t h i r t y s e v e n
" are you sure we're in the right place ? "
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Simon pulled into the parking garage and grimaced. This was an expensive building with too much glass and posh cars parked beneath its sky-high reach.

"Did we make a wrong turn?" Simon questioned, turning around a corner only to see more shining cars, almost blinding. Suddenly he was conscious of every scrape and dent on his own car and found an inadequate sense of being.

"No," Cal replied from shotgun, "just pull in wherever, I guess. It's up to you."

"Okay," Simon said, unsure, but followed his instructions. He supposed that, if they got in trouble, it would be the three of them, not just him.

The car swung around into a parking space. Cal let out a noise of approval and swung the door open, hoping out before Simon had even turned off the engine.

"Nice parking, Minter," He commented, swinging his gym bag over his shoulder and slamming the door shut. "Joshua Bradley, hurry up and get your ass off tinder and out of the car before Simon locks you in."

Josh grumbled a few words under his breath but got out, closing the door and falling into place as they followed Cal to the elevator.

"Are you sure we're in the right place?" Josh asked as they entered the elevator and watched Cal press a button for the top floor. "Because this place is fancy and you're not."

"At least you're honest," Cal said and shrugged his shoulders, a smile worming onto his face, "but, yes, we'e in the right place."

"You seriously live here?" Simon asked as the elevator doors open to reveal a penthouse bigger than his own apartment at least three times over. Cal stepped out first, dropped his bag onto the nearest sofa and careened around to the kitchen, yanking open the fridge. "This place is incredible."

"Mad," Josh muttered as they both stare at the pristine furnished home, complete with sofas which looked like they could swallow you whole, a huge flat-screen TV, marble topped kitchen and smoothed wooden floors.

"I don't bring anyone here often," Cal said, bringing over a beer for each of them. "Consider yourselves lucky." There was no boast.

"I didn't know you were rich," Simon replied, taking the beer without thought, too caught up in the surprise. "Why the fuck are you working an office job if you're a millionaire?"

"You don't become a millionaire from nothing," Cal told him as he flopped himself down on the sofa, rocking his head back against the sofa cushion. "I own the company."

"You're our boss?"

"Why is that so hard to believe?" He takes a long swig of the ice cold beer he thought he deserved after one long hard training session: the most he'd sweated outside of bed in years.

"Because," Josh started, but found himself lost for words.

There was no polite way to describe why the thought of him being their boss hadn't even crossed their minds. He was a party boy. Borderline alcoholic. Sex fiend. His characteristics juxtaposed with the very idea of a boss. And yet, he was.

"You're really not kidding." Simon didn't pose it as a question as he sat down on the plush sofa beside Cal, condensation of the bottle beneath his fingers.

"No," Cal said.

"Why didn't you tell us?" Josh asked, sitting down on the far side, looking down at his hands. Maybe he was even cursing himself for being so oblivious, but how was he to know when all he did was swipe on Tinder all day?

"Didn't want to be looked at differently. The last lot of friends who knew turned out to not even be my friends. They just liked what my money bought them," He explained nonchalantly, taking another swig.

Simon wondered whether being indifferent to the past was the best way to deal with it, but decided that, in this case, it was. Cal had definitely learnt from it, so where was the harm? Maybe it was time for Simon to take a few leaves out of his book.

-

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Cora was shocked to find herself with a stomach full of worms when she heard Chris' voice call her name. With a sigh, she braced herself and turned to face his grinning face, tea towel keeping her fingers busy.

She stepped up to the bar and forced herself to smile indifferently. "Hey, what can I get you?"

"Um," He said, glancing to the pretty girl at his side and squeezed her hand without a second thought, "I just wanted to come and say hi and introduce my girlfriend Allie." The girl smiled sweetly and, annoyingly, it was genuine. "Allie, this is Cora. She owns the place."

"Hi, it's good to meet you. Chris doesn't shut up about this place so it was only fitting to finally come here," Allie said, fluttering her mascara darkened eyelashes, her bright smile lifting her entire expression into an air that was so happy it made Cora's blood churn.

"He doesn't? Well, he's spent enough time in here so he might as well be giving me some free advertisement," Cora joked, despite herself. She looked Chris dead in those sky-high blue eyes and flatly said, "I'm not giving you free drinks if that's why you came here."

Chris laughed loudly, and Allie joined in, but seemed uncomfortable at the comment that was very clearly not a joke.

"Would expect nothing less," He replied, smiling at her just like a friend would. Just a friend. Nothing more. "Well, we'll just take whatever you recommend," He said and watched her as she poured their drinks without a word. When he asked what it was as she slid it over the bar, she told him it was a surprise, not finding the words to joke with him for the way her throat burned. He paid, gave her another smile and wandered off to take a seat with his shining new girlfriend.

The irony of it all was that Cora always thought she could have any guy she wanted after she'd turned herself into the epitome of confidence walking. From those tall, dark, and handsome guys everybody dreams about to the wealthy married man, she always thought she could have it all and never thought twice about it. Never caught feelings. Never wanted to catch feelings.

But the one guy she truly wanted, didn't want her.

And it was already too late. She'd caught those feelings she'd so desperately tried to avoid, but realised it far too late to do anything about it. While she was coming to terms with it, he was getting to know a beautiful red head, complete with pretty freckles and full lips, and he'd caught feelings for her, just like she had for him.

Cora laughed breathlessly to herself in utter disbelief. She'd known the universe was cruel, but she didn't know it liked to play games like this.

Without a second thought, she unwrapped the apron from her waist, stuffed it into the shelf beneath the bar and walked away, taking herself upstairs where she couldn't see him with her anymore.

But she didn't feel any better.

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