Page 56 of Love Not Qualified

I put my food to the side, turning to her. “I’m sorry if this might come out as rude,” I warned her. “But I need to know. Are you not hungry just now or do you tend not to eat?”

Her lips parted in shock and her eyelids lowered in several blinks as if she couldn’t believe I asked that question. On clue, her stomach grumbled in protest and she snapped a palm over it, that judging expression still present on her face.

“If you are so eager to know, Mr. Graves, I haven’t had time to eat anything today, but with all due respect, that’s none of your concern. If anything, I assure you I’m well fed and I don’t make a habit of starving myself,” Haelyn spit the words out, poison hanging on each of the sentences she just said.

She breathed harshly, and I took a second to analyze her. If she was telling the truth, she wouldn’t have been so quick to jump to her defense, maybe she would’ve even laughed it off as if what I was suggesting was nonsense. Instead, she was looking at me with an intense stare, raging eyes, and lips pressed together packing her anger.

“I’ve learned to read people, Haelyn. I’d like you to know if you are facing any problems, you can count on me.”

Haelyn choked on her words, her hand flying directly to the handle. I placed mine on her elbow, wishing to stop her and tell me all about what was going on in that head of hers. She glanced down at where our skins met and a flicker of disgust painted her face.

“I’m going to blame everything that happened tonight on you being drunk and believe that if you were sober, you would’ve never asked such an invasive question to one of your employees, let alone the inappropriate joke and compliment.” She hummed the words, her teeth gravely pressed on each other. “Mr. Graves, as a reminder, I’m nothing like your old assistants. I’m not looking for you to care for me, I’m simply doing my job—which I happen to love. I hope I won’t be put under the circumstance again of rethinking Gorig’s proposal.”

This time, it was my mouth that couldn’t stay locked. If I knew a question that was ultimately about her health would bother her so much, I would’ve glued my lips shut and drove her back to her house.

I’d crossed a boundary tonight.

“Haelyn, I’m not drunk, and again, I’m sorry if I offended you in any way,” I said, my voice softening as a way to make my way out of the shit I just got myself into. “I—I don’t even know what to say.”

She opened the car door, got out, and leaned down to look at me. “I know you’re not drunk, Mr. Graves, and I admit it scaresme even more. Those who don’t get at least tipsy from three glasses of rum clearly have a history of drinking. Good night, Mr. Graves.” And with those last words, the wind whooshed inside from the hard slamming of the door behind her.

TWENTY

HAELYN

“Slow down.” Merielle held up her palm, dragging herself to the edge of the seat at Old Town, ten minutes after I burst inside with muscles quivering and a pounding heart. “What did he ask again?”

I ground my teeth and with a straining breath so loud that it covered the background mutters, I straightened my back and propped my elbows on the rough margins of the ebony table.

Given the lightning speed, the words trailed off my mouth, Merielle was blameless for not keeping up or fully comprehending what I said. Yet annoyance spiraled from the pit of my stomach, and frustration bubbled on my face.

When I left Mr. Graves in his luxurious car, I was confident that was the angriest I would get, but when I sat down at this very table, rage swelled in my guts as I recited to my friends what happened. Mr. Graves managed to break the record of my anger intensity to a whole new level.

Repeating it only added to that.

Three pairs of curious eyes had all of their attention on me, none of them shaming away for staring so bluntly.

I was furious. At him for breaching my boundaries and at me for checking him out even as I was cascading my anger on him.

Why did he have to look so hot? To smell so good and have the attitude of a dick?

Goddamn it. I was a lost cause.

The only difference between him and I was that he let his thoughts speak for himself and I kept my mouth shut.

I tapped my foot on the ground, chewing on the strawberry gum I’d had between my teeth for the past few hours. “He asked, and I quote, ‘if I tend to not eat?’”

Saying the words out loud once again made me regret I didn’t slap his pretty face and chose to slam his car’s door instead. I didn’t even know why I got so worked up, but controlling myself in this moment seemed impossible.

How dare he ask something so personal when the only moment he truly noticed me was when I had something to offer?

Merielle flopped back in her seat with her arms crossed over her chest and chin buried in her neck, side-eyeing the boys while her head remained pointed at me. They all exchanged looks, something passing between them that left me out of the discussion.

“What?!” I snapped, patience running through my veins like a hot liquid that was about to tear my skin apart.

They all kept quiet, their lips parting, but their throats swallowing back every thought from being spoken. I furrowed my brows, moving the empty glass in circles on the wood as I waited for them to say something. Anything.

It was clear they all knew something I didn’t.

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