by Laiza Millan
"Are you fucking kidding me?" Rich growled. He got up and walked over to the door. "Then put the volume as loud as you can. Now, shut up, get a freaking water bottle, and let's go."
Hesitating for only a beat, Drake let out a heavy sigh and nodded. Maybe a bit of fresh air would do him good, anyway.
.
.
.
"Give me ten bucks," Rich smirked, stretching his hand out towards Drake. They had betted on who was the fastest as they raced.
Drake was so intent on winning that Rich decided to add another five dollars as a friendly bet.
"Fine! Ten dollars then!" Drake had said at the time, enjoying himself. "Whoever wins gets ten dollars. You better start paying now, Rich, because we both who's going to win! I'm a far better athlete than you are. Therefore, I'm the fastest. Start counting them dollar bills!"
Obviously, Drake ate his own words.
It was so embarrassing; Richard made sure to video tape it on his phone.
"It's only because I gave you a head-start," Drake snapped, tossing Rich his winnings, after they entered his home.
He closed the door shut and they proceeded to go inside, throwing themselves on the couch.
"Of course," Rich said sarcastically. He counted the money and grinned. "Maybe I'll buy Emma this new bra she was looking at with this money."
Unknowingly, Drake's face darkened.
He was about to voice his thoughts about how the fuck Rich would even know what kind of bra she was looking at in the first place, when he was stopped by the sound of a feminine giggle.
Even Rich heard it, for he stopped too.
"Expecting company?" Rich asked. "I didn't know Alona and your mother were back already from the supermarket."
"Shut up," Drake hissed, standing up.
Together, they both ventured toward the sound. As they got closer, so did the voice. However, another voice - this time, obviously male - blended in with the girl's.
Richard shook his head, "Wait, that sounds like-"
"Shh!" Drake hushed him, throwing him a warning look. He noticed that the door wasn't fully closed all the way and kicked it immediately.
Rich's eyes widened once Drake flew the door open. "Shit!"
"What the fuck?" Drake shouted, a mixture of shock and anger shooting through him.
Alona let out a surprised squeak and hitched the blanket upwards to cover her decency. Ian let out a string of curses and immediately covered himself with a shirt that was laid on the floor.
Both had the grace to look ashamed.
Alona was clearly uncomfortable. "Drake..."
"Shut up," Drake said quietly, glaring at Alona with a look that made her stiffen. "Just shut up."
Ian tried to speak. "Listen, Drake-"
"Fuck you," Drake snapped, not wanting to hear anything they had to say.
He knew there had been something going on between the two.
The way Alona always talked about Ian and the hours they had spent together. He just never wanted to believe it because he thought she had more respect for herself.
And shit, he thought Ian had the decency to tell him the truth like the good friend he claimed to be. Well, guess he was wrong.
But then again, it's not like he can say anything.
He did cheat on Alona too with Emma... But still. That doesn't mean he doesn't feel anything. This still hurts him for some reason he can't even explain. He doesn't even love her! But seeing Ian, his long time childhood friend, going behind his back to fuck his fiancé? What the hell...
After a long awkward silence passed, Rich cleared his throat. "Alona, cover yourself. Ian, cover you too." He gently grabbed Drake by the arm and pulled him from the room. "Come on, Drake. Let's wait outside, yeah? You don't want to do anything you'll regret."
Drake remained quiet but followed his friend. He was right; he had other things to worry about...
.
.
After having a so-called meeting with Alona, Ian, and his mother, Drake found himself in his bed. This past few days have been pretty hectic, and now this came up.
His previous anger had long been gone already, since he realized he shouldn't have been upset in the first place.
He cheated on Alona with Emma, and Alona cheated on him with Ian. So why the fuck were they still together?
Money.
That's why.
Drake groaned, turning to the side. Forget money. He has other things - far more important things - to focus on.
Like Emma... and Aidan.
Hmm, what if Drake decides to just do something drastic and end it all? What if -
BANG!
Drake immediately sat up in fright, of the loud sound of his window breaking. He threw himself off the bed, covering his head, and listened.
Silence.
When he was sure that no harm was coming again, he got up and looked for where the sound was. He went around his bed and saw that a brick was thrown to his window - which caused the window to shatter and break - and a paper was taped on top of it.
Hesitating for only a second, he put on his shoes to avoid stepping on the broken glasses, and looked out from the broken window, hoping to see the asshole that did this.
Of course outside looked empty.
Cursing to himself, he went over to pick up the brick with a groan. He ripped the paper from the tape and placed the heavy brick on the window sill.
