Not Even His Assistant

Chapter Twenty-Five

Chapter 25 - She's Intriguing (Connor's Perspective)

I took Greyson's roommate to my office, mentally going through all the possible reasons he could be looking for me. I also took note that Greyson's roommate was male, something that didn't sit well with me. I wasn't sure if she ever mentioned it or I forgot, but I did assume her roommate was female.

He was heavily built, not from fat, just pure muscle. Tattoos ran down his arms and up his neck and he was a lot shorter than me, definitely shorter than Greyson. He looked around the place, scoping it out before finding one of my chairs and sitting in it. I decided to follow his lead, sitting in the chair closest to his, instead of at my desk chair. As I sat, analyzing him and waiting for him to speak up, he met my eyes, and his were such a bright yellow/brown, it was as if he were wearing contacts. It reminded me of Greyson's eyes, so green it looked fake.

"So you the man she's workin' with." He looked me up and down, nodding his head, obviously thinking something. "You look exactly how I thought." He had a thick urban accent and something about his tone made me feel like this wasn't a friendly visit.

"What do you need?" I asked frankly, feeling my jaw clench. I would never enjoy when a person didn't make their point clear.

"Since workin' here, Grey has been so fuckin' stressed that I decided to deal with this shit myself." He sounded decently calm, but his words were so combative, I wasn't sure if he was looking for a fight or not. "I'mma be honest wit'chu. I just don't like you. I'm here as a favor to my fam."

It surprised me that we had something in common. Because I didn't like this guy either. As much as I wanted to say something, I decided to just close my mouth. Which was a really difficult thing for me to do.

"So I'm gone tell it how it is. Grey is like my sister. Her family is mine. Now uncle Tim met you at his cookout and he says you like her. I think he's buggin' but whatever. Says you a good man and likes the idea of y'all two," He paused, looking at me with his head tilted sideways. He straightened his neck and nodded again. "Ain't that some fuckin' shit."

I considered his words. It was surprising to think her uncle thought I liked her way before I thought I liked her. Especially considering I was only going to that event because I nearly made her quit beforehand.

"He really thinks you like her!" He sounded nearly incredulous, "He thinks that, when she's comin' home, every fuckin' day, stressin' because she says you hate her." He opened his arms, with the palms of his hands facing upward, shrugging to signify his confusion with this concept.

"She thinks I hate her?" I heard myself ask. I was well aware that I wasn't the kindest to her... Well, I guess if I was being fully honest, I treated her like shit. However, she would generally argue back, or come around smiles and all, talking to me like everything was fine. I knew I pushed it too far when she nearly quit because of my comment, but even then she bounced back as if it didn't truly affect her.

Then I thought about when she spoke about her mother and how quickly she brushed away those emotions although it was quite possible those things affected her. Could I have truly made every single day miserable for her?

That was sobering.

"Grey is the sweetest girl in the world. She went through so much shit, and nothin' she got makes her any less. Not no ADHD, Bipolar, anxiety, or depression shit. I never met a person, male or female, tougher than her," He paused from his rant, "If he is right, and you really like her, but you're treatin' her like shit, you betta' walk away." He pointed a finger in my face and my jaw clenched. I didn't like the way this man was talking to me, but it didn't seem smart to pick a fight with him. "I won't let any guy fuck with her. Especially not some punk ass white boy," His eyes scanned me and then he got up.