Page 86 of Boyfriend
“Cooper!” I bark. “Do not send that to Weston.”
He chuckles. Then he tosses his phone down. “Fine, fine. But Weston loves you. I don’t see what's the big deal.”
I let out a sigh. Of course he doesn’t understand.
“Look—I’ve never seen Weston spend time with any girl but you. And I've really never seen him bolt out of the Biscuit like his ass was on fire like he did when he thought something happened to you.”
“Why did he think that?” I ask cautiously. After getting feverish the night before last, I’d holed up at home, dosing myself on NyQuil.
“Carly said she was worried about you. Apparently you didn’t turn up for work two nights in a row.”
“Two nights in a…” Horror dawns inside me. “What day is it?”
“Tuesday.”
My heart stops. “Oh my God.”
“Yeah, you slept for three days.”
“Oh my GOD!”
“You mentioned that.”
“You don’t understand!” I shriek. “I’m going to get fired. I won’t get my bonus.” The juice bottle wobbles in my hand.
He takes it from me. “Breathe, Abbi. They’ll understand.”
“They won’t.”
“How about some food?” Cooper’s phone dings. He picks it up and reads a message. “Weston said practice is over. He’ll be here in an hour.”
“I need a shower.”
Cooper frowns. “That’s not on the list of things that Weston said you could have.”
“Are you kidding me?” I sputter. “If I want a shower, I’ll take a shower!”
“Sure, sure,” he says, setting the juice bottle down and then heaving himself up. “I’ll be over at your desk, facing the other way.”
“You could just leave,” I point out.
“No can do,” he says, picking up his crutches again. “Weston wants me to stay, so I stay.”
I let out a groan. I don’t understand why Weston is calling the shots. He probably feels really guilty. I told him we should end things, and then I got the flu. It’s just a coincidence, but the man took it personally for some reason. So I need a new plan.
Step one: Shower so I don’t look like a leper.
Step two: Thank him for the juice and send him home.
Step three: Go straight to the Biscuit and beg Kippy for patience. Cry, if necessary.
It’s not like I don’t feel weepy when I think of my annual bonus snatched away from me.
* * *
Showering takes all my strength. After I manage to shampoo and dress in clean clothes, I want to curl up in a ball and sleep for another three days. But I won’t let Weston see me look defeated. So I wrestle the sheets off the bed and stuff them into the hamper.
Remaking the bed feels like a marathon, though, and Cooper takes pity on me and helps.
