda egged you on about what a hottie he was.”
I pulled away, looking at my friend with a watery smile. “He is a hottie, but he's also a total asshole.”
“Yup, and one day we’ll look back at this when we’re old with wrinkly titties and laugh about the time you fucked our super sexy boss.”
“It could be worse,” I surmised. “I could have a whole wedding to call off. Again.”
Lee grinned. “Very true,” she sniffled, wiping her eyes. “At least I don’t have another dress in my closet I don’t need.”
Jesse appeared with Hank's carrier in hand, his hulking friends in the backdrop, squirming in the presence of two distraught women. “Someone's being a drama queen,” he announced, gesturing at the vocal feline who was letting his displeasure known. “He screamed the whole way down.”
I smiled, Hank glaring my way from behind the metal bars. “That's my boy.”
“Where do you want him?” Jesse asked, holding the carrier out as Hank erupted in a round of fierce hissing.
“The backseat is fine. If I put him in the front, he'll stare me down and shout cat expletives for the next seven hours.”
He chuckled, plopping the carrier in the back as ordered. “He’s feisty.”
“I think your wife rubbed off on him,” I teased. “He’s got a mouth on him.”
“She rubs off on everyone,” he replied. “She’s a sticky one.”
I grinned, winking at Lee. “So I’ve heard.”
“That’s disgusting!” she cried, fresh tears escaping as she pulled me close. “I’m going to miss seeing you every day!”
“We can always videocall!” I assured, rubbing her back. “I won’t even wear makeup, so I look extra busted for you! And we can drink wine together like we’re at Crow Bar!”
“It’s not the same!” she wailed, shaking with sobs.
I dipped my head into her shoulder, not a word more to say. I knew she was right.
Jason
I loathed flying. Always had. I never got used to the rumble of turbulence, security checkpoints, or talkative seatmates.
The latest flight from Tampa to Syracuse brought with it Roger, a real estate broker who flopped into the seat beside me. His mouth didn’t stop moving the entire flight, jabbering away for a solid four hours. I informed him I was heading into the office and needed some shut-eye, seeking peace. It was a gentle lie, one that any decent person would accept, but not Roger. Not even a neck pillow around my ears could muffle his gibberish.
As soon as there was an opening after we deplaned, I took it, disappearing into anonymity on the way to the baggage claim.
It was freezing despite being indoors, a light sport coat doing little to keep me warm. Wearing a coat through security in Florida was just asking for a pat-down and potential cavity search, so it was stuffed in my suitcase. I’d rather chatter my teeth than spread wide.
As I passed a wall of windows, I spied a slushy mixture falling from the sky, sure to make the drive to work a blast. It’d make crossing the parking lot to find my car fun too, the thick goop ready to slide into my socks and soak me to the bone.
I popped my personal phone off airplane mode once I hit the baggage claim. It vibrated and chimed frantically as soon as I did, notifications flooding the screen. Texts. Calls. Emails. It must have buzzed for a solid minute, locking the screen up entirely.
My heart dropped. Elena? Luke? Ethan? If anything happened to them, I would lose it.
I opened the missed call log as soon as it silenced and saw a handful from Croft folk but nothing out of the ordinary. With my time at the branch nearing an end, everyone was desperate for updates regardless of what phone they bothered me on. My work phone’s log likely mirrored what I was seeing.
I bounced over to messages, surprised to see over 40 unread.
I opened the first conversation from 8AM, a slew of texts from Marty. I groaned, knowing an avalanche was coming my way.
Please call as soon as possible. Important.
There is a situation at the office. Please call as soon as you get this.
Jason. It is urgent. I’ve been informed you’re en route to New York. Please call me immediately before coming to the office. This is critical.
Christ. What now? Did he cause another catastrophe with a client?
I scrolled down to Nate.
Call me, dude.
Seriously. Call me. Big shit.
Call me before Corporate.
My gut clenched. Corporate? I’d skin Marty alive if he did something big enough to reach Preston’s desk. I scrolled on, settin
g work on the back burner for a moment.
A strange number appeared, but I recognized it as a New York area code.
Stay away from her, you pig. If you go near her, I’ll smash your balls and feed them to you like baby food. That’s all you’ll be eating too after I break your jaw, asshole.
