Page 99 of Just for Fun
“Zara…”
“Just… don’t call.”
I turn around and rush out of the building, finally feeling like I can breathe normal once I’m out.
My heart is heavy, though.
So heavy.
THIRTY
Kyle
“Where’s the new project?”Alex asks, confused eyes focused on me when he opens the file I sent him earlier but doesn’t see what he was expecting.
I point at his computer. “You’re looking at it.”
Alex shakes his head back and forth, clicking his mouse back and forth, pulling up images, more anxiety in his movements the more he checks everything out.
He called this meeting, and he wanted it to be more official. Instead of him coming to my house, or doing a Zoom call, he decided that I should meet him at the office.
This is the place where he makes all his money, and he is extremely proud of it, as he should be. He has people who work in the office, but most of the game creators are allowed to work from home, which is what I prefer to do. I also get special treatment because I am one of the investors in one ofhis startups. While we have a definite boss-employee line, it’s probably a bit more relaxed than he is with everyone else.
Today is different, though. I don’t want him to be my friend anymore. I told him that on the night of the fiasco at Ray’s wedding. He thought I’d said it only in the heat of the moment, but I meant every word I said.
Zara hasn’t been returning my calls since her brother picked her up that night. I was ready to go back and beat on Alex until he couldn’t walk anymore. But Cal got to me first, and before long, I found myself surrounded by Evie, Carrie, Shannen, and even Hayden, who instead of enjoying her wedding, she ended up asking me a million questions about my fight with Alex.
She gave a standing ovation when I told them that Zara punched Alex in the nose, making it bleed.
“I love that girl! Please bring her back to us! We need a friend like her!”
Unfortunately, it hasn’t been easy at all. How am I supposed to make contact with her when she refuses to talk to me?
At first, I figured I’d go the funny route because that’s always worked out in my favor. So, I texted her.
Zara: I told you not to call me
Me: That’s why I figured I’d text you, baby. This is not me calling.
Zara: please don’t, Kyle. I need my space
The smile fell off my face, and that’s when I realized that things were serious. I debated going to her office, but given how nosy everyone there is, I don’t think she would’ve appreciated me showing up. Going to her apartment was also not an option. I wanted to get her back, not make her more upset with me.
“Kyle, this is nothing like what you showed me before,” Alex snaps at me once he has a chance to digest the files I sent to him via our shared drive.
I shrug in self-deprecation. “You were not so impressed by what I had before. This new stuff is more in line with the general vision for the company.”
“I never said I wasn’t impressed.” He raises his tone a bit. “I just gave a few suggestions. It was constructive criticism.”
Taking my time to respond, I reposition in my seat. I know how much he hates it when people delay speaking, and I make the most of it.
“You hated my heroine.” My answer is straight and to the point. “She was too plain while also having too much color. She needed more work and time than you wanted me to invest in the project. So…” I open my arms wide. “I started from scratch and came up with a new concept.”
The annoyance on Alex’s face is unmistakable. He wants to rip my head off and throw it out in the bay. But that would land him in jail, so he makes an effort to calm down.
“Is this because of the girl?”
Honestly, I thought he would do everything in his power not to bring up Zara. The fact that he does causes my blood pressure to spike. But I play dumb.
