Fire and Freedom - Book One of the Café Latte Trilogy

Chapter Thirty-Four - Ross

Chapter Thirty-Four – Ross

Everyone was tiptoeing around me, and it was seriously beginning to piss me off. Whenever I walked into work, Louise was overly kind and gave me really simple jobs to do. I knew she was forcing the harder stuff on everyone else, and they were gladly taking it because they knew what had happened. Except I wasn't upset, and they were acting like someone had died. Jasper had left me.

"Lou," I said, leaning over the desk. "I've done those jobs; surely you've got something else for me to do."

Louise, who had hidden a huge pile of documents underneath her desk, shrugged innocently. "There's nothing else that you need to do. Have the day off."

"This happened yesterday," I reminded her.

She smiled demurely. "Well, we're having a bit of a dry spell anyway – so just enjoy it while you can. When everything settles down I'm sure you'll have lots of work to do."

"Good," I said, and then leaned further over the desk. "If I find that the standard of work has slipped because you think I'm suddenly an emotional wreck, I will be furious. Do you understand?"

Louise pushed me back slightly. "Look, Ross. We're looking out for you."

"And you don't need to," I said snappily. "So quit it, alright? Jasper left – I get that everyone thinks it's the end of the world, but I'm fine."

"Alright, alright," she said, holding her hands up in defence. "We were just trying to help you, idiot. Go on your lunch break, and when you come back I'll give you some work. Hard shit. You'll be here until eight and you'll cry."

"Thank you," I said, exasperated.

"You know, when most people go through a break-up, they deal with their emotional issues," Louise noted.

"Bite me," I muttered, grabbing my jacket and exiting the office. It was sweltering, and I immediately regretted bothering to take a jacket. I threw it in the back seat, and noticed that there was another jacket lying on one of the seats. I frowned, and picked it up.

"Damn it," I groaned. It was Jasper's. Maybe I could sneak it to Tom to give to him. I felt like I was in school again, trying to sneak around so I didn't run into someone I'd pissed off. I pulled out of the car park, and headed onto the main road. I wasn't hungry, and I was somehow beyond the need for caffeine, so I drove around aimlessly for a while until I decided to go and see Harper. I knew he was at home, resting.

I was pissed. I was irritated. Everyone was treating me like a porcelain doll that would break if they weren't careful, and it was incredibly annoying. At least Harper wouldn't do that. I pulled up outside his house and barrelled into it. Fortunately, he left his door unlocked.

"Afternoon," I said, finding him on the sofa watching Netflix.

"You know, most people knock," he commented, and then caught sight of my face. "Jesus Christ, what happened to you? You look like you're here to murder me."

"No," I collapsed next to him on the sofa. "I'm just sick of people acting like I'm going to fall apart at any time."

Harper eyed me. "I take it that you're not about to fall apart, then?"

I groaned and put my head in my hands. "No, I'm just... you'd think he died or something, or that we were getting a freaking divorce. We weren't even a couple, just..."

"You were close," he told me. "It's the closest you've gotten to a person in that way in a long, long time. We just don't want you to feel like it was a bad thing."