I flinched, picturing my crushed nuts. Who the hell was this person? Justin? Did he really threaten me? Where the fuck did he get my number? And I was the pig? Talk about balls.
I didn’t honor it with a response, needing to do some digging first. It could have been a wrong number. I had received weirder texts. At least it wasn’t a sext. Those were the worst misfires known to man.
I scrolled more to see two texts from Elena, a smile tugging my lips and banishing the bad vibes of the ball-crushing threat.
Have a safe flight, handsome. Can’t wait to see you, babe!!!!
I skimmed to the next message, sent two hours earlier.
How could you do this to me? You made me look like a cheap whore. Don’t contact me again.
I almost dropped the phone at the text. What was she talking about?
I dialed her, pressing the phone to my ear in a panic. I was in a cold sweat, suddenly melting despite the icy air.
Her sweet voice clicked on, going straight to voicemail. “Hi, this is Elena Julian. I can’t come to the phone, but if you leave a message, I’ll return your call as soon as possible. Thanks!”
“Fuck!” I roared, hanging up. “Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!”
Those around me turned their attention my way, an older woman beside me taking a quick step back.
Rage and panic set in, demanding release. No amount of profanity or shouting could get it all out. I wanted to ruin something. Anything. Anyone.
Had Justin outed us? Did he say something after realizing who I was? Was this his way of getting back at me since I had his girl, and he was alone? Maybe he was the one behind the threatening text.
I tried calling her again, getting the same voicemail recording. I did my best to steady my voice as the message played out. “Elena, I have no idea what’s going on. I just landed. Please call me back.”
I hung up and stood there, disconnected from the world around me. This couldn’t be happening. I needed to get to her.
I grabbed my bag as it rounded the carrier, tossing it over my shoulder as I hurried toward the parking garage. I dialed Nate on the way, seeing if he’d hint at anything. Maybe it wasn’t what I feared.
“Dude, where the fuck are you?” he roared.
“Well, hello to you too,” I replied, rolling my eyes. “I’ve been on a plane for four hours.”
He grumbled, drawers slamming in the background. “That explains it.”
“Yeah, I had to finish closing on the house and whatnot.”
He huffed, blowing out a long breath. “Well, the shit really hit the fan, dude.”
“How so?” I asked, weaving through the crowds. Luckily Syracuse wasn’t as busy or large as Chicago or Tampa, so I didn’t have to worry about it taking forever and a day to get to the parking garage.
He let out a nervous laugh. “What do you mean? You don’t know?”
“What?”
“You and the girl?” he asked.
Fuck. “Who?” I muttered, playing dumb. If it reached Corporate, they already pulled Elena aside. While my history might protect me with Preston, she was unarmed.
“Really? We’ve been friends for years. Don’t fucking lie to me, Jason.”
“Like you didn’t lie to me about what a shithole this branch was?”
“I left out some details, okay. I knew you wouldn’t bite if I mentioned them, and it made you look great in the long run by taking the gig, so don’t give me that shit.”
“So maybe I operate the same now? I learned from the best.”
His voice was deathly serious. “Not funny, Jason. This one is big.”
“How so?” I asked, ignoring his tone, refusing to show weakness.
“You and that girl there. Ellie? Alyssa? Whatever. The Board received some news about you two and a list of demands.”
I made a beeline for a seat, feeling faint. “What the fuck are you talking about?” I asked, falling into it. My mind was going a mile a minute, every scenario playing out. Maybe I could move on sooner than expected and whisk her away with me to Chicago. It’d be a win-win. Policy or not, Preston wouldn’t fire me. He couldn’t. He needed me. He’d always need me.
“A package came addressed to the Board of Directors with pictures of you and a little hottie.”
“What pictures?” I demanded, bile rising in my throat.
“Pictures of you two locking lips at some kind of fair.”
I would destroy whatever creep followed us around. That was too far, even for Croft. “Am I not allowed to have a fucking personal life?” I roared.
“Not with people who work for you.”
I could have vomited right then and there. Elena had to face that alone. No wonder she was furious. She was rightfully mortified.
Nate was full of more bad news. “There’s a scanned photo of her work ID for reference.”
“And? She doesn’t work for me directly.”
