Random Encounter

by Allyson Lindt

  But when I was wrapped up with Adrienne—with Dustin—it was easier to keep it at bay.

  Guilt surged in, and I didn’t know if I wanted to forgive myself or indulge the feeling, one felt excessive and the other seemed wrong.

  Twenty-Seven

  Dustin

  Spending the weekend with my nieces was a nicer break from my regular life than I remembered. There was something about fitting my whims around someone else’s schedules and needs that felt right. Was that weird?

  I was in early on Monday, working in the vacant Director’s office, making calls to vendors on the East Coast. I didn’t expect there to be much noise this time of day, but I could easily close the door if I needed quiet. When players saw in coming days what I was planning—community giveaways around go-live—new fans would become lifetime ones.

  When Phillip and Addie walked into the Art room, their voices low and heads bent together, my good mood evaporated and the reason last week ended on a down note rushed back.

  Addie poked her head into the office. “Morning.” Her smile was tentative but warm.

  “Hey.” I wasn’t upset at her, even if she was still friendly with him. “You have a good weekend?”

  She glanced over her shoulder at Phillip, bottom lip caught between her teeth, then back at me. “It ended a lot better than it started. You?”

  “It was all right.” I couldn’t ignore the surge of jealousy carried on an assumption. “You guys run into each other in the parking lot?”

  Pink flooded her cheeks. “I had Sean problems, so I stayed with Phillip this weekend.”

  “Are you all right?” I let concern temper the darker churning.

  “I’m good.” Her expression, mannerisms, and growing blush all said she was more than good.

  I couldn’t find my smile again. “I’m glad. I have to make some calls. Get the door on your way out?” The words came out more tersely than I expected.

  The creases that appeared in Addie’s forehead said she noticed. “Yeah. Of course.”

  And now I felt like a dickhead.

  She turned to leave, but paused in the doorway. “I’m sorry.” Her voice was hard.

  “For what?”

  “I don’t know. Whatever you think I did. I’m not taking sides, or… I don’t know.”

  “I don’t think anything.” I managed to soften my tone. “It’s not your fault.”

  She looked at me, lips pursed and creases in her forehead. “You’re right, it’s not.” She walked out of the room, shutting the door behind her hard enough to rattle my coffee cup.

  Getting back into the groove of work wasn’t easy, but it was necessary. I poured myself into meetings, planning, and making sure people in forums were behaving themselves. But every time I hit a pause point, my gaze drifted to the office door or to my messenger. I didn’t like being on the outs with Phillip and I hated that I might have hurt Addie. He was a traitor and it was his own fault, but she didn’t deserve to be stuck between us.

  Every time I managed to logic myself to that point, I remembered how they looked walking in together this morning, and jealousy surged back.

  An email came in from Judith, with the subject line Funding News. That was worth dropping everything to read.

  The opening few paragraphs were her standard intro—she believed in full transparency, and everyone here was an equal partner in this business.

  Any other company and I would’ve rolled my eyes at the boilerplate language, but she meant it.

  The message continued with, After a tremendous limited public beta, I’ve closed a deal with a new investment partner. This means we’ll be expanding sooner than anticipated. We’ll start with adding additional staff to Art and QA, but everyone can expect their team to grow.

  This is happening thanks to all of you, but special thanks to Dustin Lane, for his extra hours and hard work keeping us looking shiny in the public eye.

  We’re on our way, people. This is happening.

  I was grinning when I finished reading the message. Which made me happier, the praise or that we were growing? It was a tough call, but the growth won out. I wouldn’t have done the work otherwise.

  Way to go and Congrats notes trickled into my inbox and messenger.

  New people meant we were going to need an official boss sooner, rather than later. Time to remind Judith, again, that I was the perfect choice for Director of Art.

  And we’d be doing this without Phillip.

  The reminder swung in fast and threw me off-kilter.

  There was a knock and I called, “yeah.”

