Deconstructing Bridges

Chapter Twenty-Three

"Eddie, wait!"

Eddie ignored the woman's voice, hurrying through the office on his way to Parker. Hayley had been trying to get his attention all day, and it was difficult but he knew now wasn't the time to talk to her. Perhaps it never would be.

"Eddie, for goodness sake!"

A hand grabbed him by the elbow, forcing him to halt and he turned in irritation.

"What is it?"

Her hazel eyes widened in surprise at his rough manner.

"Is everything alright?"

"It's fan-frigging-tastic, Hayles. Excuse me."

But before he could sweep away, she stepped closer, her arms crossing her chest.

"You've been working ragged. You need to take a break. Come and have a cuppa, okay?"

He scowled in annoyance, and clearly it did not escape her attention.

"What the hell is going on, Eddie? What did I do?"

"Nothing, okay?" He exhaled heavily, trying hard not to look the woman in the eye. If he did, he was afraid she would finally see what he was becoming tired of hiding. The woman had let him down, and she didn't even know it. Perhaps it was foolish to hold her responsible for something she hadn't even been made aware of, but his pride was standing firm.

Her eyes shyly flickered.

"Did someone tell you...?"

"About your little kiss with Matt?"

She nodded, her cheeks blushing crimson. As sick as it was, the sight only endeared her more, and at that moment he honestly didn't know who he was more mad at. Her or himself. 

"It's none of my business-."

"Then stop treating me like a leper!"

She looked close to tears, and he paused, not knowing what to say but knowing he had to say something.

"You're disappointed in me. I know, okay? I know I was a fool, I made a move on a man who was clearly not over his wife, and he never led me to believe that he was ready. It was all in my head. I get it. I get that I made a fool of myself. I didn't understand that would mean I'd lose a friend!"

"Calm down, Hayles," he urged, his hands grasping her shoulders in an attempt to get her to quieten. He really, really did not want to get into this now, but she was on the verge of causing a scene.

"Why are you so upset with me? Because I made a mistake?"

"No. I'm upset because of why you made it."

Her eyebrow raised in confusion, her mouth hanging slightly open and he sighed, his hands remaining on her. He remembered when she had touched his face after Bethany had sneakily invited him for a drink. He remembered that brief enjoyment her soft touch had given him before he'd realised it had only been a ruse. He recalled the slight thrill he'd experienced when she'd touched the scratches caused by a raging Rose. He remembered how he'd hardly stopped thinking about that simply touch since. 

"Hayley, you went after a co-worker, and I don't actually buy that you ever expected to ride off into the sunset with him. I don't think you expected him to look at you with fireworks. I don't think you even knew what you wanted, let alone believed it was the real thing, and the fact that you did it anyway is the saddest thing of all. You were so blinded by a man who couldn't see you you couldn't even see..."