Page 63 of Falling With You

“I know, but I figured you had your lunch break coming up like you said, so I brought you your favorite. You know, that curry you like?”

For some reason, that just made me snap. I was tired, and everything was a little too confused in my head. So I said the first thing that came to mind, even though it wasn’t the best thing to say. “No, that was Allison’s favorite. Don’t be like this. Go back to the desk, or just go. I’m working, and I have to be professional. You’re not helping anything.”

Aiden just looked at me, his face shutting down, He lowered his hand, his gaze hard, then gave me a tight nod and turned on his heel to walk away.

Well, then. That could have gone worse. I could have shot him.

“Everything okay?” Greg asked. I looked at my coworker and nodded, a pleasant smile on my face, even though nothing was going on in my brain right then that made me want to smile.

“I’m doing great. Sorry about that. Unexpected guest. I have to go back to help Jefferson.”

“Okay, just want to make sure you’re fine. You know…after everything.”

I nodded and kept smiling. My perfect, peaceful smile that had nothing to do with the rage and confusion and anger and even a little sadness rushing through my mind just then. Because everybody here knew I had been attacked. They had seen the bruises, had seen the ring around my neck from where that man had held me against the wall. They didn’t know I was in therapy, they didn’t know that I was dealing with the emotional windfall of losing Allison and then hearing about Aiden and Allison and what they’d lost. They didn’t know any of that. But they did know that I had been weak at one point and had been hurt. And now I was trying to act strong and like nothing was wrong, even though everything seemed wrong just then. But I was fine. I was going to be just fine.

“Thank you, Greg. I should probably get back to work.” I waved him off and went back to Jefferson. “Okay, Jefferson. How we doing with that cooldown?”

He glared up at me before rising to his feet. I always forgot how tall he was compared to me, about the fact that no matter what happened, I felt like I was always in his shadow. Literally.

“What’s wrong? Who was that man? Can I help? Do you need me to pound on him?”

The thing was, coming from another of my football player patients? The comment probably would have been a joke. Jefferson? I didn’t know anymore.

With the way that his brain worked now, he could literally go out and find Aiden and beat the shit out of him because he thought that Aiden was trying to hurt me.

And, technically, it wouldn’t be Jefferson’s fault. Not anymore. It was just how his brain was newly wired because of one too many hits to the helmet.

And it worried me.

Jefferson put his hand on my shoulder, giving it a squeeze, and looked down at me with an expression I had never seen before.

I swallowed hard and gave him a smile then took a step back.

“I’m fine. But let’s work on you, okay? We’re almost done today, and then we can work on our next schedule.”

There. Perfectly professional. And not creeped out at all. Not worried that I had just fucked things over with Aiden.

Right after I realized that I actually loved him.

Great.

By the time I finished with Jefferson and my next client, I was frazzled and really just wanted a drink. The thing was, I had been planning to go to the bar right after work to see Aiden and the others.

Now, I just wanted to go home. Maybe I would go into the bar later when I wasn’t so angry and feeling dejected, but not now.

Now, I didn’t know what to do.

When I got home, I shot a quick text to my sister since I wanted to make sure she knew I might not be showing up to the bar and went straight to the freezer for my ice cream.

The cats followed me, Runway sitting on top of the fridge, looking down at me like the empress she was.

I waved at her, and she just huffed, going back to her little nap.

Danger strolled into the kitchen, flicked his tail, and then went to his food bowl. While Moxie and Baby started wrestling right by my ankles. I just shook my head.

“Well, if I fucked things over with Aiden, at least I’ll never be alone. I’ll have the four of you.”

And didn’t that just make me want to sob?