Chapter 44

Chapter 44: Pain in the ass His face remains calm and cold. Yet I still catch a fleeting glimpse of panic and disbelief passing through his eyes. “Surprised?” I sneer and take a moment to enjoy the look on his face. “I thought you knew… since you already brought your new girlfriend shopping today.” His face drops. “For the second time, Valerie is not my girlfriend.” “Just stop lying, OK? If she’s not your girlfriend, then what are you really? Why on earth are you guys together all the time?? No forget it… I don’t want to know.” I wave my hand dismissively.

He suddenly stands up. Taken aback, I raise my head to look at him and find his face dark and sullen.

“Are you asking me to cut connections with all my female friends?” he questions me in a strained tone.

“Is this what you want? Because I can do that. If only you could stop talking to Alex!”

Even though I was mad at him, I was able to talk to him in a calm manner. But these words enrage me instantly. Anger explodes in my head and the next thing I know I’m kneeling on my bed, pointing a finger at him and yelling. “Are you kidding me?!! You know perfectly well that Valerie is not just a normal female friend! She likes you and you’ve been fucking her for god know how long! Is it really too much to ask you to stay away from her now that we are dating? And why do you keep dragging Alex into this conversation? We are just friends, unlike you and Valerie!”

“But he’s the reason you decided to break up with me, isn’t it?” he raises his voice and starts yelling back at me too. “If you don’t care for him at all, why do you keep getting mad at me for an outsider?”

“Oh my god… Eason! I-“I’m too pissed to say a full sentence. “I’m not mad at you because of him! I’m mad at you because you try to manipulate my life! You didn’t respect me at all! Don’t you get it?”

His lips part slightly, and a strangely un-focused look appears on his face. He looks at me, brows furrowed, and after a short pause he says in a low voice, “No I don’t get it.”

“Bullshit.” I snort. “You’ve dated like a thousand girls. Stop fucking play dumb.”

“Yes, I’ve dated a few girls…but you are not like them,” he murmurs. “All these…are very new to me.”

My heart skips a beat. Is he telling me that I’m special?

No. This must be another trick. He’s just trying to get me to go soft on him. I’m not falling for that.

“Oh well. I’m very flattered.” I say in a dry and sarcastic tone. “But this is it. We are breaking up. I’m not wasting my time on you anymore.”

He’s trying to say something else but a gentle knock on the door interrupts us.

“Eason? Nat?” mom’s worried voice comes from outside of the door. “Is everything OK?”

Shit. I forgot we are at home, and we need to keep our voice down.

“Everything is fine! Eason is just leaving!” I say. I jump off bed and start pushing him towards the door.

But he grabs my elbow and whispers beside my ear, “Nat, I don’t want to break up with you.” “Well, life is tough, and you can’t get everything you want. Suck it up,” I hiss. I grab the doorknob and shove him outside. I keep telling myself that I’m doing the right thing, even though my heart hurts every time I think of his words and the pleading look on his face.

For the following week, I fully immerse myself in schoolwork and my part-time job at the coffee house.

This way I have no time to think about Eason.

Luckily, Lola has been an excellent mentor. She taught me everything I need to know about work, including how to deal with tough customers.

“So basically, you smile, you play cute, and you say, ‘yes madam’ and ‘of course sir.’ You listen to their ridiculous requirements and take down those freaking long orders. Then you can go spit in their mugs when they’re not looking. Get it?” I laugh, “Thanks for imparting your wisdom.” “No problem. Now, are you ready for your first serving?” she hands me a tray of food and whisper, “This is for the woman at table 27, the meeting room upstairs. I can tell she’s a pain in the ass. She summoned me into the room to hear her order. I mean… how hard it is to place your order at the counter? This is a coffee house, not three-star restaurant!”

I giggle and give her a comforting look, heading upstairs. When I reach the meeting room, I take a hand to knock first. A few seconds later, I hear a woman’s voice asking me to come in.

I enter the room and keep my head down the entire time. From a peripheral look, I can see a middle-

aged woman sitting by the table, dressed in a sharp black suit. “Is there anything else you need, madam?” I ask after setting down her coffee and pastries. “Yes,” she says. “Bring me two glasses of sparkling water, with fresh lemons on the side.” She is a pain in the ass.

I nod and look up casually, then instantly freeze up when I see her face. “Ms. Griswold?” I blurt out, astonished.