Chapter 10: Confrontation (Tristan's POV)

I parked the car once we got back to the office building and we both climbed out. I started heading for the entrance but I realized she hadn't moved. 

"Tristan." 

I turned back around and saw that she was still on the other side of the car. 

She put her arms on top of the car and spoke to me over it. "I don't think I should come with you to the wedding." 

"Why?" I asked, my body mirroring hers. 

"It's not a good idea, you know it too. And your dad, frankly speaking, doesn't like me much. He never has. He always saw me as a distraction for you, he was convinced—" 

"That I quit soccer because of you?" 

She nodded. 

"I did." 

"What?" she asked, raising her eyebrows. 

"Not in high school, but after that. I didn't get into soccer professionally, I got into business and writing instead." 

"Why? You were never interested in either of those." 

"Yeah," I nodded. "But I was interested in you." 

She stared at me, squinting a little under the sunlight. "I don't think your dad will be very happy to see me." 

"Well, we aren't going for him." 

"It's his wedding." 

"Yeah, but we're going for Ashley. She really wants you to be there, just put up with it. It's one day." 

She sighed in defeat, "Fine." She rounded the car and we started walking to the door. 

"Are you going to tell your boy-toy?" 

"He's not my boy-toy," she said, glancing at me from the corner of her eye. "He's my boyfriend." 

"Whatever, will you tell him?" 

"Will I tell my boyfriend that I'm your date to someone's wedding? Hmm, I wonder. Obviously not," she scoffed. 

"Emma." 

We both stopped and turned around. "Oh, speak of the devil," I scoffed, watching Stefan jog over to her. 

"Hey, you're here," she chuckled awkwardly. "Again," she mumbled under her breath. 

I bit back a laugh, taking a step away from her and increasing the distance between us. 

"I need to talk to you," he huffed. 

"You could have called, babe." 

I resisted an eye-roll. Why does she have to call him babe in front of me? 

"It's important." 

"Ms. Bailey." 

She turned to me. 

"Lunch break ends in fifteen minutes, just be upstairs by then." 

"No, you can stay," he said, looking at me. "It won't take long, you can just take her with you." 

She frowned in confusion, looking at him. "What are you talking about?" 

He grabbed her arm. "Come with me." She walked with him and they stood a few feet away from him. His back was to me and her face was to me. He was talking, she was looking at him in confusion. Then that confusion morphed into realization and she tried talking but it looked like he cut her off. 

It looked like they were arguing, actually. 

She shook her head, saying something in return. He stepped closer to her while talking and she huffed, shaking her head again, arguing with him. Then he glanced over his shoulder at me and said something else. 

Wait a second. Has she... has she even told him about us? Because if she hasn't, there's a very good chance that he just found out. 

She nodded, saying something, and then gestured to me, shrugging slightly. She folded her arms across her chest, asking him something. His shoulders slumped and he nodded softly. She mumbled something, looking at me for a brief moment, and then looked back at him. He nodded again. He turned around and started walking over and she rolled her eyes, following him. 

I didn't say anything, I just stood there in silence. 

"Tristan, meet Stefan, my boyfriend. Stefan, meet Tristan, my ex-boyfriend, and boss," she said bluntly. 

I saluted him with two fingers. He folded his arm across his chest and I resisted the urge to laugh. 

"You could have told me when we met last night." 

"It didn't seem like a very good thing to say on the first meeting. No bad impressions, you know. And I had no idea whether she told you or not." I glanced at her. "From the looks of it, she didn't." 

"She did." And he still acted like this. "I've seen pictures of you both. I knew you last night, I just couldn't remember where I'd seen you." 

I sighed, rolling my eyes and tucking my hands into my pockets. "So, what's the deal now? Is this meant to be a confrontation?" 

"A confrontation? Maybe," he nodded. 

"For fuck's sake," she sighed beside him, looking around. "Is this really necessary?" she asked him. 

"Yes, it is," he snapped at her. 

I worked my jaw, watching him. "What's the problem? You don't want her working for me?" I lifted a brow at him. 

"I don't care that you're her boss, I trust her." 