When he unfolded the paper, he felt as if someone had heavily punched his chest as he recognized the hand writing.
Heard what happened between you and the sexy fiancé. Sorry to hear it. I also heard that you knocked that one bitch up so congrats. Hope all is well, don't want any bricks being thrown at you like last time, eh? Would be a shame for your young boy to have no father. Then again, you would know, huh?
Drake could only stare and stare as he reread the short letter.
Who the fuck - well, actually, why the hell would he write this? He thought he was in jail? And how the hell did this asshole know about Aidan when he hasn't contacted or heard from anyone else in years?
"Drake!" Nancy's voice cried out from the other side of his locked door, interrupting his inner thoughts. "Is everything alright, what was that?!"
Shit, he doesn't want anyone to find out about this, especially his mother. They have other shit to worry about.
He grabbed the brick and hid it under the bed, folded the letter and put it inside his pocket. "Nothing! I was throwing my basketball around and accidentally broke the window."
No matter how hard he tried to clean the mess, he couldn't stop his heart from beating faster from fear. Fear that he is back.
He couldn't help but think of Emma and Aidan. Where is she? Why hasn't she contacted him yet? Is she okay?
.
.
A week later
"Why haven't you texted me back?"
Emma gasped with surprise, snapping her attention away from her paperwork to glare at the intruder. "Drake? What are you- don't you ever knock?"
"Why didn't you reply back?" Drake repeated, glaring at her against the door. "I had texted you a week ago. Why didn't you reply?"
Emma sighed. "First of all, I'm busy at the moment-"
"Answer me," Drake snapped. At the displeased look she was giving him, his glare softened."Please."
She continued to stare at him. "I've been very busy with work, obviously." She nodded towards the mountain of paper work she had to go through. "You should know, since we work in the same building."
"But I don't work with you," Drake pointed out, feeling more annoyed than angry. "Still, you could have let me know what was going on."
Emma frowned, staring at her work. She would be lying if she said she wasn't shocked, as Drake would usually throw some kind of fit if she didn't do what he said... but, he wasn't.
Interesting.
She looked up and studied him. His arms were crossed and he wore a scowl on his face as if he was still a spoiled boy who
didn't get what he wanted.
He had also been staring at her, but when their eyes locked for a second, his gaze immediately shifted to the ground.
Strange indeed.
"How about this," Emma reluctantly proposed, "I get off in about an hour, so, do you want to wait for me? Did you drive here or -"
"Rich dropped me off." Drake interrupted, answering her question. "Didn't feel like driving."
Emma nodded, "Alright then. Want to wait for me? We can drive to my house and -"
"Wait, who's taking care of Aidan?" Drake interrupted, noticing the absence of their son as his eyes scanned the area.
"Jenna," Emma told him, realizing how strange his behavior is at the moment. "I know you said your mother and Alona would be happy to babysit him, but Jenna wanted-"
"Not with Alona, but with your friends... that's fine," he said, shrugging.
Emma raised an eyebrow, surprise evident on her face. Clearly, she wasn't expecting him to be okay with her friends babysitting Aidan, since he wasn't at all too fond with her friends. But, she's not even going to question it.
"Why not Alona?" Emma asked instead, gathering her paperwork into a pile.
"That's none of your business, Collins," Drake snapped. "Just don't ever allow her to take care of Aidan. Same goes for Ian."
Emma looked at Drake, surprised. When he made no attempt to elaborate, she sighed. "So, yeah, do you want to just meet up later then?"
Drake nodded with no hesitation. "I'm actually done with my shift."
"Oh." She shrugged. "Well then, I guess you can just wait for me in the cafeteria? Like I said, I get off in an hour."
Drake sighed and turned around to leave.
However, the huge pack of paperwork caught his eye, causing him to pause. He eyed the work she was assigned to do and nodded towards it. "Do you... err, do you need to do all of those today?"
Emma followed his gaze and grimaced. "Well, Mr. Baker said to do as much as I can today and the rest tomorrow. But I have other things to sort tomorrow, so I'd rather I do them all today."
Drake scoffed. There was no way she could finish that load of paperwork in just an hour.
"Do you need any help?" he asked quietly, already grabbing a stack.
Emma's eyes widened in alarm. "No! No, it's perfectly fine, I can do them all."
But Drake waved her rejections away with a dismissive hand. "No worries, Emma. With my help, you'll finish faster. Stop complaining."
She scoffed, crossed her arms, and glared at him."I am not complaining. This is my job, Rogers. Not yours."
