Junk

by Komal Kant

  That would’ve been a great angle for this story, but that kind of serious journalism was too much for Wendy. She only wanted light, fluff pieces for her site.

  “I’m down. I can definitely turn this into something saccharine in post-production,” Manish said, as he started packing up his equipment. “You wanna grab some lunch?”

  “Yes, preferably somewhere with alcohol.” I joked, running a hand through my mud-streaked hair in defeat.

  Day drinking had never been a habit of mine, but being back at work was enough to tempt me down that avenue.

  There was a glint in Manish’s eyes as he glanced up at me. “I know just the place.”

  Thirty minutes later, we ended up on the east side of Chicago at The Urban Café, an upscale café that did organic and vegan food without being preachy and overbearing.

  This place was always busy, regardless the time of day, so we had a ten-minute wait before one of the bubbly servers cleared a table for us in the corner where tangled fairy lights and hanging ferns framed us.

  Just as we placed our orders with the server—a chicken and cherry sandwich for me, a fig and gorgonzola flatbread for Manish, and mimosas for the both of us—both our phones went off.

  It was Wendy, texting in the group message we were both in.

  Where are you?

  Manish glanced at his phone at the same time and made a face. “Blech. Why is she always checking up on us like we don’t know how to do our jobs? My parents are easy going, hippies in comparison to her.”

  I snorted at that.

  Mr. Doshi was a highly skilled surgeon whose idea of winding down was to read a dictionary. Literally. I’d seen him do it several times.

  Mrs. Doshi was a barrister who followed the law like it was, well, the law. I’d never seen the woman crack a smile. I’m not sure she knew what that meant.

  Still at the dog show, I typed back, as our server returned with our mimosas and set them down on the table before bouncing off.

  A second later, Manish’s message tone went off. He smirked when he saw what I’d sent. “Maybe that’ll get her off our asses.”

  “I doubt it,” I said, frowning down at my mimosa and wondering if I was using alcohol to suppress my feelings the way Wa-

  No! Don’t think about him!

  “You okay?” Manish’s voice snapped me out of my thoughts, and when I glanced up, he was eying me contemplatively. “You seem, I don’t know, off.”

  “I’ve felt off since I got back.” Giving in, I reached for my glass and took a sip, sinking into a blissful heaven of champagne and orange juice “Back at this stupid job. Back to a place I’m not even sure I want to be in anymore.”

  That was the truth without having to talk about Wade. Because that’s what was always in the forefront of my thoughts—Bearded Jerk.

  Defeat swallowed me whole when he crossed my mind. Every piece of me missed him. It felt like wasted time was slipping away from us—but there was nothing I could do when he didn’t think there was a chance for us.

  “I don’t blame you,” Manish agreed, already half-finished with his mimosa. “This job isn’t right for us, Blair. I don’t want to spend the rest of my life filming dog shows and answering to a demon overlord. You shouldn’t want that either.”

  He was right. I didn’t want that. There had to be more for me out there, even if there wasn’t Wade. Maybe he and I would never be together, but maybe I needed to change something in my life to be happy. My happiness couldn’t rest on a man who was finding himself, too.

  It was just as this thought occurred to me that I noticed a figure dressed in a tight black pantsuit marching over to us, her long, black hair flowing behind her like ominous threads.

  Shit. It was Wendy Deng.

  “So much for working!” she snapped, slamming her hand down on table so hard that some of my mimosa sloshed out of the glass. “Is this what I pay you for? To sit around and get drunk on the clock?”

  “We weren’t,” Manish started to say, but she waved him off like he was an annoying fly.

  “You take time off and then think you can come back and take advantage of my generous nature like this, Blair?” she spat at me, eyes narrowed.

  Seriously, spit hit me right in the eye.

  “You mean, monstrous nature?” The words fell out of my mouth before I could stop myself.

  Wendy’s eyes bulged out of her head. “What did you say to me?”

  A hush fell over the café. Curious heads turned in our direction. My body was splinters of heat. I’d had enough of being pushed around and bullied.

