Page 53 of The Moon Also Rises
Jake’s glare snaps back onto me. “Like what?”
“Like how fed up you are of me sharing your office, which is fine, but I had thought… I had hoped we’d moved past that after Saturday.”
As if to check whether we’re being overheard, Jake looks quickly at the door which is all but closed. When he comes back to look at me, I see his shoulders sink. “Could you please get up… this is a bit… weird.”
Jake moves to his desk as I stand. When I look across at him, he’s blowing his nose while also picking up a piece of paper that apparently requires his full attention.
“I got you a coffee,” I say as I bring it to him.
“Thanks,” he mumbles without looking up.
“Jake, are you okay?”
He slams the letter down with a bang that makes us both jump.
“I’m fine,” he says through a fixed jaw.
I pause to consider my next words. “That’s a lie.”
“Rami, I just have a lot of work to do and I woke up with a head full of hay fever and Sharon just told me I have a last-minute meeting with Bill and Simeon and I am neither prepared for nor delighted about any of the above.”
I inhale, exhale. “How can I help?”
“By not asking me if I’m okay ten times before I’ve had my first sip of caffeine and popped an anti-histamine.” Jake reaches for his coffee.
“It wasn’t ten times,” I point out gently. “And I was just wondering if you were feeling okay after Saturday. I mean, it didn’t exactly end how I expected—”
“What do you mean?” he bites out, interrupting me.
It’s my turn to glance at the door. “Well, I certainly didn’t plan on kissing you,” I say in a low voice.
Despite his hard jaw and lack of eye contact with me, Jake’s cheeks turn pink. “That makes two of us.”
“I don’t want it to be awkward. If that was a mistake, I mean.”
“If what was a mistake?”
“Me kissing you.”
“I believe I kissed you just as much,” Jake says with a slight shrug, as if it’s not of any significance, and I suppose it isn’t despite what’s going on in my stomach at this moment.
“Okay, so we’re okay after… that.”
“We’re fine,” Jake says curtly. He starts rummaging in his top drawer and a moment later retrieves a box of tablets.
“And I had hoped we’d cleared the air on Saturday?” I continue, because this is important. “I thought sharing an office wouldn’t be so… difficult now.”
Jake swallows down two pills with his coffee before he replies, “It’s still my space, you know. And I really do have a ton of work to do. And yes, I was in the middle of a bit of a long overdue clear-out yesterday that I didn’t have time to finish so that’s why the table was a mess which I suppose I should apologise for…” He drifts off, very noticeably not apologising.
“You know what?” I hold my hands up. “I think I’ll just go work in the cafeteria or in a Starbucks somewhere.”
“Well, there’s no need to be so dramatic,” Jake’s tone is dry.
“Me, dramatic? You have got to be kidding me!” I move to grab my laptop and my coffee.
“Why didn’t you text me?” The words rush out of Jake’s mouth and fill the room.
“Pardon?” I ask, even though I heard loud and clear.