  Addie stepped into the room again, tentative smile back. “Great news, right? And great job. But I knew that.”

  Thanks. That was all I needed to say. Probably give her a genuine smile as well. “If he asked you to leave with him, would you?”

  Idiot.

  Addie stared back, expression blank. “Excuse me?”

  “Nothing. Forget it. Thank you.”

  “No.” An edge slid into her voice. “We’re not going to forget it or pretend you didn’t say it. We’re not going to shrug this entire thing off. I’m not doing this again. Not for anyone, no matter how much I like you.”

  I— She liked me. The words were simple, but they tugged at my heart. I should be focusing on her other words instead. “Doing what?”

  She crossed her arms, and the wall she’d just put up was practically tangible. “You’re not the only one sitting at your desk stewing. I’m not a hole for you to stick your dick in. I’m not a doll you don’t want until someone else plays with me.”

  Whoa, what?

  “I’m okay with the fact that we haven’t labeled our relationship,” she said. “But you don’t get to be pissy at me for violating some invisible set of rules around me that exist only in your head. You will not treat me the way Sean did.”

  Oh, shit. “I wasn’t— No. Addie.”

  “It’s Adrienne.” Her scowl deepened. “I don’t know if you’re not ready to think about the consequence or if you really do just want what you can’t have, but it doesn’t matter. No one gets to treat me this way.”

  “You’re right, and I wasn’t—”

  Addie held up a hand, silencing me. “But you were.” She turned away. “I’m going to lunch,” she said loudly enough for her voice to carry through both rooms.

  How wrong was it that I was smug she left without more than a glance at Phillip?

  I swore I could hear seconds ticking away, though there was nothing around to make that sound. The Jeopardy music was definitely in my head. I couldn’t let the conversation end this way. I caught up with her at the elevator banks, just as the doors closed, hiding her scowling face.

  Fuck. It was only a couple stories to the main floor, and I sprinted down the stairs, pulling a stop as the elevator opened and Addie stepped off.

  “Nope.” She popped on the p. “I said what I wanted to.”

  “Then let me talk.” I fell into step beside her as she left the building.

  She jammed her hands into her pockets and shrugged. “Free country.”

  “You don’t owe me anything, it’s true. Especially not an explanation or an apology. I’m the one who’s sorry for reacting the way I did. I didn’t have a right.” Good. Leave it at that. “But Phillip’s a fucking traitor.” Bad.

  We reached the light at the intersection and waited for it to change, so we could cross. The way Addie clenched her jaw wasn’t encouraging. “Your problem with him isn’t mine. I get why you’re upset, but he was there for me this weekend.”

  “I—”

  “Would’ve been too, I know.” She stepped off the curb to the coo-coo sounds of the Walk sign. “I’m glad your nieces had you there to take care of them. You don’t get to dictate my friends because you have a problem with them.”

  How did she not see…? What could I say to make her understand? Would I be reacting differently if he and I didn’t have the relationship we did. Friends. But more. For a while now. D
id he have that with Addie, too?

  I struggled for a comeback as we walked into Loading Java. I’d flitted from place to place most of my life. Getting tied down was oppressive. In work. In relationships. Even my college major. When I got to Rinslet, when I had the chance to come here, the impulse to move on evaporated. I’d found a place I belonged.

  All thoughts I’d had before, but they hit me hard now. I was a nomad for so long, that I never really admitted I wasn’t anymore.

  “This place—AcesPlayed—the people we work with, they’re as much family as Daria and the girls,” I spoke aloud as the reality sank heavily into my bones.

  Addie finally looked up at me, scowl gone, but blankness in its place.

  “Phillip. You…” Only a few weeks and she was as much at the hub of things as he was. “How come he can’t see it? If he’s not content here, that’s fine, though I don’t understand. But he didn’t say anything. He hid it. And you don’t have a problem with that.”

  “Are you in line?” someone asked.

