I was just checking the storage warehouse when I saw James walking in. He smiled when he saw me, and I just smiled back politely. It had been two weeks since I last saw Jonah, and I was feeling drained, to my core when he came up and looked at my notepad, like he needed to check what I was doing, even if I got paid so that he didn’t have to do it.
“Oh, inventory, that’s the worst.” He was coming up behind my shoulder when I had turned around, I didn’t want to talk to him, or anyone.
“Yeah…...” I just said that when he walked around and gave me a real concerned look that I didn’t want to have from my boss, no matter how well-meaning his intension was.
“I was going to ask if you wanted to fill in for Jerome on the late shift, but you don’t look so good.” He just kept looking at me, the short shirt tucked in and clip-on tie, he looked nothing like the guy I wanted to ask me how I was, and I hated that.
“I’m fine James, I just…. I got some issues at home, my apartment is being renovated, so I’m living at a motel…” I just sighed when he looked worried, I did live at a motel, and I was never going back to that apartment that had Jonah next in it, never.
“You are? That sounds awful, I’m sorry Andrea, I know you had a hard time lately, and not living at home, that must suck.” He made a comforting smile that I returned. Yeah, I did suck, I really wished that the bastard next door could just tell me to come back, that he loved me and that he was sorry for what he said, I would forgive him.
“Thanks James…. Yeah, it’s not great, its better then living on the street at least.” I shrugged when he frowned and I started to walk away, wanting to get done and not at the same time, I didn’t want to work, but I didn’t want to go home either, because it wasn’t my home.
“Hey Andrea, I know this is super weird… but if you like, I have a spare room, and you would be more then welcome to use that, I mean until the renovation is done….” He looked so sure when he started to talk when he had shouted after me only to look like he had regretted every word seeing my horror-stricken face, what?!
“James…. You are my boss…that’s more than weird…” I was making a face of being trapped, he was nice, he was when he wasn’t a hardass, but fuck no I wasn’t going to stay at his place, where he could see me in just underwear.
He nodded like he got it, getting flustered when I just gawked at him, I still didn’t believe that he had asked me that, was this the same guy that had wrote me up just a few weeks ago for being late.
“I’m sorry, I just … I don’t know what the hell I was thinking… of course, it’s totally inappropriate.” He seemed to get his shit back together when he looked at me in the eyes again and just did a forgiving smile, he was nice, but I just couldn’t do that, nope.
“Its fine… just forget it ever happened, okay?” I smiled more sincere when he just nodded, turned around and started to walk out on the floor again, disappearing from my view.
I just made a small smile huffing, he was sweet, he was, when I walked away and just kept thinking of Jonah, missing my list at least three times, making me do it over more times than what I was proud of before going out on the floor, since I was almost off my shift today.
I saw him hiding behind the canned soup when I walked after him and tapped the shoulder of the big brawny guy that made a scream that was way to girly for me not to laugh at.
“For fuck’s sake! That’s not fucking cool pretty, I don’t want to die in a supersaver store!” he was waving his hand at me like I was going to listen when I just crossed my arms, watching him fall quiet in front of me, like I didn’t know what he was doing here.
“So. Jonah sent you here to spy at his sub, did he?” I just raised my eyebrows when he looked really guilty, more than I had ever seen that kind of boyish face be, he looked even younger like that, like he was getting scolded for stealing the last cookie.
“I’m sorry, okay, I didn’t know that you didn’t know… I mean what the hell was that about, Jonah has never done that, he usually explains the rules to the girls and then its bye bye when he is done with them.
I felt my nausea coming back, so there where others before me, fuck. That felt so awful, even more then him fucking random girls. He had been this sweet to someone else, and she wasn’t me.
“Whatever, just get out of here Tom, unless you are here to buy soup I guess?” I was nodding to the stack he was still standing by when he just made snort like there was no way in hell, he was buying that, snob.
“Pass, my parents own a butchery, I wouldn’t eat the meat in here if you paid me.” I was smirking, said the guy I seen gulp down more energy drinks than anyone else, because that was good for you too.
“that’s great, send my love to them when you get the fuck out here.” I smirked more when he frowned back at me, like me even mentioning his parents was not okay for him.
