Rachael, It's All or Nothing

05: Sent Some [Flowers] to Your Work

I know I look young, but I don’t think I look like a child. So, to refer to me as ‘kid’ is simply insulting.

After Jonathan had dumped me in the snow, I called Kody to bring her key and let us in. While we sat outside in the freezing cold, I gave up my hoodie so Jonathan wouldn’t contract hypothermia and die, even though it left me in only a tiny little t-shirt. I was cold, but I wasn’t cold enough to huddle up to him, or anything. I was still mad at the fact that he had put us in that position in the first place.

Although I think some of the coldness might have gotten to him, because he gave me his watch (albeit very forcefully). Then, when Kody had shown up, he’d gotten up and left. See you later, kid, he’d said to me; and then proceeded to drive off.

DRIVE OFF! After we spent like fifteen minutes out in the freezing cold, it turns out he has his car keys with him! I am now sick because I was sitting outside, because I thought he didn’t have his car keys and that’s why he waited with me.

Well, now I might actually sell his watch on eBay. I hadn’t even considered it, until he said it, but now that he’s a complete douche bag, I actually might.

So here I was at work, feeling shittier than I’ve felt in a long time. Not even rolling half way across the office on the spinning chair was making me feel better.

I was still trying to amuse myself, though. I was the receptionist at the local veterinarian’s place, and I can’t say there was an abundance of sick or injured animals in Chicago today. As I pushed myself across the floor, I picked up the stapler and tried aiming for the garbage can that was no about five feet from me. I should say now that if this were a sport, I’d be amazing.

I sneezed. Uggg – good for nothing Chicago Blackhawks captain, making me sick. Speaking of which, his watch was glittering in the light.

“That’s a pretty nice watch.”

It was a male voice that caused me to jump out of my skin and whirl around. It was vaguely familiar, but I didn’t know from where. When I looked up, his face bore a striking resemblance to someone I had met before.

He had an extremely square jaw, and a smile that made me want to stay and talk to him. But what was his name?

I squinted at him as he started talking to me, and as I watched his mouth move, I suddenly realized where I knew him from. I laughed and sighed at the same time, feeling less awkward. “You’re the guy from the gala.”

He paused, clearing his throat. “It’s Adam.”

I blushed. Both of us knew I had forgotten that.

But he smiled. “Something tells me I shouldn’t take it personally if you stop listening.”

I waved him off. “No – I stop listening to everyone.”

He chuckled. “So, um, do you get a lunch break at any time?”

I looked at the tiny clock I had sitting under the overhang of the desk that Adam was leaning on. It was nearly one thirty, and I hadn’t eaten since breakfast at nine thirty this morning.

“Lucky you – I was just about –” When the bell above the door chimed, I stopped mid-sentence, “welcome to – YOU!”

Only one corner of his mouth upturned when he smirked. When he inhaled to speak, I could practically see his chest rumbling. “Welcome to me too, sweetheart.”

I scowled. “You made me sick.”

Adam chose this moment to but in. “Jonny gave you AIDS too?”

I looked sharply from Adam’s surfer grin to Jonathan’s calm expression. I scrunched my nose in distain. “You would have AIDS. You dirty whore.”

He joined Adam at the counter, and I was suddenly the attention of the two men. My attention was immediately drawn to Jonathan, but not for the reason you’d think. “How could you let me freeze outside when you had your car?” I asked.

“Well it wasn’t my fault you left your keys inside.”

I squawked. “It was too! If you hadn’t been trying so hard to seduce me –”

He interrupted me, which in my opinion was rude. “I wasn’t trying to seduce you.”

I quirked an eyebrow at him. “Oh, I forgot. Most people take their clothes off in a stranger’s house for other reasons.”

“I’m an exhibitionist, remember?”

The way he used my words against me made my temper flare a bit. “How could I forget? Your flabby fat beer gut is permanently burned into my retinas!”

“You fucking wish,” he retorted dryly.

“Wait a minute – she’s that girl from the other night?” Adam interrupted.

“What?”

For some reason, Jonathan looked uncomfortable, so Adam took hold of the reins. “Well, the other day in the locker room, we noticed that Jonny boy here had some nice claw marks up his back.”