''So," Drake grinned, looking at her with amusement. "I'm volunteering to help you out, what's the problem?"
Emma stopped what she was doing and stared at him. Jerk. She didn't know if he was being serious about helping her or if he was just being an ass again.
Normally he would take her work and mock it, or something. But he was offering to help.
She knew he was trying, and for once, she's actually starting to truly see that. But still, she couldn't help but just simply stare at him helping her get her job done.
It's like watching a gorilla learning sign language. It's so strange to see, yet different in a good way! She grinned at her thoughts as she continued to watch Drake take some papers from her pile.
Drake could feel her questioning gaze burning into his back, so he refused to turn around. He knew what she was thinking. He was just glad that she was okay... Her and Aidan.
But sometimes he wondered what he was thinking. Like now, coming over here personally just to ask about her not replying to his text.
Wasn't it her idea for them to come together as civil adults, for the sake of Aidan? But she had been avoiding him about it and it was actually really upsetting him. They had a truce, for goodness sake.
Originally, he had planned on harassing her about it, but upon seeing her immediately something felt... normal?
After all the infidelity and shit going on back at home, seeing this stubborn and infuriating woman in front of him was more - dare he think it? - Well, he didn't know.
It was just strange.
It just sort of eased the stress away even for a little while. Seeing her gave him a sort of comfort and relaxation.
Stupid but whatever... It was true, and for once, he doesn't give a shit.
And now, here he is, suddenly asking if she needed help with her job. Help as in he doesn't get paid, but she does. Help, as in he's doing her a favor with no hidden agenda.
But if this was what it took for him to gain her trust and to spend some time with his own son, then whatever.
He knew he didn't deserve to get to know Aidan, but he was a selfish man. That was a part of him that would never change.
"Are you even listening to me?"
Drake blinked. His mind was so clouded with thoughts that he didn't realize she was talking to him. "What?"
Emma rolled her eyes at him but explained again. "These are cases. Mr. Baker wants me to sort them by category. For example: Murder, kidnaps, stealing, and so on and so forth."
She then nodded towards her finished pile. "You can start with what I have there, if you like. If you have any questions, let me know."
Without waiting for his reply, she walked back to her desk and sat down with a heavy sigh. Instead of continuing her work, she watched him.
This is just too weird. Emma frowned to herself, placing one of the papers in front of her. When she was sure that Drake wasn't going to mess anything up, she bit her lip and sighed.
"Thank you for helping me Drake." She said, staring hard at the paper in front of her. She could feel her face heating up, no doubt her cheeks coloring red with embarrassment.
So awkward.
However, Drake only shook his head, clearly amused with her discomfort as he murmured back, "You're welcome, Emma."
.
.
.
The next day
.
After Drake helped her finished her loaded pile, he could clearly tell that Emma was exhausted. So he told her that since she seemed tired, he doesn't mind meeting with her the next day. To say she was stunned with his thoughtfulness was an understatement - even he was stunned himself.
But she agreed, and that's all that matters.
So here they are.
Drake had once again invited her for a late lunch once both of their shifts were over. He was clearly excited - which she hadn't seen him be, ever - about something, so Emma couldn't help herself but be hesitant.
"Read it," Drake commanded once they found a decent seat. He grabbed a newspaper from his briefcase and shoved it in front of her.
Emma stared at the paper with distrust. "And what is this?"
Drake rolled his eyes and pushed it towards her. "How will you know if you don't read it, Collins?"
She snorted, grabbed the newspaper, and unfolded the papers loudly. The headline caused her eyes to widen as it caught her attention.
Most Anticipated Rogers/Gordon Wedding: "It's Over!"
The truth is out! Who and what caused this unexpected break up?
Written by Aretha Dawson
Emma didn't bother reading the article. Why, when she could ask the most reliable source in front of her?
She looked up and shook her head in confusion. "What the hell happened?"
"Caught Alona shagging Ian a few days ago," He said bluntly and dismissively, as if it wasn't surprising. "I told her that she and Ian can live happily ever after and that I want the marriage off... She agreed."
"I'm surprised." Emma sighed, not really knowing what else to say.
Surprise indeed. Well, it really wasn't, even Emma had known something was going on between those two ever since she saw Alona visiting Ian's shop.
But still, shouldn't he be extremely pissed off, or something?
"How's Alona?" Emma asked worriedly."And Ian? Seriously, how are you doing?"
He may be a jerk, but that didn't mean she didn't care.
Drake merely shrugged, as if the topic held no interest to him. "She's a slut."