Candyman

Chapter 9 - Midnight City

"You're fucking kidding, you did not say that to her," Steve retorted with a laugh. You were recounting your final dramatic exit for him as you sat at the island in his kitchen, both of you shuffling around bowls of poké, edamame, and gyoza.

"I did! I swear I did! I said that she's a fucking bitch and now everyone at the bar knows it," you laughed, reaching across him to take a piece of gyoza. After your dramatic exit, and then lunch drinks with the two girls who you could actually consider your friends, you had called Steve to let him know the news. He knew he was partially at fault for it all, at least you thought so. He had Thomas pick you up yesterday afternoon and you had spent most of last night either snuggling up to him or crying in his arms. You had never been fired from a job before, usually priding yourself on your work ethic and uncanny ability to endure most anything. It didn't really feel good.

His meeting was early in the morning in the city, so you missed him when you finally got up. It was almost eerie being in the house alone, padding around in bare feet and one of Steve's oversized sweaters, white cable knit with a few frayed bits. The morning cup of coffee on the deck provided its own contemplations. You were unemployed, officially. You did have some savings, some money coming in, but only as long as Steve still found you interesting enough to want you at the events. So now you couldn't even say you weren't doing it for the money. You supposed that part of Bucky's prediction had come true, not that you were okay with it.

It scared you a little bit how much your life had become entangled with Steve's. You didn't want to think that without him, you were nothing. After all, you were smart, you had a good head on your shoulders, you had prospects. You could get another IT role, one with weekends off most likely. You had friends, family, plenty to be proud of that you had done all on your own. You weren't nothing without him. But you didn't want to be without him. This house was too big without him, the lake too wide.

So when he came back with a huge smile and the perfect lunch, your heart warmed you from within. The view of him didn't hurt either, charcoal gray suit, pressed white shirt, gray and black striped tie. But there were little things, tiny details that hinted at his state of mind. His hair fell a bit flat from running his hands through it, a small scab on his bottom lip from where he had been chewing, his tie looser than normal for having come from a meeting with investors. However, when you asked how it went, he brushed it off, saying that it wasn't important, and changed the subject back to your classiest of dramatic exits.

"She just gave off such a weird, fake vibe to me," he confirmed, stealing a piece of tuna from your bowl. It didn't matter, you stole some salmon from his.

"That's because that's all she was. She would jump on the latest trend, claim to be whoever's biggest fan, and once she wasn't getting any attention from that, she would drop it for the next thing. In all the years I worked with her, I don't think I know one genuine thing about her," you finished.

"Well, now you are rid of her once and for all," he said with a wide smile which you just didn't have in you to mirror. It dropped from his lips as soon as he recognized your dejection and he sighed, bringing a hand to cup your cheek, "I know you would have rather it been your decision, or for it to not have happened the way it did, but I would be lying if I said I wasn't a little bit happy. You get to come to Europe now. You got out of a job that I know didn't challenge or thrill you anymore. Plus, you don't have to accidentally find weird porn on computers anymore, you can watch whatever it is that you're into in the comfort of my bedroom," he teased and you threw an edamame bean at him, hitting him in the forehead. Still, he managed to pull a smirk from within you.

"That is true. I was definitely over being a meat-shield between the company and customers," you sighed, "It's just weird for me, being fun-employed."