Boss I Love to Hate: An Office Romance(78)

I waited ten torturous seconds for her answer.

“Okay.”

“Okay?”

“Yes, because, before you got here, I agreed to go on a double with Jean and Jeff.”

I scoffed. “You did? Why?” I didn’t want to see that prick again, let alone go on a double with him.

She rolled her eyes. “Because, when Miss Barbie texts with, I understand if you change your mind. I wouldn’t want you to be uncomfortable with Jeff being your ex, I couldn’t let her have the last say.”

I thought on it for a moment. It wasn’t what I’d had in mind, but I’d take it.

I smirked. “Deal.”





Sonia

Brad’s revelation had kicked my world off its axis. In between him trying to convince me that we’d be good together and me trying to convince him that these feelings would eventually pass, my life had turned upside down.

Truth was, this was my fault. A lie that had snowballed into an avalanche, and now, I was asking him to lie for me again on our double date.

We were out to lunch—Brad working on his computer, me staring out the window, people-watching. In typical weekday fashion, when I had been about to grab his lunch, he’d stood and clutched his laptop, saying he’d just go with me.

I didn’t know what the point was. He had mounds of work to do and an unprecedented amount of meetings this afternoon until tomorrow morning.

I peered over the table and took him in. Whenever Brad was concentrating really hard on something, his brow would twitch and then furrow and then twitch again. It took every ounce of energy not to reach out and smooth the lines.

“Are you going to eat that?” I tipped my chin toward his food. “It’s getting cold.”

His eyes slowly lifted from his computer. Then, he smiled, and my heart flipped and flopped and then went into cardiac arrest.

Stop, stupid heart. Stop. Stop. Stop.

“You’re absolutely right.” He shut his laptop and threw his attention on me, reaching for his turkey and ham and cheddar cheese sandwich. “You’re done with yours already?”

I rubbed my belly and gave it one big pat. “Like, twenty minutes ago. Ate my cookie and yours, too, but you didn’t notice.”

He chuckled when he looked down at his empty cookie bag.

“I was still hungry. Sorry.” I lifted my shoulder to my ear, unapologetic. “Anyway, do you think you’re going to win over Titan Printing?” The current account he was still working on.

It was the talk of the office, the big merger we foresaw happening.

“I sure hope so. Our big meeting is this week. I think I’ve been distracted lately, and you know exactly why that is.”

He playfully waggled his eyebrows, and there went my heart again, pitter-pattering without my consent.

“Do you live to make me uncomfortable?” I crumpled up his cookie bag and placed it on the tray.

“I live to make people, particularly you, accept the truths.” He placed his sandwich down. “And the truth is … I think you like me.” Though he didn’t sound too sure.

I let out a peal of laughter. “I do. I like you enough to let you lie for me and be my pretend boyfriend at the wedding and even Friday night on our double date.”

I smiled, all teeth, and he frowned.

“Oh, yeah. I almost forgot about that.”

There was no way I was showing up to the double date without him on my arm. “You’d better not.”

He grimaced, studying me for a second as though he were debating on saying something. “Why are you doing this, Sonia?”

“Well, you did say that you wanted a date, so …” If I could put a wink emoji at the end of that sentence, I would.

Brad was not amused. “I meant, a real date, and don’t worry; I’m still collecting on that. But I mean, with Jean and Jeff. Why did you say yes?” He leaned in, elbows on the table, eyes intently fixed on me.

There were so many things that ran through my mind. Why am I even wasting my time? It is over with Jeff, so why do I even care? But, ultimately, I was going on the date because I didn’t want to seem as though I wasn’t over him. I didn’t want him to think I was a loser. I wanted him to know that I was so much better off without him. I wanted him to regret ever leaving me.

There were a slew of reasons, and it seemed as though Brad could read me so well.

“Why does any of it matter? Unless …” His forehead crinkled, and he rubbed the back of his neck, his face thoughtful. “Are you not over him?” When I didn’t answer fast enough, he added, “Do you want him back?”

Do I? Do I want Jeff back? I hated him for what he had done, how he’d left me, possibly cheated, yet why was it so hard to just forget about him and move on?

“You do, don’t you?” His voice was whisper soft, and his face flipped like a deck of cards—surprise at first, disdain, and then ultimately hurt.

“No. Of course not.” It was the truth, wasn’t it? How could I possibly want him back after he’d left me the way he did, so easily, so brokenhearted? But, if I didn’t want him back, why couldn’t I get over the fact that he’d left me?

He stared at me far too long. After a beat, he stuck his laptop back in his bag, stood, and rubbed the back of his neck. “I have to get back to the office. I have to prep for this meeting at two and the meeting with Titan later this week.”