  “Go ahead.” I moved toward a wall that took us out of the flow of foot traffic, and Addie followed.

  She fiddled with her fingers. “I can’t tell you what he was thinking. This place—Aces—doesn’t mean that to me. Yet. I see why it does for you. For Luna. Phillip made a mistake. When he figures out what it was, let him apologize.”

  “He doesn’t know yet?”

  “Do you?” she countered.

  What his mistake was or mine? I searched her face. She was open, brilliant, and stunning. This amazing mystical creature who just walked into my life one day and made herself at home, as if she’d always belonged here.

  “Yes,” I said even as my brain tried to keep up with my mouth. “You’re right. I don’t get to tell you how to feel about him, despite how I feel.” I settled a hand on the back of her neck. “And besides really good together I don’t know what you and I are. But I’d like to find out.” I brushed my lips over hers.

  She murmured me too against my mouth, and kissed me back.

  My pulse screamed in response, and I crushed into her harder, needing to feel everything about this moment. I didn’t care who saw, especially when she whimpered. I dragged my mouth up her jaw to her ear. “I want to push you into the bathroom right now and see if I can make you come as loudly as you did the other night.”

  Addie’s light laugh was intoxicating, and her palm on my chest was a tease rather than a deterrent. “No,” she said softly. “You’ve got to earn that.”

  Desire and her playful tone tempered my disappointment. “How? Flowers? Suction cup dildos? Bottle caps?”

  “We’ll see.” She nudged me back another step. “I want to say nothing money can buy, but you can start with lunch.”

  “That’s fair.” I grasped her hand and tugged her back into line. It didn’t matter that a few people were whispering and others looked disgusted with the public display of affection. They were just jealous. “Can I still call you Addie?”

  “I guess.” Her sigh was exaggerated and her smile destroyed the illusion. “But only you. And the girls.”

  I grinned. “I make no promises for anyone else, but excellent.”

  We ordered food and grabbed a table.

  My phone buzzed with a text from Judith. Re: Mr. Toph. If you have ideas, I need them today.

  Shit. I still needed to deal with Nolan.

  “What’s wrong?” Addie asked.

  I didn’t want to burden her with this, she’d seemed so stressed about the issue when she first heard about it, but I was out of ideas. “Nolan is telling Judith he wants a job. He says it’s only fair since we stole his designs.”

  A low growl rolled from her throat. “Arrogant fucking asshole.”

  “Seriously.” I couldn’t have said it better myself.

  “Tell her you’ll take the interview, but only if you get to be the one who conducts it.”

  I stared at her in disbelief. “What? Why? We’re not going to offer him the job. The point is to figure out how to make him go away.”

  “How good is he?” Addie asked.

  “Eh? He’s not bad. Most of his work is painting on existing assets and renders.” But so was a lot of what we did.

  “I had to prove myself in my interview, didn’t you?”

  It had been a while, but yes. “Which he can do.”

  “But… can he?” She pulled a pen from her purse, grabbed a napkin off the table, and slid both to me. “Draw the fighter from our promo graphics.”

  Easy peasy. I could recreate him in my sleep. I sketched a rough outline, careful not to tear the thin paper, and handed the draft back to Addie.

  “At least sign it,” she said.

  I scrawled my name at the bottom. “Why?”

  She tucked the sketch carefully into her wallet. “Limited edition art. And it’s mine.”

  “Don’t let me find it on eBay.”

  She gasped. “It’s mine. Now, what are the odds he could do the same?”

  “You’re brilliant.” I texted Judith back with a simple note set up the interview. I’ve got this. “You’re going to talk to him with me, right?”

  “Why?” Addie asked.

  Mostly so I didn’t punch him in the smug face. “Moral support. And so I don’t punch him in the smug face.”

  She nodded. “I’ll sit in with you.”

  Because with the two of us together, we could do almost anything. With Phillip, we’d be unstoppable.

  The thought came out of nowhere and gave me more hope than his name deserved to carry.

