No Hard Feelings

twelve

T W E L V E

"THAT'S IT." Sadie stands up from Hadley's bed, hands on her hips and dark eyes narrowed Hadley's way. "What the fuck is going on between you and Dexter?"

Hadley actually shrinks back in her bed. There's something mildly threatening about the way Sadie's looking at her, and Aanya must have been alarmed too because she sidles closer to Hadley, eyes carefully trained on their friend.

She doesn't know how to answer, naturally, the main reason for this being that she doesn't know the answer.

It's been days since they'd both taken their days off from the shop, but even up until now, neither of them have brought it up. When they both showed up to work Saturday morning, Dexter greeted her with a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes, and Hadley returned it with one that must have been as forced as his.

Hadley's found herself retreating into the kitchen instead of manning the counter.

When this became obvious, her mother finally pulled her aside to give her a scrutinizing gaze. "Why are you suddenly so interested in making taffy, 'nak?"

"It's fun," she replied, hoping she wouldn't be asked to elaborate because honestly, it wasn't fun. The first few times had been, but then it became repetitive and she'd eventually grown less enthusiastic. Still, she needed some place to hide from Dexter, and this was the closest thing she could get to that with the two of them working in the same place.

The good news is that Lola's starting to feel better, which means that pretty soon, Dexter would be allowed to quit on them.

Funny, she thinks. Never thought she'd ever be glad for something like that.

She means it though.

It's getting increasingly harder and harder to be around him. There's a strain in their relationship that never quite existed before—not even when they were still going out—and it feels physically debilitating to do so much as breathe the same air he's breathing. She doesn't want to be around him, now when she feels like he doesn't want to be around her either.

He never said this aloud, of course. Never even did anything that blatantly told her so. But the two of them have known each other long enough for her to notice even the subtlest changes when it comes to Dexter.

Of course, at first, she refused to admit that things were going from bad to worse. She wanted to believe things would eventually click back into place. She was so, so desperate to prove this, so last Monday, she decided to try talking to him like they usually do.

She anticipated his arrival all morning and she'd thoroughly chewed on her thumbnail by the time he strode in. She watched him from the counter, breathing in deep as if to brace herself from whatever's coming next. He was shaking off his helmet hair as he walked, looking down at his phone with an expression that told her he must have received a text or something from Andy.

The thought was enough to dampen her spirits, but still she painted a smile on her face. "Excuse me, sir. I'm afraid the shop's still closed."

Dexter looked up, and the smile on his face faltered. It wasn't too long of a stutter, but it was a stutter nonetheless, and Hadley strained to keep the smile on her face.

"Please," he eventually said. "This shop could permanently close down and still you'd find ways to provide me with free candy."

The retort came easily, but Hadley didn't miss the fact that he'd kept his eyes averted. Hadley nearly wanted to give up, but she plowed on, grasping at the strings of hope left in her reach, trying to weave them together so that she'd have enough willpower to stand her ground.