Chapter 22: Chapter 22

FRANCESCA

“So, where’s your guy tonight?”

“Buzz off, James.”

“Come on, Cheer, everyone knows you didn’t head home to Jackson alone. So, how was it? Did you finally confess your feelings?”

“I don’t have feelings for Christian.”

“Well, here’s your chance to tell him.” James glances over my shoulder, and my stomach does a flip. I whirl around, following his gaze, but all I see is a table of regulars.

“That’s not Christian.”

“I know. I just wanted to see how you’d react.”

“You’re such a jerk.”

“You love it. And you love him. You need to hurry up and tell him.”

“Tell who what?” Candy pops up beside us with an order slip and an empty tray. “Is the boss showing up tonight?”

“He said he would,” I reply, and Candy smirks.

“To see a certain sexy cheerleader?”

“Shut up.”

“Ladies, what exactly are we paying you for?” Marty sidles up behind us, pretending to be angry.

“Sorry, Marty.” Candy bats her eyelashes and pecks Marty’s cheek. “I’ll get on stage.”

I stay silent as I pick up the now full tray James has set on the bar.

“Hold on a sec, you.” Marty steps in front of me.

“What’s up?”

Marty rolls his eyes at my laid-back attitude.

“You doing okay? Everything alright?” I stare at him, puzzled, and he rephrases. “With Mr. De Luca? Are you two…?”

“We’re something.”

“Something?”

“Hopelessly in love,” James chimes in with a laugh. I turn back to the bar, shooting him a glare, and he just sticks his tongue out at me before getting back to work.

“Marty, I need to get these drinks out,” I say, pointing to the tray in my hand.

“Christian and I are seeing where things go, but that doesn’t mean things are different here. If you have a problem, please take it up with him. He said he’d drop in tonight.”

Marty seems to take my comment as a warning as he scurries back into his office, probably to make sure all the books are in order, fearing Mr. De Luca’s wrath.

James is still chuckling to himself as I move to deliver the drinks.

I serve for another two and a half hours. Knowing Christian is coming, I asked to be put on a late dance rotation.

When I hear my music start, I look around for Christian, but he’s still nowhere to be found.

I’m on autopilot as I move to the stage and do my job. I sway my hips in time with the music, wrap my leg around the pole, throw my head back, letting my hair fall.

I hear the cheers and wolf whistles, but my mind is stuck on Christian.

I jump off the stage as soon as my song finishes and head to the back room. I pull my phone out of my bag, checking for any messages but find nothing.

~He said he would be here.~

Wanting answers, I dial his number. It rings and rings and rings. For a moment, I actually think it will just go to voicemail, but then Leo’s voice answers.

“Chris’s phone.”

“Hey, QB, it’s me.”

“Hey, Cheer. You okay? Why are you calling Chris?”

“Oh, just a random question about work stuff,” I reply, trying to sound nonchalant. “Is he around?”

“He’s here, but he and Evie have been arguing in his bedroom for the past two hours.”

“E-Evie?”

“Evelyn, Beth’s sister.”

My stomach drops. I feel tears prick my eyes, and I struggle to fight them.

“Should I tell him you called?”

“No.”

I hang up before Leo can say anything else. I sink down onto the floor, hugging my knees, and that’s where James finds me at the end of the night.

He doesn’t ask for an explanation when I refuse to go home; instead, he turns off my phone and carries me upstairs to his place.

He tucks me into my old bed and even wakes me up with coffee and breakfast on Monday morning.

“Frankie? You have work this morning, right?” James pushes open the door slowly. He looks worn out, and I immediately feel guilty.

“You didn’t have to do all of this,” I murmur.

“Do you want to talk about what happened?” James asks, ignoring my previous statement.

“No.”

James nods before leaving the room and returning with an extra-large man’s navy business shirt and a belt. I raise an eyebrow at him, and he laughs.

“Business attire,” he says with a wink.

