Gem in the Rough

Chapter 43

"Anthony, we should get back to the office. We can't make an excuse of getting coffee and just disappear for an hour." I laugh at my friend as we walk around campus, avoiding our work and gossiping. I finally told him the SparkNotes version of what's been happening. He is having a hard time processing, hence our long walk away from the office.

"I know, I know. But holy shit, your life is a romance novel or horror movie, or a mixture of both."

Just like Anthony to make a joke out of all this, but it's what I need from him.

"No kidding. It's getting better though. Kieran and I are doing well after our little spat, and we have a better understanding. Hopefully we won't have to take as much time off anymore, but I would appreciate you giving us some of the same shifts off on weekends if possible, otherwise I'll never see him," I pout excessively in Anthony's direction as we enter the Tech office building.

He pushes me lightly into the stairwell and we start ascending slowly, side by side.

"I'll do what I can. You're both so cute, it makes me sick," he rolls his eyes playfully. "You do look happy though. Even with everything else happening, he makes you happy. You deserve it, sweets."

I hug him as we reach the floor we need, my coffee cup empty in my left hand. "Thanks, Ant. I'm glad we had some time to talk. I missed you." Anthony lets me go and takes the empty cup from me, throwing it in the trash bin as we open the door to exit the stairwell.

"I missed you, too. Now let's go before the boss gets mad," He laughs at his own joke, because he is technically the boss, and we scurry back to our desk.

Kieran is sitting in my spot, answering a call. He winks at me as I enter, and places me on his lap despite my protests. I quietly fight him as he remains on the phone, scheduling an appointment and adding it to our calendar online. When he hangs up, I smack him on his arm in disapproval.

"Let me go, you buffoon!"

Anthony laughs and then catches himself. "Children, be professional." His stern voice makes me smile, but Kieran's faux pissed-off reaction is even funnier. He lets me go with a huff and stands up, pressing me back down in my chair so I can continue working. He gives my cheek a swift kiss and goes to leave the room back to where the rest of the techs are.

"Kieran, remember I have an appointment, so I won't see you until later, okay?" I call out to Kieran before he gets too far away.

He nods in acknowledgement and waves back at me, blowing me a kiss when he knows Anthony isn't looking. I roll my eyes half-way and then stop, looking to see if he saw that. Kieran's stare is on me, his eyebrow raised. I mouth a "sorry" and smile shyly, hoping to get out of trouble. By the look on his face, I'm not getting off that easy.

Too bad for him, I won't be able to do anything sexual for a few days after getting my IUD in this afternoon. It's Thursday and thankfully I don't have my Friday class tomorrow so I can have some time to recover. I still have my appointment with Stacey, though. I heard that getting an IUD in causes a lot of cramping and it can be really painful, so I'm hoping I'll be okay enough to drive tomorrow.

The rest of the afternoon goes quickly at the office, and I make my way out around 4pm to go to my appointment. This past week has been interesting to say the least. Kieran and I can't keep our hands off each other, even more than usual. I think our talk on Sunday night helped Kieran out a lot. He talked to his therapist on the phone the other day, too, and will be doing that once a week from now on. He agreed that he hasn't been taking care of himself like he should.

I still haven't gotten the courage to open the journals from Jillian, but I'm hoping to read them soon. Probably during winter break so I don't have to worry too much about working or going to class. I don't know how much of a mess I'll be afterwards.