Bees & Honey [H.S]

Chapter 8

"I really can't talk right now." I hissed at Jack on the phone, scolding him for calling me when I was at work just to gossip. He had put me on speaker and I heard Casper in the background fiddling with ice.

"But I need to talk to you." He insisted and I could vividly imagine the pout he consciously put on his face by the tone of voice. I turned around to face away from the rest of my colleagues and rolled my seat away from my desk.

"Well, not now!?" I tried stating the obvious with me just saying that a few seconds ago with a whisper yell.

"So, when?" Jack pushed but without being pushy or needy, that was never who Jack was. I looked around me and it seemed like the others hadn't noticed me talking on the phone, or they just weren't bothered by it.

"Later, okay? Grimmy is showering me with work." And it was true. For the last couple of days I had been working late hours to get the project going. It was kicking my butt, and I was exhausted already. But I wouldn't have it any other way, this was the most fun I had ever had at work.

"Yeah you told us that already, i.e. me sitting alone in the bar." You could guess that it was a hurt comment, but Jack was the cool cat of the group. From the outside, Max would seem like that, but she was too passionate, bossy and extroverted to be that. Being alone in a bar would only do him good with his good looks.

"Hey you're not alone." Casper protested from the background and I couldn't help but laugh from the other side of the line.

"I'm hanging up now." I sang quietly to Jack on the phone, rolling back to my desk.

"I expect a call from you later." He asserted with a small smirk on his face. Even if I didn't see him, I knew him too well to know that.

"Will do, baby." I joked back, making him laugh before cutting the call.

I was in the middle of the pasta aisle of my local store when I rang up Jack again. My body was in desperate need of carbs for dinner after the long day I had, and Jack was in desperate need of talking apparently.

"Did you just get off work?" He was surprised and I just hummed in response. "Oh shit." He reacted to the late hour with his dark, low and soft voice, not actually giving much of a reaction with the tone of voice. "Max told me she's leaving." He blurted as he continued and my heart missed a beat.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you." I admitted with my tail between my legs for him to be the one to bring it up with me.

"No I'm not mad at that." His deep laid-back giggle echoing into my ear. I furrowed my brows, not really following.

"Oh, you aren't?" My voice went up a pitch and tilted my head, as if he could see me?

"No? It wasn't your thing to tell me about, it was Max's?" And it was true, that was the reason I didn't tell him. But I still counted with him being upset with me, instead he had just said that like it was the most obvious thing.

"Okay then, well- are you okay?" I moved out the way for a person trying to grab the pasta I had only been staring at for the last minute as I asked Jack the most important question.

"Yes I'm fine, or- fine is the wrong word. But that was actually because I wanted to talk, to ask you that question." And I wasn't prepared when he asked me it in return, and on reflex the only thing I could come up with was, "Me?" in another high pitch.

"Yeah it just clicked that maybe you've avoided going to the bar for the last couple of days to not deal with Max leaving and just been using work as an excuse." Jack sighed, "But now I realise that you're busting your ass with this project." He admitted where he might have read in a little too much into things.
"Mhm... tell me about it." I confirmed with irony. But both giggled at my comment for a moment before silence echoed in the phone line.