“Very funny.” I look at both of them. “I’m dating Nico Harrison.”
“What do you mean by you’re dating Nico?” Francis asks.
“You need to clarify that just a touch more,” Trevor says,
“It’s pretty fucking self-explanatory,” I say. “I’m dating him.”
They just look at me. “We are in a relationship.”
“Shut the fuck up.” Francis is the first to say anything. “Is this an exclusive thing, or do you guys go out, hook-up, and then maybe hook-up again?”
“Have you ever looked up the meaning of a relationship before?” Trevor looks over at him. “How long has this been going on?”
“We came out publicly yesterday,” I say. “We’ve been together a while.”
“Does that mean the press got a hold of the story, and you want us to say no comment?” Trevor just looks at me.
“No,” I say. “I’m saying we had dinner yesterday, and he kissed me in front of people. I didn’t want you guys to hear it from anyone but me.”
“You know that this is a horrible, horrible idea,” Trevor says. I glare at him, and he knows, so he just holds up his hand. “I’m not saying he’s a bad guy. I’m just saying that I don’t think this is your best idea.”
“Give her a break, will you.” Francis looks over at Trevor. “It’s Becca. She wouldn’t just jump into shit without thinking about it.”
“That’s right,” I agree with Francis. “But to answer your question. I don’t think this is a horrible idea.” It hurts to even think that it is. “It’s a guy and a girl enjoying each other’s company.”
“It’s not a merger,” Francis says. “You don’t have to be all technical and shit. Just say I like him.”
“Fine,” I huff out. “I like him.” I look at both of them. “A lot.”
“How do you think other people will feel about this?” Trevor asks.
“It has nothing to do with anyone but us.” I sit up straight.
“People might think you give him special treatment,” Francis points out.
“That is the furthest from the truth,” I tell them.
“I know that, and you know that,” Trevor says. “But all of them.” He points at the office. “They don’t know that.”
“Well, then that’s a them problem. I’m not going to let people dictate who I can and can’t date.” I look at them. “Also, this isn’t up for discussion. I didn’t ask you to come in here to get your approval.” They just look at me. “I asked you to come in here so you don’t get blindsided in case someone sees us.” I don’t leave room for them to say anything.
“Thank you,” Trevor says, getting up. “Also, off the record, if he hurts you, he is going to kick his ass.” I laugh.
“You don’t get your hands dirty,” I point out.
“I didn’t say I was going to kick his ass.” He laughs. “I’m going to send Francis after him.”
“I have been hitting the weights pretty hard lately,” he says, getting up and walking out of the office after Trevor.
My phone pings with a text.
Nico: Might be late tonight. I’ll know more later.
Chapter 24
Nico
Checking my schedule once I get in, I see I have a meeting with the events people to discuss the coming months activities. I put my phone down as soon as I send the text to Becca. My eyes never leave the screen with her reply, a smile filling my face.
Becca: Thank you for the flowers. Let me know later.
The sound of someone knocking on my door makes me look up. “Hey,” Lizzie says, coming in and closing the door. “So.”
“So what?” I say, my heart beating a million miles a minute. I close my eyes, the throbbing starting to pound in my temples.
“What are you going to do?” she asks, sitting down in front of my desk in one of the empty seats.
“I have no fucking idea,” I say, my chest getting tighter and tighter. I just had a meeting with Laurene. “I guess I have no fucking choice at this point.”
She looks at me. “She would do it for you without thinking twice.”
“I know that,” I say. “One hundred percent know that if the roles were reversed, she wouldn’t even think twice about it.”
“I don’t get it then,” she says to me. “What’s the problem then?”
“It’s just …” I say, but I don’t know what to say really. I don’t know how it happened or when it happened, but Becca has crept her way into my bones. Everything about her makes my chest fill up and my face break into a smile. But not just any smile, the kind of smile that hurts your face. I look at my phone again, and just seeing her name makes my stomach sink. “It’s just bad timing.”
“Is there ever a right time for this?” Lizzie asks. I want to stand and throw something against the fucking wall. I want to yell at the top of my lungs.