Cayden
“Okay, I’ve just got a few more questions for you, sir, if you wouldn’t mind.” Cayden asked, writing furiously in his notebook as the politician standing in front of him nodded absently as he waved to the small crowd around him.
“I’m a representative of New York,” Noah Clarke said as he shot another politician’s smile out over the crowd, “ask me anything you’d like.” He finally glanced over at Cayden, “I won’t promise I’ll answer you, now. But ask away.”
Cayden forced a harsh chuckle at the man’s words. God, he hated interviewing politicians. But he better get used to it. He’d be writing a lot more high profile articles now that he had officially been promoted to senior writer at the World News.
He cringed slightly to himself as he pictured the look on Sophie’s face as Harry broke the news to her. Cayden had been nearly ecstatic when Brewer had told him that he and Blair were going out on assignment to cover Clarke’s promotional speech. Harry had a feeling the man would be running for a higher office in the next few years and wanted an early scoop. Cayden had just been glad to get out of the office. He didn’t want to be within ten miles of Sophie when she found out that he’d been promoted over her.
“So, sir, I’d love to find out a little more about the new infrastructure budget that was recently rolled out. Can you tell me more about that?” Cayden read the question from the list he had scribbled at the top of the page of his notebook. Softballs to start off with, soften him up before he went in for the killers.
“Of course,” Clarke said smoothly, all the while smiling and waving out at the people, “Our new budget addresses several shortfalls that have risen over the past year. We’ve gotten complaints about several specific sights, and we’re set on listening to the people and giving them what they want. That’s was this representative is all about.”
Cayden nearly rolled his eyes at the evasive answer but dutifully wrote down the words nonetheless. As he was scribbling he glanced over at Blair who was in the middle of taking photos of Clarke and the surrounding constituents. She was the lead photographer and now that he was senior writer they would be spending a lot more time together.
He wondered idly if she’d be willing to give him any more insight into Sophie. They were best friends. Surely, she would know. What made Sophie tick. Her likes and dislikes. Her favorite restaurant.
Why do you even care, Cayden? He asked himself with brutal honestly, it’s over between you two now. Time to move on. Find the next girl of the moment. But it wasn’t as easy to forget her as it had been in the past. Something about Sophie stuck with him, like a needle poking him in the back of the neck, impossible to ignore.
He knew he should try and put Sophie behind him, but it wouldn’t hurt to just ask a few questions, would it? No harm in that. He turned back to catch sight of Blair. She’d let her camera drop to the strap around her neck and had her phone up to her ear. By the look of her furrowed brows and the angry flush in her checks, whatever she was listening to wasn’t good.
“Did you have any more questions for me? My people are waiting for me.”
Cayden jerked back to the man’s greasy smile and quickly rattled off the last few questions on his list. A few minutes later he had what he needed to write a great front page article for the paper, but for some reason he couldn’t get excited about it. Normally the thrill of getting to the truth brought him a fierce joy but his mind kept going back to Sophie. Over and over again she rose up in his thought, repeating like a broken record.
“I need to talk to you. Now.” Blair’s angry voice interrupted the tail end of his interview and Cayden waved an apology at the man before letting the red-faced photographer pull him aside.
“Blair, what’s going on? I’m in the middle of a job,” Cayden started to question her but she pushed a sharp finger against his chest, cutting him off.
“No, you need to listen to me right now,” Blair bit off, and Cayden could see true anger shining in her eyes. She was actually a little frightening when she was pissed off which would have been impressive considering Cayden towered over her by at least a foot if he wasn’t so worried she would try and do him physical harm.
“Blair, what the hell?”
“Don’t what the hell me!” Blair hissed with a quick look around them to make sure that no one else was within ear shot. “I can’t believe even you could sink so low.”
Cayden’s brows furrowed in irritation at Blair’s words. He knew as a friend she would probably be a little pissed off on Sophie’s behalf but at the end of the day it was just business. He did what he had to do to get the promotion and he told her just that.
“Hey, I didn’t do anything Sophie wouldn’t have done.” Cayden said, interrupting Blair’s next tirade before she could get started. “I know that it was maybe a little under the table turning in the article to Harry without letting her know what I was doing. But that’s a big maybe–.”
“What the hell are you talking about?” Blair cut in, staring at him like he’d suddenly sprouted an extra eyeball or something. “You think this is about the promotion? Listen, it was shitty lying to her and going behind her back but to…to take advantage of her, after everything that had happened. When she was in a vulnerable state of mind. And then to come back and brag to about it to everyone like she was some sort of conquest. That’s despicable, even for you.”
His mind whirled as Blair’s words sank in but even still it took another long minute for him to make sense of them.
“Wait a minute, are you talking about me and Sophie sleeping together? How did you even know about that?” Cayden asked out loud, his mind trying to muddle through what Blair was saying, and to figure out why she was so pissed. “It doesn’t matter. Sophie is an adult who made her own decision. She was right there with me every step of the way and I’m not really sure how it’s any business of yours.”
Blair’s eyes grew wider and wider with every word but she wasn’t the only one who was getting angrier. “You’re right,” She spat out the words. “It’s none of my business. It’s no one’s business except you and Sophie, but she’s sure as hell not the one who’s bragging about ‘conquering’ the ‘stone princess’ all over the office.”
“What are you talking about?” Cayden demanded, his stomach sinking as a sneaking suspicious filled him.
“Sophie just called me and left a message on my phone telling me what happened. The entire paper is gossiping about her and it’s only a matter of time before Harry finds out. She handed in her resignation today, Cayden. I hope you’re proud of yourself.” As the last word fell from Blair’s mouth like a bomb exploding inside him she turned and stomped away leaving him standing there on the sidewalk by himself.
As the shock of Blair’s revelation wore off, fury slowly took its place and he knew exactly who to direct it at. The only other person in the world he’d told about him and Sophie and what really happened between them on their trip to D.C.
Cayden was shaking with anger as he pulled out his phone and jabbed his finger at the screen to dial Brad’s number. It rang twice before the other end picked up but Cayden didn’t waste any time.
“Hel–.”
“Brad, what the hell, man? What’s wrong with you?” Cayden shouted, trying not to completely loose it as the crowd started to disperse around him, “For fuck’s sake, why would tell everyone about what happened with me and Sophie?”
“C–Cayden? What’s wrong with me? You’re the one calling and yelling like a maniac. You’re never shy about the girls you screw. In fact, it’s usually you doing the telling. It was just too good this time, I couldn’t wait.”
Cayden swallowed down another round of curses. Because the truth was, Brad was right. He usually was the one bragging about the latest woman he’d charmed into his bed.
“Listen, just, stop it, okay? Sophie is…different.”
“Different?” Brad snorted, “Why the fuck are you so upset about this, dude?”
Cayden was silent as his mind turned over his friend’s question but he couldn’t come up with a reply. He didn’t have an answer.