If You Make a Deal With a Shadow...

Chapter 21

"Stop making a big deal out of the little things, 'cause I got big deals and I got little things. I got everything I'm asking for but you. Stop making a big deal out of the little things, let's get carried away."

- Mine by Beyoncé ft. Drake

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Two months being Payton's chef went by in a flash and Aubrey had completely grown accustomed to her shifts... finally. Although, Payton still hadn't returned to the old him—the one that that Aubrey liked a lot more—but she had already adjusted to the new him. She tried to follow his rules to the letter and did what he asked of her—most of the time. She had even asked him to let her keep her old beat-up car. Payton, being the nice, but caring man he is, let her keep her car, but insisted that she'd never drive it. He assured it was for her own safety, of course. Though she didn't understand why he'd let her keep it if she couldn't make use of it. It was so hard to understand him sometimes.

Throughout the weeks that she had been working for Payton she witnessed so many different sides of him. Some of it good, some bad. Yet, all-in-all it was different nonetheless. He would be nice to her one moment and be barking commands at her the next. She was starting to think he was the definition of mental. Especially now, when she was on the floor begging him to let her go to his game that was in two days.

"Please..." Aubrey poked her lip out as she held onto his leg for dear life. He wiggled his leg out of her embrace and looked at her, amusement in his eyes.

"Fine," he huffed and she quickly stood on her feet to celebrate. "But the others are accompanying you," he said and she immediately groaned with frustration. Her happiness depleted and she slumped her shoulders knowing that others meant Bonnie, Dana, and Ciara. " Ugh. Whyyy?" she whined and rolled her eyes. She really couldn't stand Ciara out of them all. That one just seemed to hate her from day one. Ever since she'd laid her eyes on Aubrey she'd been out to get her.

"Because it would be nice for you to have some friends—"

"You know damn well that they are not my friends," she growled insipidly.

Payton narrowed his eyes at her. "I've told you about cutting me off, Aubrey," his tone was calm, but she knew she was pushing it.

She snarled. "Whatever. They can come if they want, but I will not be the one informing them on every aspect of the game if they cannot understand it," Aubrey added before storming off. She shook her head because he knew how much she hated being around them so why did he insist on them being together?

Aubrey barely talked to him the rest of the day. He hates when she was upset with him but he knew to just leave her be to cool down. Payton had to leave the very next night and they barely had more than 5 conversations throughout the whole day. He knew he had to get his mind right for the game so fighting with Aubrey wasn't on his to do list. The day before the game the team usually stayed at a hotel near the stadium. Every time Payton had to leave the night or day before the game the house was complete pandemonium. No one seemed to know what to do without their precious Master there. Most of the time Aubrey wouldn't have to witness it if the games were on Sunday since she wasn't at Payton's on weekends, but when there were weekday games she went into her room and didn't come out until he arrived later on the night of the game.

This was Aubrey's first professional football game and she was incredibly excited to finally have her dreams come true. It was one of the reasons she didn't want to go with the others girls because she wanted her experience to be smooth sailing. She had prepared everything the night before so she could be ready. Her Under Armour long johns were laid out so she was ready for whatever the weather had to throw at them. She was so happy to be finally going to a football game that she could hardly hide her enthusiasm. She could barely sleep all night and when her alarm went off extra early she happily climbed out of her bed to make her fellow colleagues breakfast.