  It was now or never. If I’d ever wanted a chance to tell Wendy what I really thought, it was staring me right in the face.

  “You heard me.” Adrenaline spiked through me as I scraped my chair back and shot to my feet. “You’re a monster, Wendy Deng. You bully and demean everyone around you.”

  Even though I wasn’t quite as tall as her, it didn’t matter. The fire churning through me made me feel like I was six-foot-tall.

  “How dare you! I’m your boss!” she screeched, turning red.

  Everyone in the café was staring at us now. Our server was bouncing nervously on her heels, like she wasn’t sure if she should intervene or not.

  “And I’m a human being,” I returned with a level gaze, unflinching, “not one of the dogs you send me out to report about.”

  “Damn right,” Manish said, standing up as well. “We’re both done bowing down to your bullshit.”

  We glanced at each other, mutual love and respect glowing in the air between us. It was a beautiful moment—two overworked, underappreciated people standing up to their overbearing, selfish boss. Well, it was beautiful until said boss ruined it.

  “You’re fired. Both of you.” Wendy’s mouth barely moved as she spoke. Her face was scarlet fire. “Get out of my face.”

  A sick feeling swept through me, but I wasn’t going to show any signs of weakness now.

  “That’s the nicest thing you’ve ever said to me.” Lifting my chin, I swept past her as gracefully as I could with Manish on my tail.

  We made it back to our vehicles before the world came crashing down around me.

  Not only was I miserable, I was now unemployed. I had hit a personal low.

  “Blair, are you gonna be okay?” Manish was asking as he patted me on the shoulder and snapped me out of my despair.

  Swallowing back the nausea, I managed to nod. “Y-yeah, I think so. I just need to go home.”

  “Yeah, me too.” He blew out a breath, staring off into the distance. “I’ll call you tonight, okay?”

  Somehow, I mustered up the strength to nod again before getting into my car in a zombie-like trance. How had I managed to sink to rock bottom in a matter of weeks? Why couldn’t I have just kept my mouth shut and just reported on the damn story? It was rare that someone liked their job—I should’ve sucked it up.

  With a world of defeat on my shoulders, I drove back to my parents’ house where I currently resided after falling out with my roommate, Karen.

  Karen was a biznatch who hadn’t paid rent in two months. Karen could suck it.

  My thoughts were askew as I pulled into my parents’ driveway. Their house was situated on a hill, overlooking a manmade lake. The house was the same large, two-story brick home they had bought when Drew and I were kids. They’d always talked about downsizing but had never gotten around to it.

  Winding my way up the well-kept front yard, I unlocked the front door and stepped into the house. It smelled of lavender and roses, and no doubt, Mom had purged the entire house with incense the second I’d left this morning.

  Usually, I’d jokingly tell my mom that she was trying to purge me from the house with the pungent incense. Then she and Drew would bug me senseless.

  However, this wasn’t one of those days. Drew didn’t live here anymore, and I felt like a defeated swamp monster.

  Also, on a normal day, an A-list Hollywood celebrity wouldn’t be sitting on my
parents’ floral couch, his dark hair styled back and his beard trimmed so perfectly, it looked like it had been painstakingly painted onto his chiseled jaw.

  To be sure, I pulled up my left sleeve and pinched myself with so much force that tears sprung to my eyes.

  But nothing changed.

  Harlen Walker was still sitting in my parents’ living room, looking as sexy as ever.

  Blair was not a sight for sore eyes.

  For some reason her hair, face, and clothes were covered in mud. There was a sheen of sweat across her forehead and her hair was wild. She looked like a hot mess, but she was my hot mess.

  My heart leaped at the sight of her. She was so close. Every part of me was itching to take her in my arms and kiss her, but first I had to figure out if she even wanted me here.

  “Did you just pinch yourself?” I asked, studying her shocked face and fighting a smile.

  “Um, yes.” She stood awkwardly in the entrance of the living room, like I was the last person she’d expected to see today.

