Chapter Fifty-Five

Chapter Fifty-Five
“And that girl was so mean. I can’t believe she smacked the fork out of his hand,” Áine remarks shaking her head, recalling our shift at the diner.

“I don’t know the poor guy, but I hope he sees sense and dumps her. No one should be with someone that toxic,” I add as we step off the elevator and into the penthouse.

“Even you know when to leave a toxic relationship. No offence,” she adds sheepishly.

“No offence taken,” I assure her, making my way to the kitchen to grab some snacks and drinks from the refrigerator.

“Are you sure Julian won’t mind me being here?” she nervously asks.

“He’s not my warden, Áine. I can have friends over. I had asked Amber if she wanted to join, but she’s swamped at work.”

“Maybe next time,” she chirps optimistically.

That’s something I love about Áine…well, I honestly love just about everything about her. She is so bubbly and optimistic, just wanting to see others happy. There aren’t many people like her; I just wish she could direct some of that optimism towards herself.

I hand her the drinks while I juggle the snacks. “So, tell me more about this art school,” I prompt eagerly, instantly seeing Áine’s face light up.

“It’s so amazing, Lani! It was only established a decade or so ago and is already rivalling the California College of Arts as one of the best art schools. They have so many amazing classes that cover so many art forms and they help you to build your portfolio to help you out in the real world,” she says enthusiastically as we make our way to the stairs.

“Your face when you talk about this school is like a toddler in a candy store,” I smile at her. “It’s so nice to see you so happy and passionate about something. I’m so proud of you for going after what you care about.”

Before Áine can respond, I look up to see Julian walking down the stairs. My eyes widen as I take in his very dressed-up and sexy attire. His hair is gelled up, and he’s wearing a very expensive-looking navy blue tuxedo with black satin lapels and a matching bowtie against a white button-shirt. I wish I could say I didn’t check him out, but I’m only human. I couldn’t help myself, especially seeing the way the tux is so perfectly fitted to his body. No wonder celebrities get things custom-made. When you end up looking that good, the outfit practically pays for itself.

“Julian…you look incredible,” I compliment him. “Where are you off to?”

Without answering me or even sparing me a glance, he reaches the end of the staircase and just keeps walking past me, straight to the elevator, getting in and heading downstairs. I stare at the closed elevator doors, blinking in bewilderment at Julian’s cold attitude. What the hell was that about?

“Is everything okay with you two?” Áine cautiously asks.

“That I’m aware of…” I trail off in confusion. I look and see the concerned look etched onto her face. “I’m sure it’s fine,” I assure her with a kind smile. “He’s probably just got a lot on his mind. Let’s just go upstairs, pig out and watch this show you’ve been bragging about.”

“You are going to love Girls5Eva!” she cheers.

We make our way up the stairs and to my room, but as we get there I can’t help stealing a glance down the hall when something catches my eye.

“Áine, can you take everything in? I’ll be right with you. You can set up my laptop.”

“Fadhb ar bith!” she says happily, taking the items from my arms.

“No idea what you just said, but thank you,” I chuckle.

“It means ‘no problem’,” she explains, taking the bundle of goodies into my room.

Hesitantly I make my way down the hall, towards Julian’s office. I know I shouldn’t go snooping, especially when it’s not even my home, but Julian’s behaviour has been getting worse and worse with each passing day. He barely even speaks to me. But until just now, he hadn’t been icing me out. I’ve tried to talk to him; get him to open up to me and tell me what’s wrong, but it just makes him angry. I don’t know what to do. I don’t know how to help him, and he refuses to tell me what’s going on.

I walk up to the partially open door of Julian’s office, papers lying on the floor visible through the open crack. I tentatively open the door and what I find sends a wave of unease rolling through my gut. The entire office looks like it’s been ransacked. If I hadn’t just seen Julian leave, I might assume the place had been robbed. I’m paranoid enough that for a split second, I worry my stalker somehow got in, but I know I’m overthinking it.

Papers and books are tossed all over the place, his laptop is shattered to pieces on the floor and his bookcase has been tipped over. I knew Julian was in a bad mood but this…this is far worse than I realised. I don’t know what’s going on, but if it’s enough to make him enraged to the point of destroying his own office then I don’t know what he’ll do next. Not wanting Julian to know I’ve been in here, I slowly back out of the room and close the door, leaving it open just a crack like I found it and make my way down the hall to my room.

As I walk in, Áine must see the worry on my face because hers soon is mimicking it.

“Lani, what’s wrong?” she asks with concern.

I take a deep breath and force a smile, not wanting to worry her further. “Nothing. Let’s just enjoy the snacks and the show.”

I toss my bag, kick off my shoes, change from my uniform to my pyjamas and snuggle up on the bed with Áine to enjoy a much-needed friend’s night, all the while the state of Julian’s office lingering in the back of my mind and putting me on edge. As we enjoy the TV show, I grab my phone and shoot off a quick text to Julian asking if he’s okay. Eventually, I see he’s read my text, but at no point does he respond. If I wasn’t worried before, I am now.