Risk

Nineteen

"I bring a peace offering," she started, looking over to him as he barely granted her a hello. She held up the box of doughnuts she'd brought, a plastic bag with takeout lunch dangling beneath her fingers.  She regarded him for a moment before pushing her sunglasses onto the top of her head and let a small smirk play at the corner of her lips.

"Oh, the silent treatment? Do you plan on that lasting long?" She began to tease, gaining no reaction whatsoever as she set the things down on the table and removed her jacket. "You know, you're pretty hot when you're angry," she lightly stroked his cheek as she moved to stand by him.

"I'm not in the mood to play games, Nat." He said sighed, eyes skimming along the words on the screen of his laptop as he typed, moving his head away. "I'm busy,"

He knew she had narrowed her eyes at him, out of the corner of his eye he could see her stand off body language, protecting herself. "Alright then..."

She dropped onto the sofa beside him, and around 20 minutes of sipping water from the bottle until the nausea of last nights drinking started to pass, she snapped, just like he knew she would.

He continued to type, knowing her temper would have risen in the silence while she tried to battle the hangover she was facing. He knew how to get her to talk.

"Are you really acting like this with me because I went home and didn't come here?" She raised a brow at him. When he didn't answer, she reached over and pushed the laptop screen down slightly to force his attention on her.

"Like what?"

"Like this!" She frowned as he straighten up his screen and started working again. "James!" She snapped, her temper on a short fuse given her hangover. She wanted attention, not to be ignored. She was tired and aching and feeling sorry for her own stupid decision and wanted the comfort.

"What?!" He snapped back, frowning up at her.

"Why are you in such a foul mood?!"

"Because you're interrupting my work." He huffed at her, snapping his laptop shut. "Not all of us can run around drunk until the small hours of the morning and live carelessly."

She slowly raised both brows at him. "Careless? I'm 22, not careless. How would you know what I was up to anyway?"

"I had to call Maria to check you were alright after I saw how much of a mess you were." Her nostrils flared at the mention of her intoxicated state. "Since you never even bothered to answer me, I had to call to check you were alright."

"My phone died. I was fine, it's not like I was alone, I was in good hands!" She argued, watching him fight to bite his tongue. "What?!"

"Good hands, huh?"

"Yes! Clint and Maria had me," she folded her arms tighter across her chest.

"And Wanda?"

"Wanda stayed at a friends, what-"

"So you and Clint were left alone?"

She narrowed her eyes coolly at him as her jaw slackened slightly so her lips parted. "That's what this is then? You're jealous?"

"Why would I be jealous, Nat?" He raised a brow, patronising her so her blood began to boil as she moved to face him better.

"Exactly my point. What do you have to be jealous about? He's my best friend, we've been close since we were kids,"

"Oh I know you're close, closer than friends should be." He scoffed a little, almost regretting it as the fire ignited in her eyes.

"Excuse me?" She said lowly, a warning that he should pick his next words carefully.