Fall Back // a workplace romance... (WLW)

08. just a click away

Eleanor squinted at me. "Is this the real Layla? Are you sick?"

I laughed with furrowed eyebrows. "What?"

"You never sit with me two days in a row anymore! It's always Irene, Irene, Irene," Eleanor pouted.

"I'm here now!" I defended.

"Finally. Who else am I going to rant about Grey's Anatomy to?"

I sat down and placed my purse in the chair next to me. "That show is terrible."

She popped a chip into her mouth. "My food has enough salt for today, thank you."

With a roll of my eyes, I took out my own lunch. "So what's new?"

"Well," she dusted off her hands, "I've just been busying filing, although sometimes I find the juiciest stuff."

"Ooh, drama?"

"Apparently one of the new interns drove away a big client. Irene was pissed," she giggled.

"Yikes, I remember my first days here."

Eleanor flipped her hair. "That's when you met me."

"Oh, please, I totally could've survived without you."

She gave me a look. "Who else are you going to complain about the bosses to?"

I sighed. "You're right. You're a great pair of ears."

"And ass."

I nodded with a smile. "And ass."

"And how's Irene? What do you guys even do with shared lunchbreaks?"

"She's tolerable," I joked. "To be real, she's been a good friend so far. We share a decent amount of childhood trauma, so maybe that's why we get along," I chuckled.

"Already has another," Eleanor mocked a few sniffles and tears.

"Oh, please. She loves talking about work. Our lunches are mainly spent talking about work! Why would I spend my only hour free to just remember that I'm a grown adult with nothing better to do?"

"You're just a quarter old, silly," Eleanor teased.

"Perfect time for a quarter life crisis."

"Well, Irene seemed to work super hard to get to her position. Makes sense that she wants to keep it."

I groaned. "Didn't we say on our first day that we'd quit to become strippers?"

"Still on my bucket list."

"Sign me up, too."

"First, you got to get rid of Mr. Baby Daddy," Eleanor said.

"I know, I know. I just need my own place first."

"Can't you rent an apartment with the money you have saved up so far?"

I sighed and sipped my coffee. "All the money has gone to pay our debts."

"Go for a cheap place then. A temporary home."

I frowned. "I guess so."

"Great! Now, can I finally rant about Grey's Anatomy's latest episode?"

"You lost me completely after season 8."

"McDreamy is too yummy to stop."

"Did you just use yummy to describe someone?"

"Is that a bad thing?"

I shrugged. "Not sure."

"Okay, well, you're yummy."

I hummed and tilted my head in thought. "Yeah, it's fine."

• • •

The bed was colder than usual despite Alex and I being tucked into it. The space between us was more strained than usual even though the plan in my head couldn't be clearer. The words in between us were louder, but we didn't voice them at all.

"How was your day?" I asked through the deafening silence.

"You know how much I hate small talk."

I frowned. "I'm sorry for coming home a little later. I had to turn in the presentation for the big meeting. The client is like 14% of our income. It's insane. I think—"

"I don't care, Layla," he sighed before shuffling to his side, facing away from me.

"You never do," I mumbled.

"Sorry for always being too tired to care. It's not like I have a kid to take care of," he spat.

I scowled the back of his head. "Alex, something has got to give. I'm trying to provide for this family right now, so yes, you have the unfortunate responsibility of taking care of Elliot." I picked at a hangnail as anxiety pitted in my stomach from raising my voice. "At least you get to watch him grow up, so I don't understand why it bothers you," I whispered.

For once, he didn't return my backlash with screaming, or a fight, or a bruise. His inhale, though, was the second loudest thing in the room. My heartbeat won first place.

Alex turned onto his back and pushed himself into a sitting position. His phone lit up behind him. He didn't notice, and I tried not to.

His eyes stared into mine as he spoke, "It should be you at home." He took his time getting out of bed, or at least it did to me as my world slowed down. I assumed he went to the bathroom, or the hallway, or the kitchen, or I don't care enough to check.

The short sentence held weight in my chest, and a lump of sickness sat in my throat. The man who once looked at me as if I hung the stars has grown to see me as less than him. As if everything I've ever done, opportunity I've sacrificed, fight I had to surrender made me inferior. Sadness and anger bubbled in my stomach, but his phone pinging on the nightsand paused the emotions.

The arguments, the unhappiness, the tiredness and boredom of our marriage popped the question into my head. What else could you think when their phone lights up at 1 in the morning?

My eyes darted to the open bedroom door and the lit-up phone. I inched my way closer to his side of the bed. My shaking arm stretched to grab his phone.

I frowned at the 4 notifications.

S (1:00 AM) Hey

S (1:05 AM) Yyy

S (1:05 AM) Alexx

S (1:06 AM) Miss you

I glanced at the door before returning the phone to its rightful position. I turned to my side to face away from Alex's side of the bed. I closed my eyes to reach for sleep, but it never came.

(A/N: alex sucks)