His lips pull into a perfect bright smile; his eyes shine in the headlights. Shoving his hands in his pockets, he crosses in front of his car, pressing a button to turn it off. The hum leaves, blanketing us in silence as he steps close enough to catch the details of his expression even in the dim light. “There you are, sugar. I’ve been waiting for you at our place. I thought maybe the bus schedule had changed.”
“Huh?” I stiffen. He was at the gazebo? For how long? “You didn’t show up at lunch even though I went to the cafeteria. I thought—”
Who even knows what I thought.
Wincing, I drop my attention.
Lex chuckles, dipping his whole body so he can peer up at my eyes. “I had some things to take care of at home, so I only came for my last class. What? Were you worried you’d been fired without a word?”
I nearly pout. Yet again he seems to know me better than anyone.
“My bad. I thought you liked radio silence.” He straightens.
My stomach clenches. Even though his words lack ire, I know what he means, and I can feel the weight. “Are you chastising me for not calling you on break?”
“No.” He looks off, somewhere distant; slim tails of white clouds puff from his lips. “I could have contacted you just aswell.”
But he didn’t. Dropping my braid, I hug myself. “Right.”
“Right,” he echoes, his attention still elsewhere, until only his eyes glance my way. “But that would have been inappropriate. Nagging you on your time off from work would have been irresponsible and unprofessional of me, as your boss.” Turning on his heel, he starts back toward his car, and I startle at the abrupt end to our conversation until he says, “Step into my office, Ms. Kole.”
Blinking, I wander after him as his car hums to life once more and he opens the passenger door for me. Not really caring if he’s tricking me to take me home, I step inside, into a welcoming blast of nice warm air.
Lex gets in on the other side and pulls his satchel off, digging in it for a folder.
I watch him, wary, as he passes me the slim binder and sets his satchel back behind the seats. “What’s this?”
“Unfortunately, your worries are justified.” He sighs, very pitying, and his brows pucker sympathetically. “You’re fired.”
My innards knot, and I whip my attention to him, mouth gaping open. I scan him. I scan him for the joke, and I see it written all over his face. It’s nothing like the time he pretended his mother had abandoned him, leaving him with nothing but spite for a name he claimed to share with her. That was spot-on acting. This is just a break of his own character, so I can’t believe it. “No. You wouldn’t. What about—the play?” Panic swells, and nothing feels right.
If it’s you, only you…
“Open that, sugar.” He nods at the parcel on my lap, his expression melting back into Lex and out of the “very sad” business man.
I swallow hard and try not to let it show how deeply afraid I am as I open the folder. A document rests inside. Along with acheck.
My heart hammers, and I grow dizzy as I take in the narrow rectangular slip of paper. Thousands of dollars. Written out to me.
I’ve been fired.
Mouth dry, I whisper, “A severance agreement…?”
“To soften the blow of an involuntary termination. It looks late, but the bank should still be open another thirty minutes if you’d like to notarize your signature in return for that check. I assume it’s only fair I pay you what you’d accounted for. It would be wrong of me to put you in a position where you’d have to find a new job before you expected to.”
It feels like I’m about to cry. I look at him, adjust my glasses, and can’t even care that my voice cracks when I speak. I spent all break writing a song about him, and he’s done with me? “I don’t understand.”
He presses his lips together and offers me a pen. “If you promise not to sue, we don’t have to go to the bank, and you can sign it right here on principle.”
I tremble.
He draws the pen back, winces. “Or you can just tell me you’ll take the check. Please. You’re making me feel cruel.”
“It is cruel!” I blurt. “What are you talking about? You don’t want to do the play with me anymore? You’re done with me? I don’t want your money.” My eyes squeeze shut, and I choke back the wordsI want youas I try to navigate the sudden onset of emotions making it impossible to breathe.
“Calypso,” Lex states my name, firm. “Look at me, sugar.”
“No. I won’t.” I can’t.
