Desolation // l.p.

Chapter XXXVI

When I finally arrive to my building I find Alex leaning against the door to my apartment, his phone in his hand and his thumb swiping across it. It only takes him a few seconds before he notices my presence. A smile immediately covers his face and he stands up, tucking his phone and his hands into the pockets of his jeans. I go to wrap my arms around him for a hug, but he dodges it once he sees the splint on my wrist.

"What happened?" he asks, gaping at my arm. I lift it from my side so he can see it better, his green eyes observing it intently. I didn't want him to see it so soon, I needed to find a way to tell him what happened but now it seems I've run out of time.

"I just fell, is all." I mutter as I push past him with my keys in my hand. I unlock my apartment and go in, dropping my bag and kicking my shoes off right by the door.

"Fell where?" he insists as he follows me closely behind, everywhere I walk. I go into the kitchen to get myself something to drink. Due to my new situation something tells me that mine and Alex's plans from earlier are no longer in play.

"Down a few stairs, it's no big deal." I shrug as I grab a glass from the cabinet and fill it with tap water. My mother was always too paranoid to drink water from the sink, she only drinks it from plastic bottles. I on the other hand have never minded the taste of the extra nutrients in it.

"Are you okay?" He presses as he grabs at my arm to look at it again. I pull away and give him a glare before muttering a small "yes". It's not a big deal but he seems to want to make it one. I push past him and go to sit down on the sofa in the other room, grabbing the television controller and turning it on. "Is everything okay? You seem irritated?" Alex shifts on his feet in the doorway to the kitchen. I lighten up when I see him nervously watching me and I begin to feel bad. I am being a bit harsh towards him and all he has done is ask a few questions, concerned about my arm. I'm just not sure where the snippy attitude came from.

"Yeah, I'm good. Come sit with me?" I ask with a smile that seems to ease him.

...

"Good morning Sarah!" Ashley says in a sing-songy voice as she pops her head through my office door. I give her a smile before I refocus on the paper I was in the middle of. It has something to do with a change to one of the company's policies or something like that. "I take it your talk with Mr. Payne went well yesterday, he seemed quite chipper when he came  in this morning. All plans are back to normal." she gushes as she walks in and takes a seat in the empty chair on the other side of my desk. I give her a small nod in agreement, trying not to act too invested or show my excitement at the fact that my little exchange with Liam did change his mind about pulling funds from the merge. I didn't even have to directly ask him about it, he did it on his own.

"What happened to your wrist?" Ashley gasps and changes the subject. On instinct I hide my wrist under my desk and clear my throat.

"Nothing. I just fell. It's no big deal." I tell her and she nods, accepting my answer and not pushing for more information. One thing that I love about Ashley is that she isn't pushy or nosy, she knows exactly when to stop pressing for answers.

"Okay well, I was supposed to tell you that Mr. Payne wanted to see you in his office this morning." she says as she stands up with declaration.

"Okay, I'll go in a few minutes." I tell her and she nods,  she tells me not to make him wait too long and I assure her that I won't. I watch as she leaves and let out a small sigh, pulling my wrist back out from under the desk and looking at it myself. I'm not sure why I feel I have to hide it or why it bothers me that people are asking about it. It usually isn't something that I would get mad about. Maybe it is because I'm embarrassed that it is mostly my own fault. Or maybe I just don't want people to know that it happened because I was hesitant to see Liam. Speaking of Liam...