Drunk In Love (Crushing Hard Series Book 3)

Dear Diary: 08/02/2019

Friday

Today was the team-building braai, and it was epic. I had an amazing time, probably the most fun I've had in a while. Kevin drove me to work since I’d planned to let loose and have a few drinks. Most of the girls in the office were ready to unwind too, which was a relief. Kevin and I seemed to be back on track, and I was careful not to mention anything about babies or weddings. I also made a point to avoid Scott. The less contact, the better, since I clearly couldn’t be trusted around him. Plus, it seemed like he was avoiding me too, which made things easier. He’d barely been in the office this week—apparently, he had meetings on site—and when he was there, he was glued to Aisha. I didn’t blame him. I had a knack for being the kiss of death for his relationships.

When I arrived at work, I was relieved to see most of the girls dressed casually, many in shorts, so I didn’t feel out of place in my white denim shorts and blue off-the-shoulder top. It was bold but not inappropriate. As I walked past, I noticed a few guys turning their heads, their eyes lingering for a moment longer than usual.

The atmosphere in the office was charged with excitement. Everyone was looking forward to the braai, and the buzz of anticipation made the day fly by. Some of the guys had left their cars at home and arranged alternative rides, which made me wonder just how wild these functions usually got. We knocked off at half twelve, and the party quickly began to take shape. Some colleagues Ubered to the beach, while others—like Natasha—had their moms drive them. Cailin and I caught a ride with Aisha, who, unlike the rest of us, doesn’t drink. I sometimes wish I had her self-discipline.

As we drove, Aisha casually mentioned how Natasha had tried to stir trouble over my outfit.

“That little bitch!” I said, outraged. “Almost everyone is wearing shorts! Adrienne is basically in booty shorts, so why is Natasha coming after me?”

Aisha shrugged. “She’s jealous of you.”

“Jealous of what?”

“You’re pretty, smart, and, well... Scott likes you,” she said, her focus more on signaling the car behind her than the bomb she’d just dropped.

“Wait... Scott likes me?” I could feel my cheeks heating up, and I silently cursed the blush that was creeping in.

“Oh, no, I didn’t mean it like that! I just meant he doesn’t pay attention to Natasha like he used to. The girls in the office go gaga over him, and now he doesn’t notice them as much.”

I tried to brush off the Scott comment, even though it left me flustered. “Natasha needs to stop worrying about what I’m doing and focus on herself. She’s starting to seriously piss me off.”

“Don’t even think about her, boo,” Cailin said, trying to soothe me. I frowned, imagining ways to deal with Natasha without getting myself fired.

When we finally arrived at the beach, I immediately spotted my colleagues scattered across the sand. Some were lounging on towels, others were kicking around a soccer ball. I almost did a double take when I saw our CEO at the grill, flipping meat with one hand and holding a beer with the other. The casualness of it all made me laugh.

Aisha’s gaze drifted over to the group playing soccer.

“Let me go say hi to Scott,” she said, already heading off.

I froze. “Scott’s here?”

“Yeah, he’s the one dribbling the ball. Did you really think he’d skip a company event?” Cailin looked at me like I’d said something ridiculous.

“Well, I didn’t see him at the office today, so I thought he wouldn’t show,” I muttered. Panic started creeping in. “It’s been so weird between us since Monday. I still haven’t processed everything. I don’t know if I can face him right now.”