CHAPTER 5: THE THINGS FRIENDS DON'T SAY.
1248 Words
Amariah
I was halfway through the Henderson file when my phone started buzzing insistently. I didn’t even need to check the screen to know who it was. Only Kelly would call this many times in a row without sending a message first.
I picked up on the third ring. “What is it?”
“What do you mean what is it?” she snapped immediately. “You’ve been ignoring me all day.”
“I’m working.”
“On a Saturday?”
“Yes, Kelly. Some of us have responsibilities.”
She scoffed. “Please. Don’t act like you enjoy it. That man is stressing you, and you’re here defending him.”
I paused. “I dunno…” “Just… whatever.”
“Hmm,” she hummed, clearly not convinced. “Anyway, get dressed. You’re coming over.”
I blinked. “I’m not—”
“I already ordered food,” she cut in quickly. “And before you start, no, you’re not cancelling on me. You’ve been acting strange all week at the office.”
“I have not.”
“You have,” she insisted. “You zone out. You literally stare at his office like you’re trying to see through the walls.”
I sat up straighter. “I do not do that.”
Kelly laughed, a sharp, teasing sound. “Oh, you do. It’s embarrassing actually.”
“Kelly.”
“Relax. Nobody else has noticed. Just me.”
That didn’t make it better.
I glanced at my laptop. The unfinished file glared back at me. My fingers itched to type, but I forced myself to sit still.
“I still have work.”
“And you’ll still have it tomorrow,” she replied. “Unless Jason personally plans to come to your house and collect it.”
My silence said too much.
Kelly caught it instantly.
"…Wait,” she said slowly. "Don’t tell me you’re actually thinking about him right now.”
"I’m not."
“You are.”
I exhaled, feeling a mix of frustration and something else I didn’t want to name. “Kelly—”
“Just come over,” she said, softer this time. “Eat, gist, sleep here. You need a break. And I need details.”
I hesitated.
Then I closed my laptop.
“Fine.”
“Good girl,” she said, grinning.
“And Amariah?”
“Yes?”
“Don’t pretend like nothing is happening. I sit two desks away from you. I see everything.”
The call ended.
I stared at my phone for a second, feeling a strange combination of relief and dread. Then I stood up and grabbed my bag.
When I arrived, Kelly opened the door with a wide smile. “Look who finally decided to have a life,” she said, stepping aside.
“Don’t start,” I muttered, walking in.
Her apartment wrapped around me like a warm blanket. The faint scent of her candle mixed with the aroma of the food. Everything was comforting, easy. Exactly what I needed.
“You look tired,” she said, watching me carefully.
“I am tired.”
“Mmm,” she nodded slowly. “Work tired or Jason tired?”
I shot her a look. “You’re not serious.”
“Oh, I’m very serious.”
I ignored her and dropped my bag. “Where’s the food?”
“See? That’s why I like you. Straight to the important things.”
Dinner started casually, but I could feel the underlying tension in every word.
“So,” Kelly said, picking at her food, “you and James are good?”
I blinked. “Where did that come from?”
“I’m asking,” she shrugged. “You haven’t mentioned him all week.”
“That’s because nothing is wrong,” I said. “James is fine.”
“Hmm.”
“What is that supposed to mean?”
“It means,” she said, looking at me carefully, “you’re talking about your boss more than your boyfriend.”
I froze slightly.
“That’s not true.”
“Really?” she leaned back. “Because from where I’m sitting, every time Jason calls your name at the office, you forget what you’re doing.”
My heart skipped a beat. “That’s not—”
“And don’t even get me started on the way you went quiet after that meeting yesterday.”
I frowned. “You noticed that?”
"Yes, you just… freeze sometimes. It’s cute,” she said lightly.
I looked down at my plate, suddenly less hungry.
“It’s nothing,” I said. “He just… acts differently sometimes.”
“Differently how?”
I hesitated, chewing my lip.
“He stands too close,” I admitted quietly. “And the way he looks at me sometimes… it’s like…” I shook my head. “Then yesterday, when he called me in to give me the Henderson file, he acted like I don’t exist.”
Kelly’s fork paused mid-air. Just for a second. Then she smiled. “So, hot and cold boss behavior. Nice.”
“It’s not nice. It’s confusing.”
“The things that confuse us the most… we usually can’t ignore,” she replied.
“I have a boyfriend.”
“Exactly,” she said, her tone unreadable. “You have James.”
Something about the way she said his name made me look up.
“What is that supposed to mean?”
“Nothing,” she said quickly, smiling again. “I’m just saying… don’t get carried away.”
“I’m not getting carried away.”
Kelly laughed and shook her head. “I swear, you’re already halfway gone before you even realize it,” she muttered.
“I heard that.”
“Good.”
I shook my head, trying to laugh it off. “You’re impossible.”
“And you’re in denial.”
I could feel my cheeks warming. I shoved another bite of food into my mouth, trying to focus on something, anything other than Jason.
The hum of the fridge and the faint jazz playing from her speaker made the room feel alive, not empty.
Kelly
She really has no idea.
I watched her talk, the way her face softened just slightly when she mentioned Jason. Of course it had to be him.
I see the way he moves around the office. The way people straighten when he walks past. The way his voice drops when he’s serious. He’s got that kind of presence… I can see why she’d be distracted.
So if he’s looking at her…
My grip tightened slightly around my glass.
“And James?” I asked again, like it was nothing.
She shrugged. “He’s fine.”
Fine. That told me everything.
I almost smiled. At least someone in her life is stable.
She rolled her eyes, but didn’t argue. Of course she didn’t. Because even she knows this thing with Jason… whatever it is… isn't stable.
I leaned back, studying her. She trusts me. Doesn’t even know what she’s giving away. And she thinks it’s harmless. Ha.
I looked down at my drink, then back at her. “Just be careful,” I said, sipping my drink.
She nodded. Of course she did. Because she thinks I’m on her side.
I am. Just not in the way she thinks.
Because if this turns into something more… I already know one thing for sure. I’m not stepping aside.
- Writer
