Chapter 9
MARCUS
I stare at Willow’s closed door, not at all happy with how the night went.
That was a total clusterfuck.
I’ve never seen her so uncomfortable around me before, which makes me wonder whether she even wanted a relationship with me. She never said the words out loud, I just assumed.
Fuck, I almost ruined our friendship with my stupid assumptions.
Why did I think she would want a relationship with me? She hasn’t shown that kind of interest in me. Fuck, she doesn’t even ask about my past.
I’m so relieved that I forgot the flowers in my car when I had to have it towed. That would’ve freaked her out for sure.
When I get outside, I call for a cab. On the way home I try to remember if she gave any indication in the past that she wanted to be more than friends with me.
By the time I get home, I’ve come up with nothing.
Willow only sees me as a friend. That doesn’t mean I’m backing down. I’ll just have to approach her with caution, so I don’t scare her away.
Damn, I need to Google dating. I have no idea what’s the right thing to do when you want to date your friend.
∞∞∞
I haven’t gotten any work done. I’ve spent the whole morning researching going from friends to lovers.
“Act differently around your crush.” I frown at the screen. “Yeah, right. That’s what got me into this mess in the first place.”
I keep scrolling until I find something I can actually use.
“Give her compliments. Fuck, I screwed that one up by asking why she was wearing her pajamas.”
She actually looked hot in her pajamas. There was also the fact that she wasn’t wearing a bra.
“Pay attention to what she says. Ask her about work or a special interest she might have.”
I grab my phone when I remember what a shitty week she had before she slept over.
“You’re an asshole, Marcus,” I mumble under my breath as the call goes through.
“Hi,” she gasps, sounding out of breath.
“Is this a bad time?” I should’ve waited until she was home.
“No. I can talk. What’s up?”
“How are things at work? You mentioned you showed your designs to your boss?”
“Ah… that was two weeks ago. I told you she didn’t want to see them.”
I drop my head into my hand, feeling like an idiot.
“You did.” I want to punch some sense into myself. “Is there no way you can change her mind?”
“No. She made it clear that she wasn’t interested.”
“That sucks. What are you going to do now?”
She sighs, and I hear her walking somewhere.
“I’m going to hold out here until I have enough experience to get into a bigger fashion house.”
“That makes sense.”
There’s a moment of silence and then she asks, “Did you need anything?”
“No, why?” Why would she think that?
“Oh, you never call me at work. I thought something was wrong.”
I close my eyes and let my breath out slowly.
“I just wanted to hear how things are at work.”
“Okay,” she stretches the word out as if she finds it hard to believe that it’s the only reason for my call.
“I have to go,” I blurt out before I screw the call up even more.
“Thanks for checking on me.”
“Sure.”
I drop the phone on my desk and scowl at the advice column on my screen.
∞∞∞
WILLOW
I pay the cab fee and climb out. Staring up at the massive building, I hope I didn’t overdress. I decided to go with a charcoal cocktail dress I made a couple of weeks ago. It has a scoop neck which gives the outfit a feminine look. The material is crisscrossed over my back, showing glimpses of skin.
I was a bit worried after Marcus called me at work. It was super weird.
But I decided to take it as a good sign. Marcus wouldn’t call unless he cared. Maybe it was his way of telling me things are good between us?
I give my name at the door, and when I step inside, I can’t help but smile. The place looks great. I saw it before they decided to give it a makeover. I’m glad they replaced the tiles. The old ones were scratched from years of wear.
The security desk has been converted into a bar for the evening. Waiters walk between the guests, offering them finger foods.
I glance around the room, and I spot Carter where he’s talking to two other men.
A waiter approaches me, offering me a glass of champagne. I’m careful not to bump the other glasses over, as I take one from his tray.
“Thank you.” I walk to the side where I’ll have a better view of the room and out of the way of other guests still arriving.
I’m halfway with my glass of champagne when the elevators directly across from me open. Marcus steps out, and for a moment I forget to breathe. He looks devastatingly handsome in a black suit.
Then I see the brunette behind him. She’s fixing her lipstick in the elevator's mirror.
My eyes dart from Marcus to the brunette as she steps out and stops at his side. An uneasy feeling slithers down my spine as he smiles at her. She says something to him which makes him laugh before they go their separate ways.
Oh no. They were together.
Of course, they were. Marcus is handsome, and the woman is beautiful. Why wouldn’t they be attracted to each other?
I down the rest of the champagne and take advantage of the waiter passing me by to swap the empty glass for a full one.
I’m going to need liquid courage to get through tonight.
My eyes follow Marcus until I lose him in a crowd of people. I decide to search for the brunette, instead. I find her on the other side of the room laughing at something.
When someone takes hold of my arm, I have such a fright, I almost spill champagne on myself.
My eyes dart to my left, and it’s just in time to see Marcus leaning into me. I freeze as he presses a kiss to my cheek.
“You look beautiful,” he whispers, and if I didn’t just see him with another woman, I would have been flattered.
Instead, hurt and anger whirls in my chest. The first time Marcus kisses me, even if it’s on the cheek, and it has to be right after he had his mouth all over the brunette.
I pull my arm free and look at the people standing nearby while I try to calm myself.
“Thank you. It looks like the launch is a success,” I say, doing my best to sound normal. I really have no reason to be angry. He’s just my friend.
“Yeah, Carter is happy. Which means the rest of us are happy. Have you seen Jaxson?”
“No, only Carter. I haven’t greeted him yet.”
I walk away from Marcus, needing a few seconds to compose myself.