Page 22 of Knocked Up by Mr. Grump Lawyer

Raven giggled. “You’re impossible, Kayla!”

“When it comes to these things, I just don’t know what to say!” I told her. “Besides, it’s better for us if we remain just colleagues. Nothing personal.”

She sighed. “Well, you said you two have opened up with each other. You felt more at ease with him already… So why are you clamming up and pretending that nothing is going on? Oh, no! This only tells me how hard you’ve been hit by Cupid!”

“What?! Of course, I’m not in love!” I protested.

“I didn’t say that,” she said, grinning.

I sat down on the bar stool and buried my face in my hands.

“You have to speak to him,” Raven said. “Aren’t you two working on that case together? So you have no choice. Besides, I’ve already done my research in my circle. I’ve gathered some makeup artists, stuntmen we know, and some of my friends in the production unit and scheduled them for an interview for the case.”

“Oh, wow!” I exclaimed. “Thanks so much. But actually, I’m thinking of backing out from this assignment.”

“Just to avoid Robert? Are you crazy? You yourself told me this could lead to a breakthrough in your career!”

“Yeah, I know,” I agreed sheepishly. “But I’m just so confused.”

“Well, don’t do anything rash!” she warned.

“Okay, I promise.”

Since it was Sunday and I felt exhausted and drained from work, and what’s been happening with Robert, I chose not to go out. Raven and I spent the rest of the day hanging out in my apartment.

That evening, I still haven’t heard from Robert. I was sort of hoping he would reach out, even though I’ve been avoiding him.

“Just tell him I set up the interview tomorrow,” Raven said. “It’ll be at Fantasy Flicks.”

I groaned. “Maybe you should tell him.”

“What? Remember you’re working on this case with him?” she prompted me.

I took a few deep breaths and tried to close my eyes and calm myself. “You’re right,” I whispered. “I’m a professional lawyer. I have to act like one.”

“There you go,” she said. But then she grinned, an amused glint appearing in her eyes. “Oh, Kayla, I’ve never seen you like this. So I think you’re really falling for this guy.”

“Oh, shut up!” I muttered, throwing a pillow at her from the sofa where I was seated. We laughed then, but I felt the tension growing into something I didn’t recognize.

What if she was right?

I tried to act nonchalantly when I told Robert about it the next day. He spoke to me like I was just another colleague there. I was no one special. But I couldn’t blame him after how I’d been treating him.

Well, this is better for both of us… Right???

I couldn’t concentrate throughout the day. I kept glancing at him and had to stop the growing urge to talk to him.

I knew he was given another case to work on, so I offered to work out the papers in the courts today for our case. I thought he would object, but he didn’t.

“Alright,” was his answer. “Thanks so much, Atty. Brown.”

I smiled, avoiding his eyes. But he didn’t even smile back. I turned around, sighing and hiding my disappointment. I went alone to do the task, thinking about him the entire time.

Tuesday came quickly enough. We didn’t have to go to the office, so I went straight to the Fantasy Flicks compound and met with Raven.

“Hi, Kayla!” Raven chirped, ushering me into a large conference room in the main building. “You’re early, but he still beat you.”

“Who?” I asked, puzzled.

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