The Boy Who Didn't Love

41 - empty heart

Mr. Price was back.

Ali had received a text in the morning from Marina, warning her of his visit and letting her be the one to inform his son. She wasn't entirely sure how to go about it, and she tried to procrastinate as long as she possibly could.

She fidgeted with her hands as she absently gazed out of the car window, her mind elsewhere. She was nervous about his reaction; this was the first time he would be seeing his father since they started dating. Mr. Price had been incredibly busy the last year—after all, he was building 30 new department stores across several states and discussing international expansions. They both had a lot to catch up on, especially since Sawyer had decided to leave his new relationship status a secret while he was gone.

"Alice," Sawyer said as he wrapped his hand around her clenched fist, drawing her attention. She blinked, momentarily dazed, and realized they had arrived at the store already. He gently opened up her fist and laced their fingers together, staring at her keenly. "What are you thinking about?"

She pursed her lips before exhaling sharply. "I got a text from Marina this morning. She said your father is coming today. He might already be inside."

There was no visible reaction on his face, but his grip on her hand loosened slightly. Wordlessly, he took a quick look around the parking lot around them; she watched as his eyes finally settled on something behind her, making him tense in his seat. He didn't say anything for a few seconds, and she desperately wished she could see the thoughts shooting across his mind.

"Will you be alright, Sawyer?" Ali asked softly, squeezing his hand as a sign of support.

He nodded, avoiding eye contact, and quickly squeezed her hand back before climbing out of the car. She followed suit, watching him from the corner of her eye as they walked into the store together. As if by psychic forces, Mr. Price stepped out of his office and immediately met his son's eyes the second they came in.

A wide, charming smile crawled onto his face as he opened his arms. "Ah, there's the unbeatable customer service duo! You two have been doing some great work this past year, I'm glad to finally be here to commend you both in person. How have you been, Ali? Have you gotten used to the small town life yet?"

"Yes, I've been doing really great. This place has definitely grown on me," she replied with a smile that rivaled his own. "And how are you, Mr. Price? I've heard that business is going well with your expansion plans, congrats."

"Thank you! It's cost me a year's worth of sleep, but I'm very happy with the results," he said before glancing over at his son, who had been staring at him since the moment he appeared. "Ali, if you could please handle customer service while I have a quick conversation with my son, that would be fantastic."

Before she could respond, the two men disappeared into his office, shutting the door behind them. Ali stood there idly for a moment, then quickly scurried over to her station.

She checked the time every couple of minutes while attempting to distract herself with work. Marina, as she was making her rounds, noticed the countless worried glances directed at the office. She walked over to her with a pointed look. "You're going to sprain your neck if you keep looking back every ten seconds, Ali."

"Sorry," Ali said sheepishly, then let out a heavy sigh. "I know I'm just being impatient, but damn, it feels like they've been in there for hours."

"Well, they have a lot to talk about, don't they? It's logical, Ali. It's not a telltale sign of anything bad, so don't waste your energy on worrying about it just yet. Besides, you know Sawyer can handle his own," Marina reasoned as she mechanically organized the items along the counter in between them. With great reluctance, Ali nodded and forced herself to stop thinking about it, with the help of Brady's company whenever their supervisor wasn't looking.

Five lollipops and ten Marina scoldings later, the door to Mr. Price's office flew open with an echoing thud. Ali instantly jolted up from her seat and watched as a disheveled Sawyer looked around wildly. Even from afar, she could see the hostile expression on his face, and when his gaze finally landed on her, she immediately felt unsettled. He softened momentarily before abruptly turning around and storming out of the store.

Ali quickly checked the time—she still had two hours left of her shift—then turned to Marina for permission, who nodded in understanding. Ali picked up her stuff in a rush and made way for the exit, passing by Mr. Price's open office in the process. He was sitting at his desk with his chin resting on his hands and a tense air circling around him; he and Ali briefly made eye contact, and for the first time, he didn't smile upon seeing her.

She shrugged it off and ran outside, finding Sawyer leaning his head against the car with his fists clenched in the parking lot. She tilted her head to try to get a look at him and reached out to touch his shoulder. "Hey, what—"

"Leave me alone, Alice," he cut her off, icy irritation laced in his tone. He had never spoken to her this way; even in heated moments between them, his voice would always be flat and void of emotion.

She retracted her hand and frowned. "Sawyer, I'm just asking you what happened in there. Did you tell your dad about us?"

"I don't want to talk to you right now," he said harshly, ignoring her question. She took a step back and peered at him for a moment, trying to decide what would be the best plan of action for the both of them. Usually, in times of stress, he simply needed some space for a while and she was always willing to give him that.

"Okay, I understand. Let's just go home and cool off before we talk then?" Ali suggested gently, once again reaching out to him, but he moved away. He kept his head down the entire time, deterring her from catching any glimpse of his face—specifically, the tortured expression on it.

"No. I don't want to talk about it at all."

Ali narrowed her eyes at him but kept her voice calm and steady. "Well, that's not possible, Sawyer. You have to tell me at some point because it's about us, it affects both of us. Especially since your dad is my boss too."

  He didn't respond, and she sighed quietly. Her voice lowered to a tone that always seemed to pull at his heartstrings due to its natural softness, warmth, and overt vulnerability. "We've talked about this before, Sawyer. You know, about how important communication is in a relationship because if you're not willing to communicate things with your partner in a healthy manner, then you shouldn't be in a relationship to begin with. That's what a good partner does, we owe that to each other."

  Sawyer stiffened when he realized his own incompetence at that moment, and his body began to grow hot from an overwhelming amount of guilt swarming his senses for the first time in his life. In his mind, she had just insinuated that he was not a good partner to her, and it sent him over the edge when he was already hanging from a mere branch. 

"Then maybe we shouldn't be in a relationship," Sawyer suddenly exclaimed as he finally lifted his head up to meet her eyes.

  His words rendered her speechless for a moment, but the expression on her face was enough to show him the gravity of what he had just done. Regret sunk its piercing teeth into him, but he was too overwhelmed with anger to push it away before it left its mark.

Instead, he opened the car door and drove home with an empty passenger seat and an empty heart.