He signed. “It’s the optics. Preston is fuming.”
“Let him.” I didn’t give a damn about him or what he thought.
His voice fell. “This isn’t good, man.”
I let out a shaky laugh, ready to smash someone to pieces. “Not for whoever followed me around, no.”
“That’s the thing. That person also works for you. They’re claiming unfair treatment.”
I could have exploded right then, rage reaching monstrous levels. “Who?” I demanded, ready to destroy anyone and everyone involved. Monica? Marty? Melvin?
“A chick named Monica. You kicked her from your chick’s unit because they don’t get along?”
“Because she’s a terrible employee!” I growled. “I wanted to fire her, but Marty begged for one last chance for her!”
“Jason, what were you thinking? You know not to mess around at work.”
“She doesn’t work for me!” I exploded, frustrated beyond belief. I needed to get to her, to talk her down, to assure her that everything would be okay. This was not supposed to be how the day went. “I oversee her idiot, boss who also needs to be fired!”
“That’s another thing...” he muttered.
I groaned. “What now?”
“Preston spoke with him about this. He said you’ve been hard on him, and that a relationship between you two could explain it.”
I laughed, shaking my head. He was unbelievable. Talk about a coward. “Get the fuck out.”
“I wish I was kidding.”
“Now what?” I asked, knowing I’d be on countless calls that day kissing asses.
“Well, that’s kind of why I’m calling,” he began, clearing his throat. “The Board has an offer for you.”
“An offer? I repeated.
“You keep the national role here in Chicago with a generous bonus for your hard work in New York. You also start tomorrow.”
“What’s the catch?” I asked, knowing there was one. There always was when dealing with them.
“Fire the girl and cut off contact. Croft will write it up as insubordination, and she’ll receive a nice payout for her troubles. It should be all the damage control needed to mop up the mess. You’ll both sign NDAs, and this whole thing will be over.”
“And if I refuse?” I asked. I would never fire her or sign a false statement. We hid our relationship; we hadn’t lied. I always had my word to fall back on. I wouldn’t compromise that.
“You’re fired, effective immediately.”
Jason
After the longest drive of my life through bumper to bumper traffic in sleet, I pulled into Elena’s complex. It was risky, seeing that someone had been watching before, but I didn’t care anymore. The truth was out. Let them snap away.
Monica was probably tucked away in HR on a
conference call with Corporate, not snapping photos in her complex. She had what she wanted. The spineless morons were likely buttering her up with promises trying to soothe the overgrown toddler. I should have fired her on day one.
Despite the coating of icy slush, I ran across the lot and up the stairs to her door. I listened before knocking, not hearing a sound inside. I wasn’t sure what I was expecting, but I was dreading what I’d find on the other side. The poor woman was probably curled up in bed sobbing.
It was my fault. I should have been more discrete. I should never have laid a finger on her in public. I knew better.
I knocked and listened again, hoping for some kind of stirring on the other side. I would have settled for a Hank yowl or scratch. Anything. But there was silence. Complete and utter silence.
I knocked a little harder and waited.
Harder.
Nothing.
Harder.
Still nothing.
In the end, I was pounding on the door, desperate for a response. “Elena, please open up!”
Silence.
“Baby, listen! It’s fine now! We’ll be okay!” We would be. We’d have a beautiful place together, and work on our future, carving out a life together.
Still nothing.
I alternated between calls of reassurance and knocking for a solid ten minutes.
At long last, a door popped open, but not the one I wanted. Her neighbor to the left appeared at her door, a bottle-blond cougar with crazy eyes. “You the bastard?” she asked, voice husky from years of smoking.
“Excuse me?”
She shrugged. “The son of a bitch?”
“What did you call me?” I asked.
“Are you the dickhead that made my girl leave?” she asked, planting a wrinkled hand on her hip.
“Leave?” What the hell was she talking about?
“Yeah, leave. A bunch of guys cleared her place out earlier. Said some son of a bitch broke her heart.”
I shook my head. Cleared her place out? “What?”
“You heard me, moron. You’re the son of a bitch, aren’t you?” She narrowed her eyes in disgust, her scowl making her chin vanish. “You better leave before I kick your ass. I loved Elena.”
