Page 33 of F Buddy

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.

Chapter 14

Zach

Six weeks. Six damn weeks, and in all that time, I couldn’t get in touch with Scarlett once.

I paced in my living room, calling her again, only for the call to get cut off. I cursed, long and loud, wondering what the hell she was doing.

Is this about the argument we’d had?

Why was I even still trying to get in touch with her after that happened? It was the eye opener for me that Scarlett would never be okay with what I wanted from her, not without some form of commitment. I could have told her I wasn’t interested in any other woman at the moment, but that she expected it of me at all was what put me on edge.

I don’t do relationships. I decided that for myself way back when I was a teenager. I only deviated once, and it ended up being the worst idea of my life, so I was not going to repeat it.

Scarlett didn’t know the whole picture. I didn’t need to tell her my whole life story so she could go along with what I wanted. If she didn’t like it, there was no need to, after all. But maybe that’s what was happening. She’d thought things through and made her decision, and this was her way of letting me know.

“Dammit,” I growled. I still wanted to talk to her and clear things up between us.

But one thought kept ringing in my mind. Just what did I want from Scarlett, exactly?

A knock on my door stopped me from thinking too long about it. I sighed and pocketed my phone, then went to open the door. Abigail stood there, dressed up in a long black, sleeveless evening dress with slits up the sides and black high heels, with her hair left to fall around her bare shoulders. She had a purse thrown over her shoulder and matching silver necklace and earrings.

“You’re early,” I said, turning my back on her.

She stepped inside and closed the door behind her.

“I’m not,” she said. “You’re actually about to be late. I just thought I should remind you.”

I threw a frown at her over my shoulder, then checked the clock on my phone. When I saw the time, I sighed. She was right.

“Can’t I just turn up whenever? I didn’t ask to go to this office party.”

She hummed. “I didn’t either, you know.”

I grimaced as I fell back into the seat and looked up at her. I didn’t want to attend, but I was required to because I’d been transferred to the office. I’d rejected the idea when I’d first heard it, only to be told I didn’t have any choice.

Abigail ran a critical eye over me. “Well, you’re at least partly dressed.”

I rolled my eyes. I was properly dressed, just not quite so pristine. I had the slacks, shirt, socks, and shoes on, with the shirt half unbuttoned and untucked, and I had the tie slung over my shoulders, untied. My coat was draped on the back of the seat.

“Well, now that you know, do you mind leaving me to finish up here? I can find the office just fine on my own.”

She pursed her lips, then shrugged and turned back to the door.

“Fine, do as you want. But our guests will be expecting you to attend, so try not to disappoint them.”

I scoffed. “Like I give a fuck.”

“You might not, but our boss might,” she warned. Then she opened the door and left, leaving me alone.

I pulled out my phone and hesitated with it in my hand. But then I decided to forget about Scarlett for the night. I had to go out to the damn office party and act all professional. I put my phone back in my pocket, righted my clothes, pulled on my coat and left the apartment.

The office wasn’t far from where I lived. I caught a taxi outside the building, and in under half an hour, I was there.