"Do you? Is that why you're here?" I chuckled. 

"I trust her," he repeated. "Because I know her. It's you I don't trust." 

"Then you should read the HR policy we have. Office romances and affairs could get her fired. I'm sure she values her job and I value her." 

He clenched his jaw. 

"As my assistant, of course," I smiled. 

"Tristan," she said warningly. 

"You've got five more minutes of calling me that. Lunch break ends and you're back to Ms. Bailey, I'm back to Mr. Reed." I looked at her. 

She was staring at me.

I turned to the redhead. "You don't have to worry. I don't mix business with pleasure. We had what we had, you can't change that. But it's what we had." I glanced at her. "It's gone now. Our relationship is one of business. I'm her boss, that should strike off the romance, right?" 

He watched me for a minute. "It should. That doesn't mean it does. For all I know, you're still in love with her." 

"And why would I still be in love with her?" 

If he's asking me that, that means she didn't tell him everything. He doesn't know how she left me. If he did, he would think I'd hate her, as any normal person would. As I should hate her. I'm the problem. I'm the one who doesn't hate her. At all. 

She looked at me. 

I could ruin everything for her right now if I told him the truth. He would undoubtedly confront her and their relationship would crack because he wouldn't trust her anymore. She hasn't lied, per se, but she has been hiding the truth and it's practically the same thing. So the question is, to be or not to be? To ruin her... or not to ruin her? 

"Our breakup was mutual, man." 

She visibly relaxed when I lied for her. 

"She was moving to Boston and I wasn't. So if we both decided to leave each other, why would I still feel anything for her? And she knows that. Don't you?" I turned to her. 

She kept looking at me. "Yeah, I do," she mumbled softly. 

I looked back at her boyfriend. "She doesn't mean anything to me anymore." 

He turned to look at her and even I did. She looked away. She was looking around again. And I don't know if he could tell or not, but I could. She was hurt. What I had just said, hurt her to the core. 

"Just how I don't mean anything to her anymore," I mumbled. 

She stared at the concrete under our feet. 

He turned to me and I pulled my gaze away from her and focused on him. "I hope for your sake, that this relationship stays professional now," he said to me. For my sake? Okay, but he's such a moron if she thinks she would cheat on him with me. 

She might want to sometimes, but she wouldn't. 

"And if it doesn't?" I lifted a brow at him, smirking. "What are you going to do, Stefan?" 

He worked his jaw. 

"Don't worry. We won't have to find out." I glanced at my watch. "Well, lunch break is over. Wrap this up and come upstairs," I said to her. "And you." I looked at him. "Don't ever show up at my office like this again. You'd be surprised at how much trouble that could get you in. Your relationship with her has nothing to do with her job here at my company. So keep it separate. If you're picking her up, don't get out of the car, don't come into the building or near its entrance. You're not a member of staff, you're not meant to be around here. So, I'd just suggest you leave while I'm still asking nicely. I'll see you upstairs, Ms. Bailey." I turned around and walked inside, rolling my eyes as I scanned my ID and walked in. 

I walked past the front desk and to the elevators. I pressed the button and waited. "What a fucking moron," I scoffed to myself. I felt my phone ringing in my pocket and pulled it out, answering it. "Hey," I sighed. 

"Hey, are you working?" he asked. 

"What do you think?" I asked, pressing the elevator button repeatedly. 

"Listen, I'm hosting poker-night tonight. You in?" 

"I don't know Jasper, who's coming?" 

"You, me, Zach, Xavier." 

"Is this meant to be a college reunion?" I chuckled, glancing outside where they were still talking. But she looked pretty sick of the conversation and it didn't look like she wanted to hear him out this time around. 

"Just us guys. You in, or not?" 

"Yeah, I'm in. I'll be there by eight-thirty." 

"Okie-doke. See you then." 

"See you." I hung up as the doors opened. I stepped inside, leaning against the wall with a sigh. "If I would have known hiring her would come with a clingy, insecure boyfriend, I wouldn't have done it," I snorted.

.

.

.

.

.

Chapter 10

anyone got any good song recs?

next chapter: space