  Shit, I couldn’t blame her. What had I expected her to do? Come running into my arms and tell me she missed me?

  That was a foolish expectation. We hadn’t spoken in weeks. I hadn’t reached out to her. I was here on a limb, hoping for the best. Hoping she wouldn’t tell me to leave.

  “I’m real, you know?” I teased, rising to my feet.

  Blair’s parents also stood up. They’d both been ecstatic to see me, and Mr. Fonseka had asked several blunt questions about whether he could expect grandchildren soon. I guess Blair hadn’t relayed the entire scope of our relationship to him. Or lack of.

  “I can see why you stayed in Pine Bluffs for so long, Blair,” Mr. Fonseka said, shooting me a wink. “I would have too, with local attractions like this.”

  “Dad, stop!” she hissed, her face flaming up as she threw him one of the signature glares that I’d come to love.

  “You can’t blame your father, dear. Not when Wade is so handsome,” crooned Mrs. Fonseka, who was wearing a dress with a giant daisy on it.

  Despite the awkwardness of the entire situation, I couldn’t help but laugh. Blair’s parents were hilarious, and their goofiness was the perfect counter to Blair’s current grouchiness.

  “Mom, you literally saw him multiple times in Pine Bluffs,” Blair said with a roll of her eyes.

  Mrs. Fonseka was turning just as red as Blair and fanning herself furiously with a hand. “Yes, but that was different, Bee. He had that glorious man beard back then. Now he’s all groomed.”

  Many people found the word “moist” unbearable to hear. I had been one of those people until this very moment after hearing Mrs. Fonseka say “groomed.” Or “glorious man beard”. It was hard to choose which one was worse.

  “Mom!” Blair turned purple. “You can’t just, don’t, ugh!”

  This seemed like a good time to take Blair away from her embarrassment. Maybe she’d be grateful enough that she wouldn’t be mad at me.

  On second thought, getting mad was Blair’s M.O. At least we were inside and she couldn’t attempt to run me over again.

  “Gooch-Blair, can I talk to you? In private?” I asked, stifling my laughter.

  Blair gave me a nod and pointed towards the stairs. “We can go up to my room.” Her tone or response didn’t give me any indication as to how she was feeling about me being here.

  Nerves tumbled through me as she swept past me and led the way up the carpeted stairs. I tried hard not to focus on the sway of her hips and ass—actually, that was a lie. I didn’t try hard at all.

  My entire focus was on Blair’s body, but could you blame me? I hadn’t seen her in weeks and every part of me wanted to touch her. The last time she’d been splattered in mud was also the first time I’d realized how attracted I was to her.

  As all those feelings came rushing back, it occurred to me that we were heading into dangerous territory. Her room. A bed. Taking her on it. Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea…

  But it was too late. We were already inside and she was already shutting the door behind us.

  Fuck, I wished her thoughts matched mine, because all I wanted to do was push her against that damn door and show her exactly how much I’d missed her.

  But I didn’t. Her expression was cold and her body language standoffish, arms pointedly crossed over her chest.

  Instead of doing what I really wanted to do, I took in my surroundings to distract myself.

  Blair’s room was the perfect reflection of her. It was contemporary and modern with bright, white walls and green accents. There was a small desk and chair in the corner and a large TV mounted on the wall.

  “What are you doing here, Wad-Harle, um.” She shifted uncertainly, biting down on her bottom lip.

  Damn, I wanted to pull that bottom lip with my teeth.

  “Wade is fine,” I said, running my eyes over her body and hoping it would calm my racing hormones. “Here. This is for you.” I’d been holding this package the entire time, turning it over in my hands so much that it now looked like a mess.

  There was curiosity on Blair’s face as she took it from me and unraveled the blue paper. “Oh, wow.” Nestled inside was a silk, baby blue, Gucci blouse. I’d spent a painful hour at the Gucci store in Beverly Hills picking out the perfect one. “This is beautiful. Thank you.”