I end up having to rush to the QB building. My heart is pounding at the thought of running into Christian.

Part of me knows I could be completely overreacting, but another part of me wants to bust his balls.

How dare he be so possessive and demand all of my attention, then as soon as my back is turned, spend all his time with the Walker Witch.

“Morning, Cheer!” Leo’s excited voice makes me jump as I enter the lobby, and he laughs.

Several employees observe the situation with curious eyes; I’m sure they’re wondering why the new girl would be talking to the big boss.

“Morning,” I say softly.

“Can I walk you to your desk?” Leo takes a sip from the takeaway coffee cup in his hand.

“Sure.”

The two of us walk in silence for a moment before Leo asks me a difficult question.

“Are you seeing anyone?”

~Am I?~

~I was yesterday.~

“I don’t know.” My voice comes out as a whisper.

“You don’t know?”

“It’s complicated.”

“But not serious?”

“No…”

Leo hums in approval as we step into the elevator.

“Why?” I ask, turning to face him.

“Just curious if I stand a chance,” he answers, and my jaw nearly drops. He grins as the elevator doors slide open, revealing Myles.

“Mr. Chambers!”

“Myles, how many times have I told you to call me Leo?”

Myles blushes, and I can’t help but chuckle at their interaction.

“Are you taking good care of my girl down here?” Leo drapes an arm over my shoulder, pulling me close. Myles glances between us before grinning back at Leo.

“Of course, Frankie is great.”

“Well, I’ll leave you two to it. I’ll swing by to grab you for lunch, Cheer.”

Leo pecks my cheek, and I can feel the entire floor watching us. I beam like an idiot as he walks away before heading to my cubicle.

“Should I ask?” Myles inquires, smirking slightly.

“No,” I respond, sinking into my chair and booting up my computer. Myles chuckles, raising his hands in surrender before returning to his own desk.

After my week off, I have a pile of press releases to get through.

I’m grateful for Myles’s meticulous note-taking. He tends to overdo it, but in this case, it’s exactly what I need.

I lose track of time as I dive into my work. My fingers race across the keyboard. I jump when a hand taps my shoulder.

“Shit!”

“I love your mouth, kitten,” a familiar low growl says, and I pull away from the hand still on my shoulder. Christian looks at me with curious eyes. “Francesca?”

“Did you need something?” I snap at him, and his brow furrows.

“I came to say good morning and apologize for not making it to the club last night.”

“QB said you were tied up.”

“He did?”

“I called.”

Christian’s expression wavers slightly.

“He told me Evelyn is in town.”

“She stopped by.”

I can feel my anger rising as he doesn’t even attempt to explain her presence.

“How nice.” I turn my back on him, my fingers finding the keyboard again. For a moment, I think he’s left, then I hear him sigh.

“You’re upset,” Christian murmurs softly.

“No shit.”

“You’re upset I spoke to Evelyn.”

“She was in your bedroom, Christian.”

“We had a lot to talk about.”

“Like what?”

“Turns out, she’s pregnant.”

I can’t hide my shock. I stare at Christian, hoping he’ll tell me this is some sick joke.

“Y-yours?” I stammer, hoping I’ve misunderstood.

“Yes.”

“You told me you…that you never…how?”

“Seems I was wrong. She has proof.”

“Get out.”

“Kitten?”

“Don’t!”

“Francesca, maybe we can—”

He reaches to stroke my cheek, and I pull away.

“Leave me the fuck alone.” It takes all my self-control not to shout it at him.

“Franc—”

“Go!”

Christian sighs, nods sadly, and heads toward his private elevator.

“Still don’t want to talk?” Myles asks a few moments later. I look at him, confused, and he continues. “You two weren’t exactly whispering.”

“I’ve been a fool.” I laugh at myself, fighting back tears. “There was a moment when I actually thought it could work, you know? That a girl like me could fit into his world.”

“Frankie?” Myles looks at me cautiously, like I might shatter at any moment.

