Page 82 of The Boss and the Wedding Mess

I stay silent, watching him just as skeptically. Something between us has shifted, but I don’t know what. I only know it’s no longer casual or comfortable, but… strange. As if we haven’t defined what we actually are. Honestly, I don’t even know myself.

“What are we?” I ask him directly.

Alexander doesn’t answer. He just glances at me briefly and then says: “You’ll get it when I’m at my car. My phone’s in the locker room.”

“And now I get to walk through the gym and face everyone’s stares. Unlike you, I’m now a slut and you’re the rockstar.” I really don’t like this. “And I’ll have to find a new boxing club.”

Such a huge mess.

“Nonsense,” he says before I walk out the door and back into the training hall.

Everyone’s already standing there like vultures, jeering. But I’m alone, which makes them briefly doubtful. God, these looks are humiliating. I’m dying of shame.

“Ooh, dark look,” one says.

“Hey, where’s the guy?”

“She probably killed him.”

“Is that blood on her hands?”

Their laughter is unbearable, so I grab my stuff and head to the locker room. Just before I enter, I hear Alexander walking in the main hall. He’s celebrated. Cheered. Applauded. He’s the star. The king. The one who managed to hook up with me.

That’s it. I won’t get involved with him anymore. What an ass. He’s just using me, like all men do. To him, I’m nothing more than a toy, while I was on the verge of losing my heart to him.

Just then, tears well up in my eyes. I cry. Probably because it's too late and I've fallen in love with him. Him of all people.

If only he had stayed in the States…

I wipe my tears, change quickly, and hurry out of the boxing club. The piercing stares of the other men are devastating. I just want to get out of here.

When I reach my car, I wait inside. Since I’m parked only a few yards from Alexander’s car, I won’t miss him. I pull out my phone and text Vanessa, who fortunately happens to be online.

Me: I hate him!

Nessa: Who? Alex?

Me: Yes, of course!!!

Nessa: What happened?

Me: We were at the boxing club and then he just picked me up and carried me off. Right in front of everyone!

Nessa: Picked you up?

Me: Yes, threw me over his shoulder. He took me into one of the storage rooms and we had sex. Two minutes. At most.

Nessa: Uhhh…

Me: I can never go back there to train. Everyone knows now that he hooked up with me!

Nessa: Oh, I see. So not uhm… more like Ooooh!

Me: Now I’ll be known as a slut…

Nessa: Typical. That’s what happens immediately if you’re a woman while men are praised. I hate that so much.

Me: I guess I’ll have to look for a new job. How am I supposed to work with him now?