“Hey, don’t act like that, I’m not Jonah and I don’t appreciate you talking about my mom and dad, they are good people, more than most ones around here.” He was sneering at me when I just smiled, I was sure they were, I mean Tom was great, far nicer than Jonah ever was.
“Okay… fine I’m sorry… it’s not your fault Jonah is the biggest fucking dick in the universe.” He seemed to relax right away, giving that big body losing his tension, wow he did really work out a lot from the tank top showing me almost everything.
“You know what, yes. I was here to spy, and I hate it, I mean sure I seen some girls to look at, but this place really isn’t my scene.” He smirked when some girls were staring at him, oh and middle age girls too making me roll my eyes, yeah, I got it, he was hot.
“Well, you tell that arrogant bastard that he knows what he did and I’m not coming back, ever.” I made my voice darker just like Jonah did when he was serious making Tom crack up in a funny laughter like he heard what I was doing.
“Sure, I tell him, but he is not going to like it. been spending his days just moping around when he isn’t out and I haven’t seen one girl come inside that bedroom door, I’m fucking impressed by that pretty.” He smirked when I scoffed, I didn’t get why he called me that, was he being sarcastic? I was old, I got it.
“Like I care what he likes or not, he is still a fucking asshole and I never want to see his face ever again!” I was hissing the words to the big guy that just started to smirk at me being pissed off and that made me even more mad, what hell was he smirking at?! That I missed Jonah, well I did, so fucking much!
“You know… I’m starting to get it. Why he likes you…” he was chuckling to my face being red, upset and ready to start choking him out, nice guy or not.
“Same bad fucking temper, he just shows it more, not like you pretty, you just act innocent, when we all know that you are not….” He made a wink at me killing the rage that was burning inside me in a cold hard shower that Tom probably knew about me, and what I liked. Fuck!
“Tom… please... just stop calling me that….” I made a whining noise when he raised his eyebrows and smiled at some girls passing by behind me making me feel even worse, he was like Jonah, he just wanted to fuck.
“What, pretty? But you are pretty, and honestly, I keep track of people that way, so right now, you are pretty, pretty.” He smiled more and I just sighed, well he was an idiot.
“Just get out of here and tell him…. Well, I don’t know … just tell him to go to hell…” I sounded so sad when he lost the smirk and looked sad too, fuck.
“Okay listen here, Andrea. I know this is none of my business. But he really likes you, always have, I know it, he and we been friends a long time, more then any other one around him, he is into you, he just is a fucking coward.” I made a smirk when he said that Jonah was a coward, well that was something we could agree on.
“I told him what I feel, now its up to him, and I’m not going to force him Tom, no matter what happened, this is his fucking choice….” I didn’t want to talk about Jonah anymore, it was hard enough as it was, living alone, after getting used to being with him so fast it was ridiculous.
He just looked at me like he got it and nodded making me have a small smile, he sure was nice for a guy that just wanted to fuck, he was a good spy and friend to Jonah.
“Okay, I’m leaving… because… well… I don’t want to be here, and you are not fucking some other guy it seems, so mission done.” He smiled when I was stopping him with my hand, what the fuck did he mean by that, me fucking someone else? Was he jealous?!
“Wait. Did Jonah make you spy so that I didn’t fuck anyone else? Why the hell would I do that? I love him.” He made a surprised face that he was caught in a trap from my serious words, he wasn’t expecting me to say that.
“Oh shit… Pretty I was just fucking around… shit… you love him?” he made a sad face when I just nodded and looked even more sad, I did. For better or for worse.
“Alright…. I don’t know what to say to that…. just… maybe it’s better that you kept away from Jonah… he is not the best guy to be around….” He seemed to really care for me when I said that and I just looked up angry again, what the fuck was he saying that for?!he just told me that Jonah liked me, he did!
“I don’t want to stay away from him, don’t you get it Tom!? I love him, no matter what happens, I do, and I hate myself for it, and I hate him for just being a fucking coward about what he feels!” I was glad that there were little to no customers around when I shrieked the words to the face of the jock in front of me, fuck him!
“I got it.” He was making a strange face and just made a scoff and turned around and left. Fuck him and Jonah, and everyone else, I was going back to my motel room and cry, like I did every night since I left.