Shay's POV
The meeting with our client took longer than I had expected. We finally left the restaurant at nearly half past five in the afternoon. Since we had successfully secured the deal and were feeling a bit exhausted, Chase and I decided to head to a bar to celebrate our first successful meeting together.
Chase ordered a whiskey on the rocks, while I opted for a Bloody Mary. We clinked our glasses together and sipped our drinks in comfortable silence.
Suddenly, I thought about Sylvia. Now that Chase and I were off work, I figured this would be the perfect opportunity to invite her to join us. That way, we could all hang out together, and I could finally introduce them. She might not like the idea, but it was still worth a shot.
I grabbed my phone from my purse and scrolled through my contact list for her number.
"Mind if I invite a friend to join us?" I asked, glancing at Chase.
He looked at me with mild curiosity.
"What friend?"
I called her number and turned slightly to face him.
"My best friend."
He smirked and took another sip of his drink.
"Is she hot?"
I rolled my eyes.
"Not your type, so don't even think about it."
He narrowed his eyes at me.
"Honey, everyone is my type, including you. Which is why we almost got married in the first place. So, what's her name?"
"Sylvia."
He frowned, looking thoughtful.
"Sounds familiar. What does she do?"
The call didn't go through. I dialed her number again before answering him.
"You know her. You like to order her around."
He raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me?"
I playfully glared at him.
"She works at your company. As Jason's PA."
His eyes widened slightly.
"Ooh, that Sylvia. I was wondering when I'd finally meet her. She's got quite a mouth on her, though. Sure, tell her to come over."
I rolled my eyes and perked up in surprise when she finally answered the phone.
"Hey," she mumbled.
"Where are you? I'm at a bar with Chase. Wanna join us?"
She groaned lightly. "Chase who?"
I frowned and glanced at him. She sounded kind of drunk already.
"The Chase Evans. Waitâwhat are you doing right now?"
A long pause. "I'm also out having a drink."
That was unexpected. Sylvia never went out alone to drink.
"With who?" I asked.
Another long pause.
"Um... with Jason."
My grip on the phone tightened. Jason? Why were they drinking together? That didn't sound right at all. Was he trying to use her too?
I hung up and tossed my phone onto the counter. Chase watched me curiously.
"Is she not coming?"
I downed my drink and signaled the bartender for a refill.
"No, she's not. Apparently, she's already having drinks with Jason."
Chase chuckled. "Wait, didn't you just say she's your best friend?"
I nodded and pulled my refilled glass toward me.
"She is. I don't mind if she won't disrespect him for my sake because of what he did to me, but I just don't like that he's hanging out with Sylvia more than necessary. Even outside of work."
"Well, that's something your friend should really be aware of," Chase said, swirling the ice in his glass. "If she's really your friend, she should know what Jason is capable of by now."
I chuckled and gave him a side glance.
"It's not Sylvia I'm worried about. It's him. Which is why I'd better go check up on her to make sure she's okay. She sounded drunk on the phone, and I'm not about to take the risk of letting her stay with Jason tonight."
Chase squinted at me suspiciously.
"Are you sure you're not just jealous that they're together right now?"
I scoffed, stood up from my stool, and grabbed my phone.
"If I were jealous, you'd know."
He raised his glass at me in amusement. I smiled, then turned around and left the bar.
Not after what he did to me. I was never trusting Jason again.
Jason's POV
I watched her try to call Shay again, but she was struggling to keep her eyes open. It was kinda hilarious to finally witness this side of Sylviaâone of the most uptight people I know. I had only invited her out to dinner as a friendly gesture, but also because I wanted to learn a few things about Shay from her, just in case I planned something special for her one day.
But when she suddenly received a call from home on the drive to the restaurant, she requested that we head to a bar instead. Now, after her sixth glass of Moscow Mule, I had no choice but to deal with her drunk ass.
"Can I get another oneeee over here?" she shouted at the bartender.
He glanced over at us, and I quickly shook my head at him. Reaching out, I pushed the empty glass away from her hands.
"I think you've had enough, Miss Falcon. We should probably get you home."
She turned around to face me, squinting her eyes while smiling.
"Who's Miss Falcon? What... kind of name is that? I... am Sylvieeee, FYI!"
I nodded and started pulling her off the barstool.
"I know. Let's get you home now, shall we?"
