Page 16 of Hearts Clash

She leaned in as discreetly as possible to observe the scene. Through the glass, she spotted Gianna standing with her arms crossed, facing away from her. Opposite her stood a voluptuous blonde with tawny skin, green eyes, and glossy pink lips. Her outfit was stylishly casual with knee-high boots, tight jeans, and a cropped leather jacket. The woman, Jade, leaned casually against the armrest of one of the chairs, a crooked, impish smile on her face. She wasn’t conventionally beautiful—her eyes were set a little too far apart, and her forehead was slightly wide—but her appearance was striking, nonetheless. Her piercing eyes and relaxed posture exuded confidence and sex appeal. The woman smirked.

“Well, you didn’t,” she replied coolly, flipping her beachy blonde hair over her shoulder in a deliberately ostentatious gesture, “and Bianca mentioned you were out with her this weekend, so don’t give me that ‘Oh, I’m so busy’ bullshit. I just want to talk, Gigi. Is that so much to ask?”

“Why the hell are you talking to my sister?” Gianna snapped.

“Uh, because I still care about your family?” Jade teased in reply. “Relax. I ran into her at the mall and said hello. Didn’t realize it was a federal offense to chat with people you know.”

Scarlett ducked behind the wall as Gianna turned her head to survey her surroundings, taking a quick breath to regain her composure. Whatever was going on, it seemed tense and personal. This was none of her business, and she knew that, but she couldn’t help it. Her curiosity had the best of her now, and there was no turning back.

“You can’t just show up at my workplace, Jade,” Gianna sighed wearily. “This is seriously inappropriate. Please, I can’t do this right now.”

The woman uncrossed her arms and placed a gentle hand on Gianna’s forearm. Scarlett’s heart skipped a beat, a sudden pang of jealousy hitting her in the gut although she couldn’t quite explain why. There was an intimacy to the gesture, and Gianna looked down, her expression momentarily softening as she studied their touching skin. Scarlett felt her skin heat up uncomfortably, and she chewed her lower lip.

“I know, alright? It’s stalker behavior. I get that,” Jade replied, rolling her eyes with a self-deprecating laugh. “I just really need to talk to you, Gigi. I know I messed up. A lot. I miss you. Can we just have a coffee and talk things out? Please? Half an hour, tops, and if you still hate me, you can throw your coffee in my face and never speak to me again. Deal?”

That made Gianna laugh. Her body language remained tense, but some of the edge had melted off her demeanor.

“Yeah, okay, fine,” she replied with a heavy sigh. “I’ll check my schedule and text you, alright?”

“Promise?” inquired Jade, her eyebrows raised doubtfully.

“Yeah. Sure. I will,” Gianna replied, nodding. “Now, seriously, unless you’re having a medical emergency, you really need to get out of here, or I’m going lose my job.”

“Alright, alright, I’m going,” Jade exclaimed, raising her hands defensively in defeat.

Scarlett took that as her cue to get the hell out of there. She backed away quietly and hurried down the hall, the cup of coffee nearly forgotten in her hand. Trying not to make it too obvious that she’d been spying, she picked up a file from the nurses’ station and skimmed it. Moments later, Jade sauntered out of the room and strode confidently through the corridor in the opposite direction.

Scarlett pretended to study the patient records, barely even registering the words on the page, as Gianna appeared moments later, looking flushed and distracted. The woman didn’t even register her presence as she walked past her and disappeared around the corner without so much as a glance in her direction. There was something about the way she carried herself that made Scarlett’s brows furrow in concern, her mind buzzing with curiosity.

This was none of her business, though, and she had already intruded enough as it was. No, she shouldn’t poke her nose where it didn’t belong. Anyway, she was supposed to be distracting herself from Gianna, not getting sucked into whatever drama the woman had brewing in her personal life. Shaking her head, Scarlett collected herself and headed to her office to drink her coffee and get back to work.

***

After quickly finishing her lunch, she headed to the bathroom down the hall from her office. As she stepped inside, the door to the middle stall swung open, and Gianna stepped out, wiping her eyes with a sniff. Startled, Scarlett stared at her colleague, whose mascara was smudged and eyelids slightly puffy. When their eyes locked, Gianna jumped, her eyes widening. For several seconds, both women stood frozen, neither daring to move or say a word.

“Uhm, hi,” Scarlett finally said awkwardly. “Are you okay?”

Gianna blinked several times, taking a shuddering breath. The brunette was trying to rein in her emotions and pretend like she was fine, but her red, glistening eyes betrayed her.

“I’m fine. It’s—yeah,” the brunette muttered with forced indifference. “Rough day. Don’t worry about it.”

It was unusually stiff and uncomfortable, a sharp contrast to how animated and vibrant she usually was. This was uncharted territory, Scarlett realized, and she felt helpless and confused. Dealing with complicated emotions wasn’t exactly her forte, nor were relationships and any messy matters of the heart. At that moment, though, seeing the vulnerable, sad version of Gianna Rodriguez for the first time made something in her stir, and she felt a strong urge to reach out and comfort her. The intensity of the feeling startled her.

“Are you sure?” Scarlett asked gently, taking a cautious step toward her. “Do you want to talk about it?”

Gianna snorted dismissively. She quickly washed her hands, avoiding eye contact, and shrugged.

“Oh, please,” she sneered, drying her hands on a paper towel. “Now you want to talk to me?”

Scarlett frowned. Gianna’s tone was more tired and resigned than angry. Her shoulders drooped despondently, and her body language screamed defeat. It didn’t seem as though she meant to snap, more as though it was an automatic defense mechanism. Whatever was on her mind must really be bothering her, because the woman normally held herself together so much better.

“Look, I know we don’t always get along, but...” Scarlett said hesitantly, struggling to find the right words. “But you’re obviously really upset. If you want to talk about it, then, you know. I’m here.”

It was hard to articulate. This wasn’t a situation she knew how to handle, so she spoke awkwardly, unsure of herself. Her interactions with most of her social network mostly consisted of superficial conversations about work and the news, pleasantries exchanged over dinner or drinks. She didn’t really have many deep, meaningful relationships. In fact, her online pen pal was probably the person closest to her these days. How would she react if that person was upset and needed support? Well, she would give her best to listen and care, at least. So why was it so hard for her to do that in person?

“Don’t you have more important things to do than worry about my drama?” Gianna shot back bitterly.

As the brunette spoke, she wiped her smudged mascara with a wet paper towel. Scarlett reached into her purse and rummaged around for a second, then found a pack of makeup wipes. Wordlessly, she extended the package to Gianna like a peace offering. The woman took it with a nod, meeting her gaze for the first time since Scarlett had entered the bathroom.

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