The Experiment © [Completed]

Chapter 34 - Monday

Dei got off the cab on Monday morning and was surprised to find RJ leaning at the entrance of their office building with his foot propped against the wall. He had one hand in his pocket, and the other one holding his phone which he was checking at that moment.

"RJ," she called as she walked towards him.

A huge grin lit up his face as soon as he looked up and saw her, and he extended his arms out for a hug.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, smiling back. She wrapped her arms around him at once and inhaled the fresh scent of his shirt and the light musky smell of his perfume. She always loved the way he smelled - it was so clean and sexy at the same time.

"I was waiting for you," he said as he hugged her tight. "I came in early and I thought I would see you at your cubicle right away but you weren't there so I decided to stay and wait for you here instead. Besides I won't be able to hug you this tight in the office."

"Hmmm, that's right," she said as she snuggled closer to his chest. "How early were you?"

"Just an hour before you arrived," he answered, finally letting her go and taking her small bag of clothes from her. Dei didn't have time to drop by the penthouse anymore so she had to bring the bag with her at the office.

"How did your weekend go?" he asked her as they walked towards the elevator.

"It was ok," she answered. "My date with my college friends ended at around 10 and I got home by 11:30. And then on Sunday, I mostly stayed at home doing chores while your song played on repeat. Thanks again, babe."

They stepped inside the elevator and there were three other people who walked in with them. "You're welcome," he whispered to her and she leaned against his chest.

The elevator door opened again just a second before it shut completely, and Christine came in wearing a sheer, cream colored blouse and a black peplum skirt. She looked surprised when she saw them and Dei felt RJ pulling her around her waist, closer to him.

"Hi," she greeted them when she finally gathered her bearings.

"Hi," Dei greeted back, and she smiled to herself when she realized that RJ wasn't planning on acknowledging Christine's presence at all. She tried to keep the smug look off her face for the rest of the ride.

"See you at lunch," RJ whispered when the elevator stopped to his floor. He gave her a quick kiss on the side of her head and walked off the lift without giving Christine so much as a side glance.

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You are chatting with Matt Bellasai and Dei Mendoza...

Matt B: RJ, Dei
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Dei M: boss?
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RJ F: what is it Matt?
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Matt B: please make my life and my job easier and do a live feed already
Matt B: you guys seem to forget that you have an actual page running just for you both
Matt B: your snapchat posts aren't enough, the fans are asking for you
Matt B: spare me this headache please
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RJ F: ok, we'll do one after lunch
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Dei M: ok, Matt
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RJ F: what time are you taking your lunch babe?
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Dei M: I think I can take it at around 12:30
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RJ F: ok, I'll wait for you.
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Dei M: Bigoli's? ☺️
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RJ F: you don't even have to ask 😏
RJ F: see you in 3 hours
RJ F: love you babe
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Dei M: love you too
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Matt B: I'm still here 😒
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Dei M: Eeeep! Sorry boss 😳

Dei Mendoza left the chat...
RJ Faulkerson left the chat...

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"Will you ever get tired of eating these breadsticks?" RJ asked as he took one from the platter.

"No, not really," Dei said, taking a huge bite on one. "They're my heaven."

"Really? Your heaven..." RJ said with a smirk, his eyebrows raised at her.

Dei stared back at him. "Why do I have a feeling that I know exactly what's going through your mind right now?" she asked, slapping his shoulder hard.

RJ laughed.

"Babe..." Dei said, suddenly serious.

"Yes?"

She swallowed hard. "Did you ever cheat on Christine?"

"Huh? Why would you suddenly ask that?" RJ asked, the breadstick hanging a few inches from his mouth.

"Nothing. I was just wondering." Dei answered, shrugging.

"No seriously, why? That came out of nowhere." he pushed.

"Well... I saw Christine on Saturday, while James and I were waiting for our friends, and she... she kinda insinuated some things..." Dei said, drawing swirls on the marinara sauce left on the plate using her fork.

RJ sighed and placed down the breadstick. "Dei, please tell me you don't believe her. I knew she'd be trying to ruin our relationship. I told you she can't be trusted, didn't I?"

"I know, I'm sorry. It's just that... some of the things she said... well, they kinda made me realize that I didn't really know much about you... And that I only know half of the story between you and her, the one that you told me." Dei said tentatively.

"Really, Dei?" RJ said coldly. "I thought you said I could trust you to be able to see through her bullshit?"

"You didn't answer my question though." Dei said.

"No, Dei, I didn't," he said forcefully. "At least not the way she was implying it."

"What do you mean?" she asked, her heart suddenly beating faster.

RJ exhaled sharply. "I slept with her friend. I mean, I literally slept with her, nothing happened. Her friend was sad, she went to our pad looking for Christine but Christine wasn't there. She said she needed someone to talk to so we talked and had some alcohol and she got seriously drunk. I couldn't just leave her there so I brought her to our room. I waited for Christine till dawn so she could bring her friend home but she didn't come. I ended up sleeping beside her friend. But as I said, nothing happened. She was way too drunk to function that way."

"I don't know what to say," Dei whispered, not looking at him.

"I don't believe this," RJ said, shaking his head. "What do I need to do to deserve your full trust, Dei? I actually thought I already had it but it seems like you don't really trust me enough."

"How did Christine find out about it?" she plowed on.

RJ chewed on his lip, trying so hard to be patient. "She came home that morning and saw us in bed. She wouldn't believe me of course. And she had been using that incident to justify her cheating," he said, his hands busy tearing napkins in small pieces.

He looked at Dei and she was still silently doodling on her plate.

"Nothing happened, Dei." he said emphatically. "I may have slept around after our relationship ended but I never cheated on her. And I'm never gonna cheat on you. Ok?"

Dei sighed. "Okay."