Bittersweet Expectations (Hate at First Flight #0.5)

22. Proximity Makes the Heart Grow Fonder

SONG : LOVE SHOT - EXO

•••|||•••

"Ashleigh...Ashleigh," the words drew me out of the reverie that I had fallen into as I felt my body being shaken slightly. "Ashleigh."

I shook my head slightly before I turned around and faced the person shaking me out of my thoughts. "Yes?" I asked, feeling my face burn up in embarrassment. I couldn't believed that I had actually drifted off.

Susan watched me with a look of concern on her face, her hand still on my shoulder. She slowly rubbed my shoulder as she leaned down, making sure to keep her voice low as everyone around us was busy taking calls. "Are you alright, sweetie?" she whispered.

I smiled at her to reassure her. "Yeah," I began, before giving her an apologetic smile. "Sorry, was just lost in my thoughts."

Susan pressed her lips together. "Something you wanna talk about?" she asked.

I pondered over it for a second before I shook my head realizing that talking about how I didn't know how to interact with Ethan Clarke after what had happened earlier today wouldn't exactly be what Susan would expect. "No, it's okay. Just work stuff."

Susan nodded thoughtfully even as she gave me the look that told me she knew something was wrong but she didn't want to push for more. "Okay, no worries. Just let me know when you need something. Get some coffee and air before you carry on." Before giving my shoulder a soft comforting squeeze, she walked away back to her station.

I lied when I told Mr Clarke that I had volunteering to do today. I wasn't slotted til tomorrow but I needed something to get me out of that house and far away from Ethan Clarke.

And this was as far away as I could get because as far as I knew Ethan Clarke didn't know I volunteered here. No one knew that I volunteered here to be honest. It was my safe haven and some place I wanted to keep private.

I decided to take Susan's advice and got up and headed to the break room to make myself a cup of coffee. It had already been three hours since I had gotten to the hotline centre and two and half since I had gotten up from my booth.

My mind drifted back to Ethan Clarke and my face flushed as I thought over what had happened.

I remembered the look on his face.

It was one I had seen a lot over the years since my parent's accident. The one I had slowly gotten tired over and eventually I had come to had.

Pity.

Pity had coloured Ethan Clarke's face and it was directed at me.

In that moment, all I had wanted to do was yell at him. My embarrassment at him eavesdropping in on what I had shared had taken a hold of me.

He wasn't supposed to hear that. He wasn't supposed to pity me. He wasn't supposed to see me torn down and almost to tears as I talked about something that I didn't talk about a lot.

I didn't know what I was to do after today. I still had two more weeks, give or take a few days more to work for him at Building X. I still had two more weeks to see him and to interact with him.

In the three hours since I had left the mansion, I had still yet to come up with a plan on how to deal with Ethan Clarke.

All I hoped for so far was to never run into him again.

I pondered on whether or not I could convince Diana to have someone else work at Building X. I would willingly do anything else except for go back to the Devil's den.