  “It is beautiful,” I said, hoping she knew I wasn’t talking about the blouse.

  My comment didn’t go over well. Her smile changed into a frown that was so deep, it reached her forehead.

  “Is this why you’re here?” she asked. “To give me a blouse.”

  “You know it’s not.” Frustrated by the awkwardness between us, I walked closer and reached for her. “You know why I’m here, Blair.”

  “Not really.” Turning away, she set the blouse on her bed as though she was giving herself something to do.

  Fuck this. I was sick of acting like we were strangers. This was the woman who’d made me feel again. We weren’t going to stand around and make awkward elevator conversation.

  Before I knew what I was doing, I stepped towards Blair and pulled her into my arms, spinning her around to meet me. She let out a small gasp and fell against my chest, eyes wide.

  Our hearts thudded against each other. Lust and loneliness coursed through me. I needed this woman. I needed her more than I could explain.

  “I’m here for you, Blair,” I whispered, as her conflicted rainbow eyes locked with mine. “I haven’t stopped thinking about you since the second I stepped foot in L.A. All those weeks ago, I made a huge mistake.” The words spilled out from the deep recesses of my being. “I shouldn’t have left things the way I did between us. I was angry, confused, and a little drunk, to be honest.”

  My words hung in the air, engulfing us. Blair was still against me, her eyes searching mine for any sign of deception.

  She wouldn’t find it. There was nothing to lie about.

  “I haven’t heard from you in weeks.” There was an edge to her voice, like she thought this was all bullshit. “I guess you’ve been too busy being rich and famous and all that.”

  I couldn’t blame her for challenging me. A phone call. A text. I was capable of any one of those things, and, yet, I’d failed to contact her. I’d failed to let her know that a single day hadn’t gone by without her crossing my mind.

  “That’s not it at all.” I ran my fingers through her hair, entangling them within the thick waves. “I’ve been trying to piece my life back together, Blair. It hasn’t been easy.”

  Realizing Iris’ betrayal was one thing. Putting up my homes for sale was another. Finding a new manager was one more.

  “Exactly,” she said, sucking in a breath that was as shaky as her tone. “You have a lot going on. Professionally and personally.” She trailed off, squeezing her eyes shut.

  “I finalized my divorce,” I said, my voice steady and my gaze trained on her, not wanting to miss a single expression.

  “What?” Blai
r’s eyes flew open, her face filling with disbelief. “You’re n-not married?”

  A smile was spreading across my face as I shook my head. “That’s what I wanted to tell you. The reason why I’m here. I want to do more than just live in between the sheets with you, Blair. I want a life with you.”

  “I want that too, Wade.” Blair exhaled against me, and for the first time in a long time, it felt like things were falling into place. “Believe it or not, I’ve missed you.”

  My chest swelled at her words, and without thinking, I pulled her even closer and pressed my mouth against her.

  Blair pushed her body against mine, with a sense of eagerness and urgency that made me want to push her down on her bed and tear the muddy clothes off her body.

  Then I remembered her parents were downstairs.

  As we pulled away from each other, Blair’s skin was flushed, and her eyes were bright, but there was anxiety there too.

  “What’s wrong?” I asked, cupping her face in my hands and wanting to make that anxiety disappear.

  “How would we make this work?” She bit down on her bottom lip. “We live in completely different worlds, Wade. Not to mention, I just lost my job and I’m a complete mess if it wasn’t obvious from the state of my appearance.”

  I just lost my job.

  Since Blair and I had entered each other’s lives, there had been too many moments that had occurred so seamlessly, it couldn’t be simple coincidence.

  This was one of them.

  There had been a thought niggling in the back of my mind for days now. Something that was within my means to give her.

  “Actually, that’s kind of perfect,” I said, unable to keep the smile from my voice, “because I have a job offer for you.”

  “HOW CAN YOU POSSIBLY HAVE so much stuff?” Drew demanded, throwing his hands up in question as he peered into the back of the U-Haul moving truck. “Have you learned nothing from me about-”