Playing the Bosses

Meetings...

A/N: It's been a while since I've been this excited to post a chapter. I hope y'all enjoy!

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The Countdown: Five Weeks Until Eva's Deadline

35 Days Left

Caleb watched Eva with a glare as she walked into his office. He'd been upset with her over the past few days. After he helped her with her cramps and they took a nap together, she left the room and didn't come back, even after she said she would. After an hour had passed, when he realized that she wasn't coming back, Caleb had left Eva's room to see her on the couch between Justin and Adrian eating together. Feeling defeated, he didn't bother giving them a hard time about it as he usually would've done. Instead, he went back to his room. Since then, he'd been burying himself in his work to distract from the hurt he felt about Eva seemingly distancing herself just when he was opening up to her.

"Is everything okay, Mr. Peterson?" Eva asked Caleb once she reached his desk. "I know you've been busy all week. Did you still need me to take notes for this meeting?"

Caleb stared at her for several more moments before he finally answered once Eva made her agitation clear in her expression.

"Yeah," he said curtly and turned is attention his computer to continue working.

Eva looked at the time and saw that they still had about ten minutes until the start of the meeting. She realized that over the past few days, Caleb had been uncharacteristically quiet. She wondered if it was because she left him in bed. She'd learned that Caleb was a sensitive man, but considering she'd already taken a nap with him, she didn't think it would upset him that much that she didn't come back.

Although there had always been tension between her and Caleb, Eva preferred him to express his frustration with the loudmouth approach she'd grown used to. Something about silent approach he was currently taking didn't feel right to Eva.

"Do you want to tell me what's goin on with you, Mr. Peterson?"

Caleb cut his eyes up to her from the computer before returning them to the screen. "Nope," he replied.

Eva rolled her eyes at his response and turned her attention to the tablet in her lap. "Okay, then..."

A few minutes of silence passed between them before Caleb broke.

"You didn't come back," he said softly, his eyes still on the computer. "... When we were supposed to continue our nap nap."

"I wasn't sleepy anymore."

"Then why didn't you just say that? Why'd you tell me you were coming back if you weren't going to?"

"Mr. Peterson." Eva sighed. "You're the last person who should be talking to anyone about clear communication." 

"I don't give a fuck about being a hypocrite if it means I can call people out on their shit, especially people who think they're better than me."

"That was a far ass jump you just made. I thought this was about communication?"

"It is. You left me in bed after you specifically said you'd be back. I laid back down like a dumb ass and waited for you too, just to eventually give up and see you on the couch sitting between your two favorites."

Eva locked her tablet, leaned back in her seat and crossed her legs as she looked directly at Caleb. "Can you blame me?" she challenged.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Be fucking for real," Eva whispered sharply. "You've been a dick to me most of the year. Straight up disrespectful, fatphobic, demeaning... Meanwhile, Adrian and Justin have treated me with much more respect than you. Of course I'm going to prefer to be around them."