I grinned widely. So I had physically left marks. “That was me.”

A twinkle settled in Adam’s eyes, and I wondered if I had just implicated myself by admitting to that. I’m not sure if he was hitting on me or just teasing me, but either way it didn’t make me as angry as it would have if Jonathan had done it. “I bet it was.”

When I touched my cheek, it was just as hot to the touch as it felt.

Jonathan’s skin had been warm, regardless of the fact that it had been freezing out. I spluttered at that thought. Ew no. Do not think tender feelings, do not think tender feelings…

“Rachael, are you okay?”

My eyes snapped up to Adam’s. He looked concerned, regardless of the fact that I had previously told him not to worry when I spaced out. Now, I’m not quite sure how my next position happened – one minute I was in the chair, the next I was sprawled out on the ground behind the chair.

Needless to say, I was stunned, and therefore speechless. Adam rushed to my side. “Rachael –”

And then came Jonathan’s compassionate voice. What irked me was that he didn’t rush around the side of the desk to make sure I was okay. He stayed right where he was. “Don’t waste your breath, Bursh. She does it for the attention.”

I yanked my arm away from Adam’s grasp, and turned away out of embarrassment once I was standing. If the vet came outside, I think I might quit, just out of pure embarrassment. “You guys need to go,” I said quietly.

Adam looked hurt, and I felt bad. “I’ll get a raincheck, okay Adam?”

It seemed to placate him, and he gave me a polite smile. “I heard it’s supposed to rain tomorrow.”

I bit my lip to keep from smiling. “We’ll see about that – those weather people aren’t always right.”

He backed up and sent me a wink. “See yah, Rachael.” Then he turned to Jonathan. “I’ll see you at the rink.”

Once Adam left, Jonathan stood in my line of vision. I pressed my fingers to my temple and exhaled noisily. “Get lost, Tazer.”

“That’s rude.”

“Don’t start with me.”

“You only say that because you won’t be able to finish it. I need my women to be bendy.”

I sighed and sat on my spinning chair and propped my chin up on the flat surface of the desktop. “What are you doing here?”

“I want my watch back.”

I squawked, immediately covering the watch with my hand. He caught the movement, and I anticipated the look on his face. “Are you wearing my watch?”

“No.”

“Do you lie all the time, or do you just put in an effort with me?”

“Well at least one of us is making an effort!” I hissed darkly.

He leaned forward so he was leaning on the desk. Our faces were really close, but if I backed up, I would lose the challenge. “I just don’t think you’re worth it,” he muttered quietly.

I narrowed my eyes and slapped him.

As soon as I did it, I immediately wanted to take it back. I covered my mouth with my hands and just gaped at him. He backed up, an unreadable expression sliding over his face and he moved for the door.

“Jonathan!” I called, getting up and darting around the side of the counter.

The bell chimed, and he was outside. But I went to follow him. “Jonathan, please!”

Maybe the formal request got through to him, I don’t know. But as I reached out for his arm, he whirled around. Although he didn’t look angry or upset, he didn’t look happy either. His lack of emotion made me upset, because it meant he was trying to hide it.

“I’m sorry,” my voice trembled as I looked at him.

He didn’t say anything. But as I looked away, he sighed. “Don’t cry.”

So he had noticed. I scrunched my nose and looked back at him. Maybe if I scrunched my nose enough, no tears would fall. “Don’t say it like that! I didn’t mean to hit you!”

“If you didn’t want to do it, you wouldn’t have.”

It was solid reasoning, I had to admit. I wasn’t going to tell him that, though. But what was I supposed to do now? I apologized… do I just back up and go back inside?

“Are you hungry?”

“Pardon?”

He rolled his eyes. “Hun-gry. Have you eaten? Are you hungry?”

My stomach growled loudly, then, leaving Jonathan to assume I was. “Alright.”

“Did you just ask me out?” I called after him.

He stopped walking and turned to me. “Hell no. You’re paying for yourself – I just thought you’d want to have me in your company.”

Asshole.

I was fuming as I stomped after him. He waited until I caught up to him. I jabbed him in the chest. “Don’t you make me take my apology back.”

A smirk covered his face. “A little harder next time, sweetheart.”

I was not going to justify that with a response, so I just started walking without him.