Collateral Damage

chapter 19

A knock sounded on my door the next morning. I had spent most of the night staring at the picture until my head hurt and then staring at it some more. I now had more flashes. Some that looked like they were related to when the picture was clicked. The others completely unrelated, though it had the same people.

I stretched and unlocked the door. Alexis stood there, completely dressed for a day at the office. I was still in my jammies.

'Oh shit,' I muttered.

'Are you feeling alright,' he asked.

I nodded. I was feeling guilty at the way I treated him last night. I felt bad for ruining his mood after he seemed so happy. He was actually joking around with me. I walked back inside my room and into the closet. I grabbed some clothes and locked myself into the bathroom.

I spent the first five minutes staring at myself in the mirror, thinking how I let this get so fucked up. And it was my fault. I was aware he knew about me more than anyone, more than me when he first came to talk to me in that café. I knew I should've stayed away. Yet I didn't. And now?

What the fuck was I thinking? Wanting to date him?

I was only here for three months, that's it. It was my last month here. Surely, I could get past this month without blowing up anything.

When I got back in the room, dressed, I did a double-take to find Alexis sitting on my bed. He looked up when I walked in.

I walked over to my dresser as if it was perfectly normal that he was in my room. I grabbed a blow drier and plucked it in.

He watched my every step.

Realizing he wasn't going to say anything, I decided to prompt him.

'Did you want to talk?' I asked his reflection on the mirror. It stared right back.

'You tell me. What was yesterday about?' he asked, his eyes, watchful for my every reaction, probing.

I tensed, but I didn't think he noticed. I hoped. It was definitely not normal behavior for me. I hardly raised my voice at anyone, let alone snap and I wasn't even provoked.

'It was nothing. I get a little...cranky when I get one of my headaches,' I said. I met his eyes in the mirror which hadn't strayed once.

'I'm sorry...for yesterday,' I shrugged at trying to play it down. Then without waiting for his response, I turned on the blow-drier. A way of saying that the conversation was over.

I didn't look at him when he finally left. And pretty much ignored him for the whole drive it took us to reach the office building.

I did my job professionally, not saying anything that was not in the context of our boss-employee relationship.

A few hours before my job ended for the day, I knocked on his door.

'Come in,' his voice came and I stepped inside.

He was sitting on his comfy chair and I walked over to him, stopping a few feet from his desk.

He raised an eyebrow at my sudden appearance when all I'd been doing all day was avoid him.

He leaned back on his chair and cocked his head. Hello, Mr. Boss with a bad attitude.

'To what do I owe the pleasure of your company, Miss Nolan?' he drawled.

I decided to ignore the jab.

'I wanted to ask if I could go home early today,' I said, keeping my voice firm and eyes straight.