Alina
AS THE WEEKS passed so did my father’s aggression toward Max. He’d snarl less and less until he barely flinched whenever I mentioned his name. He continued to refuse to hire him back, but Max said he wouldn’t come back even if he had. And because he no longer worked at Winthrop, Krueger, and Donn, that meant he no longer had to deal with the likes of Amber Sotter, which I couldn’t say I wasn’t happy about. I’d witnessed the way she fawned all over him in the lobby, and even then, while we barely knew each other, I’d been hit with a wave of jealousy. I feared it would only be worse now since we were officially together.
Max wanted to do something different, still practice law but focus on one specific type. He chose entertainment law, to which he would deal with labor laws, contracts, and various other topics as they related to the entertainment industry.
Everything at the office went back to normal and rather quickly. Things between Chris and me were a bit awkward, but nothing I couldn’t deal with. He wasn’t rude, per se, just short and to the point. But I really couldn’t blame him, and I was fine with the curtness so long as it didn’t interfere with my job. Which so far it hadn’t.
All in all, life was good. Work kept me busy, but when I wasn’t at the office, Max and I were spending every available moment together, really getting to know each other.
“I’ll swing by and take you to lunch.”
I cradled the phone on my shoulder, rustling through numerous papers on my desk, trying to find the one I needed. “I wish I could, but I have to get ready for my one o’clock.” I sighed in relief when I found the paper I’d been looking for. “Maybe tomorrow,” I offered, wishing I could step out for an hour just to get me some Max time.
“Okay. I guess I’ll have to wait,” he faux complained, making me smile like he always did. It was nice to know he missed me just as much as I did him whenever we weren’t together.
After we hung up, I plopped down in my chair and glanced up at the clock. Eleven thirty. Which meant I had an hour and a half to prepare before my next meeting, which would’ve been fine except my stomach was trying to eat itself. I’d only had a small blueberry muffin a few hours ago, and apparently, it hadn’t been enough.
Engrossed in paperwork, a rap on my door startled me, and when I looked up, I saw Chris standing there. He looked relaxed. Happy. I couldn’t help but wonder if he was grateful we were no longer together. I wished him well, and hopefully one day he’d extend me the same.
“Are you ready for the Armondo meeting at one?”
I’d forgotten he was in on the case as well. “Yes, although I wanted to go over a few more facts beforehand.”
“Care to fill me in?” Before I could respond, he asked me another question. “Have you eaten yet? I was just on my way down to Mario’s to grab a hoagie. Do you want to walk with me, make sure I’m completely up to speed before the meeting?” Chris was brought in the previous week, so I supposed it couldn’t hurt to make sure we were both as equally knowledgeable. Besides, I was starving.
“Sure, but can we just pick them up and bring the food back here?” I felt guilty for some reason, telling Max I couldn’t meet up with him but accepting Chris’s offer behind his back.
You’ll be right back. You have to eat something, right? Besides, it’s partly work-related.
My inner turmoil did little to squash my guilt.
The entire walk to the deli was spent discussing what was best for our client, and not once did Chris bring up us or what had happened, for which I was grateful. His pleasant, all-business attitude helped to relieve me of some of the guilt, that was until we ran smack dab into Max exiting Mario’s, a paper bag held firmly in his hand.
I stopped walking and quickly looked back and forth between the two men. Chris hadn’t seen Max at first, but the same wasn’t true for Max, his body instantly tensing at the mere sight of my colleague slash ex-fiancé. Then Max looked at me, the hurt on his face masked with anger.
When Chris noticed I wasn’t beside him, he looked back then followed my stare. Thankfully he didn’t say a word, disappearing inside the deli to give us some privacy.
“I can explain.” I started walking toward him, but he held up his hand to stop me. My heart raced in my chest, and I started to sweat, upset at myself for agreeing to go with Chris. I should’ve just let him pick up the food alone. Surely he would have brought me back something if I’d asked.
With barely controlled fury, he took a deep breath before erasing some of the distance between us. “I was going to surprise you and bring lunch to you.” Every word was clipped. “But I see now you already had plans.” Shoving the bag into my arms, he hurriedly brushed past me without another word, refusing to stop when I repeatedly called after him.
Several moments later, Chris reemerged from the deli, a bag tucked under his arm. “Are you okay?” He looked concerned, but he was the last person I wanted to confide in about anything having to do with Max.
“I’m fine,” I lied. “Let’s get back to the office. We have a lot to go over before the meeting.” For the next few hours, I was somewhat successful in drowning myself in all things work related, only thinking of Max a few times. I went to bed that evening without hearing from him, even though I texted him a few times, trying to explain what had happened.