I attempted to call Scarlett, not for the first time that morning. I got up ridiculously early so I could catch her in the evening, and she wouldn’t even pick up my damn call. I’d tried everything; texting, Skype, email. But it had been a few days, and she wasn’t responding to any of my communication attempts.

“Dammit, Scarlett,” I growled at the phone, immediately trying the call again.

She wasn’t fucking picking up.

“What if something is happening over there and that’s why she can't talk to you?”

I looked over at Abigail. I’d almost forgotten she was even there. The housing we’d been assigned—thank fuck they assigned us housing at all because there was no way I would have paid for it—were two small apartments right next to each other, just big enough for a kitchen and living room combo, a separate room for the bedroom, and a bathroom. Pretty often Abigail came over, or she had me over at her place, so we could share meals and head to work together, just because it was easier.

She’d come in after I’d got ready for the day, surprising me by being there early. But I’d mentioned I’d try calling Scarlett before we had to go to the office…

She seated herself on my tiny love seat, legs folded under her as she leaned against the arm. She was as ready to go into work as I was, dressed in another of her skirt suits with her dark hair left loose around her shoulders.

“Do you think that’s all this could be?”

She shrugged. “You can't exactly say it’s impossible, after all.”

“I could,” I countered. “We have more or less the same friends, and I can reach the rest of them just fine. They even tell me about her. But does she pick up my calls? Oh no. She ignores me like I don’t exist or something.”

It hurt more than I thought for her to cut me off the way she had. I was on another continent, so I couldn’t just go and look for her as I pleased. It would be several more months before I could even leave for a break, not that there was time in my schedule for that. The Tokyo office was still just getting off the ground, and I was needed. Abigail couldn’t do it on her own.

“Did you do something to make her mad, maybe?”

I tightened my lips, refusing to open that subject. But she was smart, and I could feel her gaze intensifying. I sighed and turned away, sending a text and hoping she would reply at some point.

“Look, Zach, I can see you’re frustrated. It’s not good for work, and it’s not exactly healthy for you either. After the last several weeks I’d like to think we’ve become friends. If there’s something you want to talk about, I’m here, so go ahead and tell.”

I frowned at her. Part of me was tempted to kick her out. I didn’t understand Abigail a lot of the time, and some of the time I didn’t like her. I spent a lot of time with her, but that was just because I had to spend a lot of time with her, on both a professional and personal level, since she was the only person in the country I knew.

But what did I have to lose? Anyway, it would be simpler than calling someone from home. She wasn’t close friends with Scarlett, so she might give me an honest opinion. Still, I was reluctant as I started to formulate what to say.

“A bit ago I, uh, called her on Skype. We talked pretty much like we always have, but then out of nowhere, she came up with these excuses…” I paused and bit down on my lip.

Abigail gave me a curious look. “Go on.”

“Scarlett and I… we’ve been friends for years. It’s not something I take lightly. We have this little… agreement between us. See, neither of us are all that great with relationships, so we told each other after we fell into bed together, that if nothing had changed in a year we’d get married…” I let my voice trail off and waited for her judgment.

She was silent for a moment, her eyebrows jumping up in her surprise. “Well, I…. can’t quite say I expected that. It’s… a unique type of relationship.”

“I’m not sure you’re quite getting my point here.”

“So what is your point?” she retorted.

“Scarlett thinks I’m cheating on her. I’m pretty sure it’s why she’s avoiding me, but she could have given me time to speak up and defend myself at least.”

I didn’t tell her who Scarlett suspected, though by the light that suddenly came into her eyes, it was pretty obvious Abigail had an idea. It wasn’t exactly hard to guess. Abigail wasn’t the only person from the office I hung out with, but she was the only woman I spent lengths of time with.

“And are you?” she asked, an edge of teasing to her tone.

I scowled at her. “How exactly would I be doing that? No, I haven’t been with anyone else but her. In the beginning, she was aware of our arrangement.” If not exactly open to it. I knew she hadn't thought it all the way through, but I let myself go with the flow because she hadn't outright rejected me. “So I don’t know why she’s so mad when it’s all in her mind anyway.”

That was probably the most frustrating part about it. We weren’t in a committed relationship, so I should be able to do whatever I wanted. And yet, I had done nothing, but I still got blamed for shit.

“I don’t think you should worry so much about her,” Abigail finally said.

My eyebrows shot up. Though I shouldn’t be surprised she gave me that fucking answer—she didn’t know Scarlett.

This was exactly why I didn’t do relationships. Why the fuck I thought I’d get married in less than a year was a fucking joke.

“I know that,” I said slowly. “I understand it, but… what am I supposed to do about Scarlett?”

“Nothing,” she said with a shrug. At my blank look, she smiled. “Well, what do you think you can do? She’s not talking to you, right? Will you even be able to get in touch with her? And besides, if you were open with her about what your relationship should be, whether you cheated or not, it shouldn’t concern her. You two aren’t official. You aren’t asking for a commitment from her the way she obviously is from you.”

Abigail basically said how I felt, and what I’d told Scarlett, if not in quite the same words. Thoughts of Scarlett had been messing with my head, but Abigail might as well be my voice of reason. Her words should make me feel better.

I’d done nothing wrong.

But I still felt an ache in my chest when I remembered how Scarlett had been so mad at me. Abigail mirroring my words just made me feel so much worse about the whole thing.