Johnson

Fourteen

The sun beat against Jack's head, the heat causing sweat to collect on his forehead and at his temples.

His hair, which was still in dire need of a cut, stuck to his forehead, adding to the frazzled look he had going on.

In his opinion, he didn't pull off sweaty and frazzled very well.

Realising that he had been sitting inside his car for much longer than was appropriate, body halfway between in and out, he pushed himself the rest of the way from the vehicle and grabbed his bag.

His pulse started to pick up the pace as he looked from his car to the building in front of him and he fumbled for a minute with his keys before finally pressing the lock button.

In his peripheral vision, he saw the lights of his car flash and he swallowed against the dryness of his throat as he realised that he couldn't stall any longer.

He was going to have to go in.

Pulling at the rim of his shirt and tie, until he didn't feel like they were choking him, he took the first step forward, forcing himself to keep walking until he approached the doors.

The bag in his hand felt heavier with every step, the knowledge of what was inside taunting him.

Besides condemning himself over his actions with Summer the previous day, he was also disappointed with himself for not appreciating the simplicity of his life before this moment. The truth was, his life had been stable. He had become so used to the monotony of his routine that it was the only thing that really felt safe to him. He'd had it so easy.

Now he had gone and lost it.

Of course, he had to hand in his notice of resignation. It was the right thing to do, for his own sake and sanity.

There was no way he could turn up to work every day, look Callum in the face and sit at the desk that he had boned the man's daughter on without going crazy.

With everything inside him, he sincerely hoped that Callum had no idea of the events that had transpired in the office after hours. He could only pray that Summer had listened to him and got rid of his scent before her father could put two and two together.

That way, he would give in his resignation and be done with the man before things went sideways. He would leave with his dignity in tact.

Finding a new job, preferably in the same sector, would be somewhat of an inconvenience, however Jack didn't think that he'd have a whole lot of trouble finding work. He'd hopefully still be able to get a decent referral out of Callum, and his lack of experience in other sectors would be made up for in other areas, so he wasn't overly worried about finding work.

Jack didn't feel any less nervous though.

His instincts were going haywire, skin itching as he stood on his work premises. He tried to chalk it up to paranoia, that wary suspicion that things were going to get worse still.

There wasn't much he could do about it but try to shake the feeling off.

Turning around and going home wasn't an option. Despite all else, he still had a job to do, a job that he was going to try and enjoy to the fullest before he had to say his final goodbyes.

Stopping at the front doors of the building, he took a calm breath before composing himself and walking through.

He smiled at the receptionist, as he usually did in the mornings, but instead of smiling back and greeting him as per the norm, the beta woman wiped at her forehead and gave him a worried look.