Stay Away from Pleasure

Chapter Twenty

12:10PM

It's been a good few hours since I last heard from Matt. Maybe he went to Jude? Maybe he didn't. Either way, I don't think he'll come back with her, come back with Claire. I have a really bad feeling about this, a really bad feeling. On my desk, my phone buzzes softly. Picking it up, I see Denny's name flash on my screen and I pick up the call.

"Hi Denny!" I say.

"Hey. You at work?"

"Yeah, but it's my break in about five minutes."

"Great. How about we meet up?"

"Awesome. Bring Alice with you."

"Sure thing."

"Let's meet at the pizza parlour near the florist."

"The vegan one?"

"That's the one."

"Alright. See you there. Love you sis."

"Love you too." I hang up.

Just as I put my phone down, Matt texts me. It says:
I have good news and bad news. I'll tell you over lunch. I love you.

Stupidly, I've now made plans for lunch with my brother and my sister-in-law, when I already have plans with my boyfriend. I knew I was forgetting something when I was talking to Denny.

12:15PM

I pack up the papers on my desk. On the back of my chair, my blazer sits neatly and I snatch it. Pulling it on, I reach for my flap bag and make my way to the door. I turn off the lights and walk outside.

Before, I made the decision to block Zack's number so I couldn't get his threats anymore. Eventually, I'm going to have to talk to Matt about this. That'll be tough, but I'll have to get through it. I should tell Matt about the slight change of plans concerning lunch.

Taking out my phone, I find Matt's text and look at his number. I know which one is his because it's the only one not saved as an actual contact.

After Matt and I broke up, I deleted his number, but he obviously didn't delete mine like I told him to.

He answers almost immediately and says, "don't tell me you're taking a rain check on our lunch date."

I laugh softly as I get on the lift and make my way to the ground floor. "That's ridiculous! I could've, but I made plans with you first."

"So I have you all to myself then?"

"Umm... Not necessarily."

"Great. Please tell me it's not a he."

"It's not a he." I say and giggle when I hear his sigh of relief, "it's a he and a she." I giggle again.

"Oh fuck! Don't tell me it's Maria and Theo!"

I step out of the lift and walk through the lobby towards the door.
"Nope. It's my family this time. My brother's in town and I haven't seen him in years. He called and I kind of forgot about our plans, so I made plans with him and his wife instead."

"Oh." He says, "so it's like a double date."

I'm taken aback by his maturity and lack of irrationality. I thought he'd flip. "Yep. We're eating at the vegan pizza parlour near—"

"The florist?" He interrupts.

"Yeah."

"I love that place. Where are you, by the way?"