game but for me it's real. If I lose my job then I lose everything."
"Hey, I understand." He stood up and tried to put his arms on my shoulders; I stepped back out of his reach.
"No, I don't think you understand, otherwise you'd be agreeing with me," I insisted.
He froze. "Agreeing with you about what?" he asked me.
"That this won't work, that you're just using me to get a quick kick out of a dangerous relationship and that you're done with me."
Steven shook his head. "I'm not going to lie to you like that. You mean more to me than just some stupid job."
I turned away and shook my head. "That's easy for you to say," I whispered with a sigh. "Steven-Mr. Dunner, I think you need to leave."
"What? Why?" he exclaimed.
"Because-well, just because. To let me think over some things, all right?" I gave him my best puppy eyes. It wasn't easy staring into his hurt ones.
"I...I guess if that's what you want-"
"That's what we need," I emphasized.
Steven turned away and gave a nod. Damn it, but I wanted to hug him and tell him everything would be all right, but I stuck with my purse and Mr. Perkins' well-being. If I didn't have a job we wouldn't have a home, and without a home there'd be no place for food, and without food I'd be forced to eat Mr. Perkins, so I was just thinking of his best-interests when I turned away the love of my life. Stupid cat.
Steven shuffled out of the apartment, but paused in the doorway. He had a hand in his pocket and his lips were pursed together tighter than a handbag in Bangkok. I almost broke down and kissed those pouting things, but he shook his head and walked down the hall. I shut the door behind him and put my back against it. Mr. Perkins strolled up to me and meowed for his dinner. I scowled at him. "I hope you're happy. I just turned away a perfectly good human for you," I snapped at him. He tilted his head to one side and blinked.
To say I was miserable would be like saying the Atlantic Ocean was wet; it was an understatement deep and wet, like the tears that ran down my face all that night. I kept asking myself why life was so unfair. Here I was with a good job and a great man, and then Alicia comes in and spoils everything. I felt honest-to-goodness, lord-help-me, true-to-God irritation at her, and maybe a little anger.
The next morning I went to work with dark circles under my eyes and not a cheerful greeting to anyone I met. I slumped into my chair and slammed my head down on my desk. A few of my coworkers in the nearby cubicles looked over their walls and, seeing I was extremely depressed, avoided me like I had all seven Plagues of Egypt, even the frog one. I sat like that for a few minutes until I heard a knock on my cubicle doorway. I was not happy to see Alicia standing in the entrance with a big smile on her face.
"Good morning, sleepy-head," she teased me. Something was wrong, horribly wrong; either I'd entered an alternate universe or she was up to something. "I just wanted to let you know Mr. Dunner was looking for you and wanted to see you in his office ASAP."
I wheeled back my chair and stood up. The look on her face told me something was wrong, but maybe Steven really wanted to talk to me about last night. Maybe he had an idea about how to get out of this whole mess. I walked past Alicia, up the aisle to his closed door, and wrapped softly on the entrance. There were some noises inside, and I tried the door. It swung open and showed me Dunner, but not just him. Allison was there with him, and she had her arms wrapped around his shoulders. Not only that, but they were locked in the most pressing kiss I'd ever seen someone give without trying to suck the innards out of a tailed shrimp.
Maybe she was just trying to suck his face off, but he wasn't making any complaints until he noticed me. Then Dunner pushed her back and stared at me in shock. I stared back with big, wet tears in my eyes. Allison turned and smirked at me. "Why hello there. You must be the new girl."
I
"Hey, I understand." He stood up and tried to put his arms on my shoulders; I stepped back out of his reach.
"No, I don't think you understand, otherwise you'd be agreeing with me," I insisted.
He froze. "Agreeing with you about what?" he asked me.
"That this won't work, that you're just using me to get a quick kick out of a dangerous relationship and that you're done with me."
Steven shook his head. "I'm not going to lie to you like that. You mean more to me than just some stupid job."
I turned away and shook my head. "That's easy for you to say," I whispered with a sigh. "Steven-Mr. Dunner, I think you need to leave."
"What? Why?" he exclaimed.
"Because-well, just because. To let me think over some things, all right?" I gave him my best puppy eyes. It wasn't easy staring into his hurt ones.
"I...I guess if that's what you want-"
"That's what we need," I emphasized.
Steven turned away and gave a nod. Damn it, but I wanted to hug him and tell him everything would be all right, but I stuck with my purse and Mr. Perkins' well-being. If I didn't have a job we wouldn't have a home, and without a home there'd be no place for food, and without food I'd be forced to eat Mr. Perkins, so I was just thinking of his best-interests when I turned away the love of my life. Stupid cat.
Steven shuffled out of the apartment, but paused in the doorway. He had a hand in his pocket and his lips were pursed together tighter than a handbag in Bangkok. I almost broke down and kissed those pouting things, but he shook his head and walked down the hall. I shut the door behind him and put my back against it. Mr. Perkins strolled up to me and meowed for his dinner. I scowled at him. "I hope you're happy. I just turned away a perfectly good human for you," I snapped at him. He tilted his head to one side and blinked.
To say I was miserable would be like saying the Atlantic Ocean was wet; it was an understatement deep and wet, like the tears that ran down my face all that night. I kept asking myself why life was so unfair. Here I was with a good job and a great man, and then Alicia comes in and spoils everything. I felt honest-to-goodness, lord-help-me, true-to-God irritation at her, and maybe a little anger.
The next morning I went to work with dark circles under my eyes and not a cheerful greeting to anyone I met. I slumped into my chair and slammed my head down on my desk. A few of my coworkers in the nearby cubicles looked over their walls and, seeing I was extremely depressed, avoided me like I had all seven Plagues of Egypt, even the frog one. I sat like that for a few minutes until I heard a knock on my cubicle doorway. I was not happy to see Alicia standing in the entrance with a big smile on her face.
"Good morning, sleepy-head," she teased me. Something was wrong, horribly wrong; either I'd entered an alternate universe or she was up to something. "I just wanted to let you know Mr. Dunner was looking for you and wanted to see you in his office ASAP."
I wheeled back my chair and stood up. The look on her face told me something was wrong, but maybe Steven really wanted to talk to me about last night. Maybe he had an idea about how to get out of this whole mess. I walked past Alicia, up the aisle to his closed door, and wrapped softly on the entrance. There were some noises inside, and I tried the door. It swung open and showed me Dunner, but not just him. Allison was there with him, and she had her arms wrapped around his shoulders. Not only that, but they were locked in the most pressing kiss I'd ever seen someone give without trying to suck the innards out of a tailed shrimp.
Maybe she was just trying to suck his face off, but he wasn't making any complaints until he noticed me. Then Dunner pushed her back and stared at me in shock. I stared back with big, wet tears in my eyes. Allison turned and smirked at me. "Why hello there. You must be the new girl."
I
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