  What if I told him I wanted him to stay? Not at work, not if he wasn’t fulfilled here, but in my life?

  What if I asked Adrienne to do the same. Be my girlfriend sounded both simplistic and completely amazing.

  I was tired of not having roots, and I saw them in this company. But more, I saw them in Addie and Phillip. I needed to think this through, not because I was uncertain, but because I needed to get it right.

  I tugged Addie’s fingers to draw her attention. “The girls are going home in a few nights. Have dinner with me Wednesday?”

  Her smile was worth more than the world. “Of course.”

  Now to plan the perfect next step. And decide if I could forgive Phillip enough to see if he wanted to be part of it.

  Twenty-Eight

  Adrienne

  Despite my resolve to not let Sean push me out of my house, I didn’t want to go home after work. Just thinking about being alone in my apartment twisted my gut into knots. I didn’t know how to get past this feeling—I’d find a solution, and probably a new apartment, but I didn’t have that today.

  Phillip said I could stay with him as long as I needed, but despite what I told Dustin, I wasn’t stubborn enough to stay caught between them. Though, Dustin came out of the office and worked in the same room as us that afternoon—promising.

  When Graham called and told me Cole had a rental that had opened up, and I could stay there for a little while, I didn’t ask any questions before saying yes please.

  I felt bad that everyone was going out of their way for me, because of this one thing, but I wasn’t going to turn down the help.

  Cole dropped the keys off a short while later. When work was over, Phillip drove me to my place, hung out while I packed enough to stay somewhere else for a while, and walked me to my car.

  “I’m still around if you need anything,” he said.

  I nodded. “I’ll keep that in mind, thank you.”

  “See you at work tomorrow. I’ll wait until you’re gone, to make sure you’re safe.”

  I nodded again. Adrienne the bobblehead, that was me. A strong pull wanted a goodbye kiss, or at least a hand squeeze, but we didn’t have that kind of relationship. So I climbed into my car, and drove away, leaving Phillip in my rearview mirror.

  The new place was near the University, in the foothills. Traffic was a little heavy, since everyone was going home for the day, but not so much that it kept me fr
om going a decent speed.

  Despite being displaced, life was pretty good. Me from a year ago would be looking at me now and wondering how someone who fucked up so badly—who made so many mistakes, not seeing what my marriage was—deserved what I had.

  A job that was challenging but fantastic. I only saw things getting better.

  Two gorgeous, intelligent men who wanted me. How was that even a thing? Especially since I was greedy enough to want them both. They’d need to get real cool with each other real fast though; I hated that Phillip and Dustin were fighting. I wanted them to make things right with each other. I also wanted to figure out better what I meant to them, but I wasn’t unhappy with the current conversations.

  I took the messiest interstate loop ever to get from the freeway to Foothill Drive, and headed toward the address Graham gave me. There was a grocery store along the way, and I pulled into the parking lot. The fact that it was underground made me a little claustrophobic, but being surrounded by the after-work crowd made me feel safe. Paranoid—Sean wouldn’t know I decided to stop at this one store, in the entire valley, nowhere near my work or home or friends.

  I made my way through the store, grabbing enough essentials for the next few days, especially coffee and milk. I threw a box of Twinkies in the cart, too. Just because.

  Maybe I could invite the guys over later this week, after Harmony and Alana were back with their mom. See if I could get them to make up, make them dinner to thank them for everything. See where the night took us—how they took me. And I was looking forward to dinner with Dustin. Was it a date? It felt like a date.

  I paid for everything and headed to the parking lot. As I drew within visual range of my car, I saw a familiar shape near the vehicle. My heart paused for moment. It wasn’t Sean. It couldn’t be.

  It was. He hadn’t seen me yet. I could go inside. Call someone.

  No. I’d been direct with Dustin and Phillip, telling them they couldn’t treat me that way, and they hadn’t even been on the same continent as Sean. He couldn’t control me through fear.