“I’m okay, thanks, Myles. But I have a ton of work to do.”

Myles pats my back comfortingly before leaving me to my work and my thoughts.

I decline lunch with Leo, citing too much work, so he brings me a tuna and pickle sandwich and eats with me at my desk.

I think it’s the first time his staff have seen him like this, but to me, this is the real Leo, my QB.

I remember countless times in high school when we would just sit. We didn’t need to talk; it was about the company.

Leo insists on driving me home from work and coming over for dinner, since we technically missed lunch.

Knowing Leo can’t cook to save his life, I assume he’ll order takeout. Leo waits for me to finish all my press release writing before we hail a cab to my apartment.

As the cab pulls away, I see Toby pull up to pick up Christian. Part of me feels a pang of guilt for ignoring him the rest of the day after hearing his news.

I can only imagine what he must be feeling.

~Stop it, Frankie. He doesn’t deserve your sympathy.~

“You okay, Cheer?” Leo breaks the silence in the cab.

“Have you talked to Christian?”

“Not since he went to talk to you. He was in a foul mood when he came back. Not much for chit-chat.”

I nod, unsure of what to say.

“Evelyn told me. About the pregnancy, I mean. When she left the apartment this morning.”

“This morning?”

“Yep. Demanded I make her coffee before she left. Joke’s on her—my coffee tastes like crap.”

“She stayed the whole night?”

“Yeah, I guess they had a lot to discuss.”

I fall silent again, but Leo doesn’t press. We arrive at my apartment, and we ride the elevator up in silence.

I hear Leo order Chinese as I collapse on the couch, emotionally drained.

Leo stays quiet until our food arrives. He comes back to the couch with the takeout containers and chopsticks and plops down next to me.

“Okay, Cheer, what’s up? What’s really going on?”

“What?”

“You’ve been quiet for nearly an hour. You’re acting off, and I want to know why.”

“I’m okay, Leo.”

“No, Frankie, you’re not.” I can’t help but roll my eyes as he presses on. “What went down with you and Chris?”

“Nothing.”

“I don’t buy it.”

“Really, nothing,” I pause, gathering my thoughts, “but… it just wasn’t meant to be.”

“You had feelings for him?”

“I think I did. But today he made it clear that I’m not someone he’d fight for.”

“You’re worth so much more, Cheer.” Leo pulls me into his lap, and I instinctively nestle into his chest.

“I’ve missed this.”

“Me too, Cheer.” Leo tightens his hold on me, planting a kiss in my hair.

Our food is left untouched as Leo’s hand traces the length of my thigh. I can feel my cheeks heating up under his attention.

He chuckles, one hand tenderly stroking my cheek. “God, you’re beautiful,” he whispers.

I try to avoid his gaze, but his hand stops me. His thumb brushes over my lower lip, freeing it from between my teeth.

His other hand continues its journey on my thigh, grazing the hem of James’s makeshift shirt/dress.

“Forget about him, Frankie,” Leo murmurs, pressing his lips to mine.

The hand cradling my face keeps me close to him, while his other hand on my leg anchors me to his lap.

I kiss him back, not out of desire, but out of curiosity—curiosity to see if I still hold him in high regard.

His kiss is demanding, but I can’t help comparing him to Christian.

~It’s not the same.~

I push against Leo’s chest, breaking the kiss, and he looks at me, his brow furrowed.

“I’m sorry,” I whisper.

Leo’s face falls instantly. He doesn’t say a word as he sets me back on the couch.

His untouched Chinese food, a stark reminder of how our friendship might have irrevocably changed, sits abandoned on the coffee table as he exits the apartment.

~Why did you have to do that?~

I berate myself internally.

~Why can’t you just be happy? QB was kissing you!~

~But he’s not Christian.~

I curl up on the couch, finally letting my emotions take over. I’m in love with Christian De Luca.

I love him, and now, I’ll never be able to have him.