Page 10 of Collision

Lunch. Me. And Haston. Alone?

“No thanks. I have plans.”

“You’re going to eat? Because after this morning -”

I roll my eyes as I cut him off. “Yes, I’m going to eat with Max.”

Ben

I focus in on the assistant now pointing something out in her notebook and the way she grins over to him; comfortable, easy, like they’re familiar.

“Right. Well, enjoy that then.”

Good. I’m glad she’s going with him. I don’t need to babysit her - make sure she’s looking after herself. It’s not my place to do that. Never has been.

I put the phone down instantly, watching as she stares at the handset for a moment before turning back to the man at her desk and I realise, I’m pissed. Pissed that I asked her to go with me. Pissed that she said no. And pissed that she’s sitting there laughing with that guy when he has a fucking job to do.

Mikaela

“So, what’s with you and Baby Blue?” Max unscrews his water bottle as he grins over at me.

“Who?” I push the last bits of salad across my plate, my stomach full and uncomfortable from the burger Max insisted wasto die for. I feel like I will die if I eat anything else.

“You know, Baby Blue? The other new kid? The swoon-worthy one.” He leans back in his chair with a dreamy sigh and raises an eyebrow at me when I glance up at him.

“You mean Haston?”

He nods, his face impassive now, but those dark eyes glimmer with suggestion.

“Nothing iswithus. He’s Jamie’s best friend. Has been for years.” I feel my face contort into an automatic scowl as I put the fork down and take a sip from my bottle. “And he’s a giant pain in my ass.”

Around us, the breeze picks up and people chat as they pass on the sidewalk. Birds flit between potted trees that line the sidewalk bistro and the sun beats down on my back, pulling a light sheen of sweat that seems to cling to my skin and my blouse, leaving me uncomfortable and jittery.

“And the three of you grew up together?”

I laugh as Max waits. Often, I forget that people don’t automatically connect me with Jamie. We share the same hair color, a sandy blonde with dark streaks hidden within, and our noses are similar too, but the connections seem to stop there. My eyes are a mossy, dirty kind of green while Jamie’s are brilliant blue, and he towers over my five-foot-three frame by almost a whole foot. His skin is sun-kissed gold, while mine could give Snow White a run for her money, with a spattering of freckles that seem to spread out over every inch of my body.

“Yeah.” I sit back, letting my hair fall behind me as I bring my face up to the warmth of the sun. “Jamie’s my brother.”

Max nods thoughtfully as he picks at his own food and I glance to him when he clears his throat.

“Well I guess this is the end of a beautiful friendship.” He sighs dramatically. “And to think, it had only just begun.”

I can’t help it. I bark out a loud laugh, the woman on the table next to me jumping at the sound, and he grins. “And why does it have to end now?”

“Because I can’t have the boss finding out the things I say at lunch.”

“Oh, well that’s an easy enough fix, Max.” I shrug with nonchalance. “I just won’t tell him.”

Max smirks as he holds his bottle out to me, waiting for me to tap my own to his. “That sounds like a much more enjoyable arrangement. You’re right.”

“I usually am,” I laugh.

AsIfishthroughmy bag for the key card I know I threw in here before we left for lunch, Max stands and stretches. A small frown pulls his eyebrows down, and he glances behind me.

“Everything okay?” I look back to him before my fingers catch on the cold plastic and I finally find it.

“Yeah.” His voice is distant and he shakes his head slightly.

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