Luckily, she didn't put up much of a struggle. I helped her out to my car and placed her in the backseat, where she was already getting comfortable, preparing to sleep. Closing the door behind her, I jumped in the front and started driving to her place.
I already knew her address since I'd been there once to drop her off after a business event a year ago, but I wasn't sure what floor or apartment number was hers.
My mind wandered back to Shay. After Sylvia called her at the bar, I figured she was still with Chase. Annoyance filled me as the thought of them together danced around in my head. I knew for sure Chase wouldn't try anything to betray meâit was her that I was a little worried about.
Since I now knew how much she wanted to get back at me, I just hoped she wouldn't try to involve Chase more than he already was, just to make me feel something else other than anger. Jealousy, perhaps? No, I couldn't think about that right now. She wouldn't go that far.
I pulled up in front of Sylvia's apartment and stepped out of the car to help her out of the backseat. For someone so small and petite, she sure felt heavy when she was drunk and half-asleep.
Note to self: never ask another girl out for drinks unless I plan to leave early before they start getting wasted.
We stumbled inside the elevator, and I gently shook her awake.
"What floor is your apartment on?"
She grinned back with her eyes still closed.
"I don't know... ten, maybe... oh yes! It's on the tenth floor."
I pressed the button, and the doors closed. She started laughing, and I glanced at her in confusion.
"Did you know... that um... Tom Holland was my neighbor? He rented an apartment here just for a day. Can you believe it?"
Okay, that's it. This was definitely the alcohol talking. But if what she was saying was true, I wouldn't be surprised. The whole apartment building she lived in was too perfect for my taste, and I could totally believe that a few celebrities rented places here from time to time.
The elevator finally reached the tenth floor, and when the doors opened, I was caught off-guard to see Shay standing right outside. She stared back at me with the same blank expression before her eyes slowly moved to Sylvia clinging to my side.
"What did you do?" she questioned, stepping inside and helping Sylvia walk out. I followed behind.
"I didn't do anything. She just had a little too much to drink, that's all."
Shay glared at me, rummaged through Sylvia's handbag for the keys, and then unlocked the door before helping her inside.
I wanted to make sure Sylvia was really okay, so I followed them in. Shay struggled to open the bedroom door before finally dragging Sylvia in. I waited in the living room, and after a few minutes, she came back out, closing the bedroom door behind her before shooting me another angry glare.
"You can leave. I can take care of her from here."
I nodded. "Sure. I just had to make sure she was okay."
She folded her arms across her chest and frowned.
"Why wouldn't she be? And by the way, why did you let her drink that much? She's a lightweight."
"I didn't know that. If I had, I wouldn't have agreed to take her to the bar when she insisted so much," I defended myself quickly.
Her glare wavered slightly.
"Stop trying to get closer to her. Whatever you're trying to do, just stop, okay? Stay away from both of us, Jason."
I chuckled and shoved my hands in my pockets.
"You're overreacting, alright? It was only a friendly gesture, and I wasn't planning on doing anything bad. Do you really think I'd stoop that low?"
She shrugged.
"I don't know. Since you like using people, who knows what your true motive with Sylvia is?"
I couldn't believe what she was saying. Glaring at her, I angrily stormed out of the apartment, not wanting to hear another ridiculous assumption about me. She followed and stood beside me as we waited for the elevator.
"Sylvia is just my assistant. I would never think of hurting her in any way."
She chuckled, and I quickly glanced at her.
"But you went out of your way to hurt me."
I turned to fully face her, but she was staring straight ahead.
"You were different. And why do you keep bringing that up?"
She swiftly turned to me, her eyes burning with fury.
"Because I can't stand you! You're everywhere, and I get reminded of what you did whenever I see you. Why can't you just understand that and stay away?"
I clamped my mouth shut, unable to answer her. The elevator doors opened, and she broke eye contact before stepping inside. I followed, and silence engulfed us. Neither of us could look at each other or say a word.
Once we got downstairs, she quickly walked out without looking back. I slowly trailed behind, watching as she got into her car and sped away.
No matter how much she wanted me to stay away, I couldn't do that. And I wouldn't stop. I'd keep trying until she finally forgave meâuntil I had her back.
No matter what happened, Shay and I would get back together. And this time, everything would be right again. I'd make sure of it.