9
Carter
“Why are you being so stubborn about this?” I yell with my hands in the air. “It’s crazy, Raelyn.”
Everyone else has scurried away, afraid to be around us anymore. They are all getting used to the fights now and they avoid us like the plague when it happens. I know I should stop all this, it puts a dent in production, but I can’t. The more time I spend with Raelyn, the more confusing my feelings become, the more I fight. But she’s fighting back just as hard, which leaves me curious. What is she yelling for?
“Why can’t you just see that my way is better? You’re the one who is acting stubborn!”
“Because these are my machines and I know what I’m doing. Don’t be so ridiculous.”
“But I’m not saying that you’re wrong! I’m just saying that you should look at my way of doing things because it’s efficient and much cheaper. You know the quality isn’t compromised, you’ve seen it yourself.”
“I just don’t think that we need to change things when everything is working just fine, thank you.”
She rolls her eyes. “Don’t be like that. Don’t be so rigid. Is that how you progress? By never changing.”
“Change is only necessary if something is wrong, and there isn’t anything wrong here.”
“No, but my way is better.” She throws her hands in the air in frustration. “You just don’t want to admit it…”
I don’t want her to say because she’s a woman, which we both know is true. “It’s not better, that’s why.”
She makes a sound I haven’t ever heard before. A guttural yell that comes deep from the pit of her stomach. She’s infuriated by me; I have pushed her too far. A part of me is desperately excited to see what will happen next, what she’ll do, how she’ll react. I know it’s twisted but I can’t help it.
“I can’t even talk to you, Carter. I can’t. I can barely work with you.” She rests her hands on her hips and her eyes flash with temper. “I will just have to show you. To prove to you that I’m right.”
She pushes up her sleeves and grabs some equipment to get to work on the production line. She isn’t afraid of hard work, she is totally fine with getting stuck into the work, and I have to admit I respect that.
“What are you doing, Raelyn?” I sneer, instead of showing my respect. “Don’t be so stupid.”
She glares at me, her piercing eyes sending a shiver racing up and down my spine. “Just watch.”
She does her thing, but instead of watching her, I can’t help but admire the determination on her undeniably beautiful face, the curves of her body, the color of her skin… everything about her intrigues me and reminds me of the sex dream I had about her. She was hot as hell and truly phenomenal. I know that wasn’t real life, but the effect that the dream had on my body sure was. And I can feel that again now.
My mouth runs dry, my heart beats faster, my stomach churns. There’s a deep desire to just grab her and kiss her right now. I want to wrap my arms tightly around her waist and make that fantasy become reality.
But I can’t. Of course I can’t, that would be crazy for so many reasons. One, she hates my guts and would probably punch me in the face. Two, everyone is around somewhere, even if they’re hiding, and three, I don’t want to go anywhere near another woman for as long as I live. I already decided that after Anna.
She cannot be trusted; I remind my slightly panicked brain. Don’t forget that.
But then she works with ease, talking the whole time, and she explains her reasoning. She’s right, I know she is. I think I knew that the moment I started this argument but I didn’t want to back down. And now I can’t keep battling, because she’s proven me wrong with evidence. This is going to have to be the moment that I give up the fight and I just accept it. She knows what she is talking about.
“Fine,” I say with my hands in the air. “I agree with you. You can stop now.”
“What?” She looks at me, clearly in shock. “What did you just say?”
I take in a deep sigh. “I said that I think you’re right. We will do it your way.”
She stops what she’s doing and almost falls backwards. “Are you serious? I have never heard you say that.”
“Say what?” I laugh, trying to sound amused, but somehow, the sound is stilted instead.
“That someone else is right. Especially me. I didn’t think you knew how. I thought… well, you’re so…”
“I do give credit where credit is due. And right now, credit is due.” I shrug as if it’s nothing.
She smiles. That’s it. That’s how she celebrates her victory. It sends me back in time to Anna again. The way that she would always rub things in my face if she was ever right. I thought it was funny, I tried my best not to take it to heart, and I assumed that was how everyone dealt with things. What an idiot I was.