“Well, that was a little faster than I anticipated,” Nathan said, breaking the silence and opening the envelope, looking over the information. “Looks like it’s going to be a speedy trial.”

I couldn’t speak as dread settled in. Things I hadn’t thought about came flooding to me.

I was going to have to retell the whole ordeal to more strangers, under oath. Pandora’s Box was going to be opened for all to see; the weak nothingness of a girl who was too stupid to check the peephole.

I began shaking, all of my muscles were clenched tight in fright, and I felt sick.

“Hey, hey,” Nathan called, his hands rubbing up and down my arms before he pulled me to him. “Shhh, this is good, remember?”

My knees buckled from under me, and I slumped against him. Pulling me close, he sat on the floor and leaned against the desk as he cradled me in his arms. His hands made soothing circles on my back, while his lips placed tender kisses on my forehead, trailing down my cheek to my lips.

“I’m here, baby. I’ll be there with you. I love you, and I won’t let him anywhere near you. Him, your father, or Cheryl. Get their voices, their words, out of your head. The only ones you need are my voice, telling you how much I love you.”

My fingers clenched onto his jacket, my breath coming out in rapid pants. My chest was tight, unable to pull in a full breath.

“She’s panicking.”

“I know,” Nathan said, confirming that I wasn’t all right. “Check her purse; she keeps her pills in there.”

I was aware of Andrew moving around the desk, but not much else. Nathan was trying to calm me, but his voice was a whisper over the roaring in my ears and everything was starting to fade.

“They’re not here!”

“Grab mine, top desk drawer.” Nathan directed him.

I tried to center myself, but it snuck up on me. I was choking, trying in desperation to breathe and began to claw at my throat in an attempt to get Adam’s hand away that wasn’t really there.

“Lila!” Nathan cried out, grabbing my hands.

Then I felt it. The zing, the electricity of Nathan’s lips on mine, his fingers digging into my skin as he pulled my body as close to his as he could. A shudder ran through me, and my airway opened back up. My lungs drew in the welcomed air as my heartbeat lessened. Nathan kissed all over my face and neck, grounding me to him, making me feel him…and it worked.

My breaths began to regulate, and Nathan pressed a pill into my mouth. He held up a bottle of water and tipped it back.

“Come on, baby, swallow.”

It was hard to do as he requested with my chest still stuttering.

As I was pacified, I heard the voices and my head turned to look at the door. About six people, at least two Boob Squad members, stood at the threshold, looking at me, then looking at Nathan, chatting away about us.

“Everybody out! You have no business being here,” Andrew yelled, pushing people back and shutting the door.

Jennifer was the last, a murderous gleam in her eye before she stalked off.

The end had come. This was it. No more pretending we hated each other.

I was very clingy that night, unable to leave his touch even for a second, because we both knew what was coming in the morning. One or both of us was going to be jobless by the end of the day.

Nathan kept saying everything was going to be okay, but he wouldn’t say more than that. When I brought up talking to Jack, he asked me to let him take care of everything. So, I relented and tried to relax, perched on his lap, straddling his hips.

The next morning we drove together, my fingers tangled in his as we rode the elevator up. We disengaged as the doors opened and we walked into the receptionist area. Libby wasn’t in yet, but as we walked past her desk, we found many others were.

We stopped, halted in our tracks by the people staring at us like a sideshow attraction. Whispered words floated around the air, and out of the corner of my eye I saw Nathan’s jaw clench.

“Fuck it.” He grabbed my hand, dragging me down the hall behind him.

We rushed past the cubes and offices to the other side of the building, to our office. Owen was at his desk just outside as we rounded the corner. He stood and followed behind me as we stepped in.

“How bad is it?” Nathan asked while Owen closed the door behind him.

“It’s pretty bad. Jennifer sent out an email, complete with a picture of Lila in your arms and you kissing her.”

I stared at Owen, unblinking. “You knew?” I turned to Nathan. “He knew?”

Nathan nodded. “You read us pretty early on, didn’t you?”

Owen smirked. “Yeah, I had an inkling in June, but I knew when I started helping out. Nathan wasn’t the best at hiding his distress. I was the only one that caught on that your wellbeing was the cause of said distress, and not the extra work. They’re so damn vain they can’t see past their own reflection.”

I wanted to laugh at his observation, but was still too stunned at his admission. “That was almost six months ago! You never told anyone… Why?”

He shrugged his shoulders. “The policy was a bit harsh in my view. Plus, I could see how torn up Nathan was without you. Who am I to stand in the way of true love?”

I walked over to Owen and hugged him, the action surprising all in the room. “Such a sweet guy. Your girlfriend is very lucky to have you.”

All morning long, murmured words could be heard as the gossip spread throughout. We tried to block it out, but even our email was loaded with curious people. We didn’t leave our office, having Owen fetch anything we needed. The world outside seemed like a foreign place. I had no idea what to do with the attention we were receiving.

We went to lunch together—no point in hiding. Afterward, Nathan left for a meeting with Jack, kissing me before going, leaving me alone with the gawkers and gossips.

At one point I had to venture out as Owen was missing from his desk. The hawks were watching, circling overhead, waiting for someone to emerge.

I was cornered, and they were pissed.

“You always act like you’re so high and mighty. Now we see why,” Kelly said, a huff in her tone as she spat at me.

Then it was their leader, Jennifer’s turn. “Just because Nathan was nice and went out with you a few times and f**ked you doesn’t mean you’re going to go riding off into the sunset together.”

My hands balled into fists, and my head pounded as the pressure built up inside while my teeth clenched together. “Really? What about being together for almost ten months and living together for two?”