Translucent (4 page)

Her bottom lip juts out in a full-on pout that’s more annoying than cute, but gratefully, she stands up to leave. “I understand, and I’m sorry I yelled too. I’ll see what I can do about getting Easton here more, and I’ll try to go through some of the reports as well. I’m always here for whatever you need.”

Swaying her curvaceous ass with each step towards the door, I chuckle lightly as a thought crosses my mind. “Tell my brother you aren’t wearing any panties; that should get him here pretty fast,” I call out to her, half-teasing.

She stops midstride, but doesn’t turn around. “He already knows. He ate
breakfast
here before going out to the course,” she retorts smarmily before stomping the rest of the way out.

I laugh heartily at her lame attempt to make me jealous. As if I fucking care. The only reason I’ve continued to fuck her for this long is because our dads are best friends, she usually doesn’t cause drama, and I know she’s not after my money.
Oh, and her mouth and that ass.

D
ESPITE
THE
LONG
HOURS
I put in at the office, my first week of employment passes rather quickly. I’m grateful to have been placed at JDT Graphics, and by Friday morning, I’m settling into my routine and actually looking forward to going into the office. Mr. Thompson is a wonderful man to work for, constantly inspiring and encouraging all of his employees. I love that he isn’t one to just sit in his office and delegate duties. His hands-on approach to running this business is probably why it’s so successful. He spends most of his days in the trenches with his employees, offering constant feedback and suggestions on every project.

Then there’s Jae. In the few short days I’ve known her, I already adore her. Not only is she focused and dedicated to her career, she’s also witty and entertaining, which makes the hours spent with her fly by. As each day passes, I find myself preferring to be at the office in her presence, rather than at home alone. The project we’re working on keeps my mind busy, and her hilarious stories keep me laughing—an escape from the personal hell I fall back into each night.

Five o’clock is upon us before I know it. With a theatrical slamming of a box on the floor, Jae looks up at me and announces, “It’s quitting time, my girl, and I insist you join me for a drink tonight.”

Hesitantly, I glance over to where she stands across the office. Her hands are on her hips, and she’s got a stern expression on her face. “Don’t you dare tell me no again. Now get your purse and let’s go. I’m driving.”

Part of me wants to go—a big part, actually. I really would love to take the next step to living a normal life, but the fear that lurks in the back of my mind that someone may recognize me makes my palms sweat and sends my heart racing. I know I can’t spend the rest of my life in the confines of my own home and workplace, but venturing out could significantly shorten the length of ‘the rest of my life’.

I still haven’t responded to Jae’s demands, but she hustles around the office, cleaning everything up and gathering her belongings. Finally, I find my voice. “I’m not sure I can. I need to—”

“You
need
to do nothing, Blake,” she snaps, “except go have a few drinks and a bite to eat with me. I know you go home to an empty apartment each night; not to mention, you don’t know anyone else in the area, so I’m insisting you come out with me. I can’t have your loneliness on my conscience—plus, I like you. Now. Let’s. Go.”

Grabbing my purse from under the desk, it appears my decision has been made for me, fears be damned. I don’t want to piss off the one person in my life I could possibly call a friend, so I follow her out the door, into the elevator, and outside into the tepid California air. Once we are in seated in her spacious Infiniti SUV, she turns to me and smiles warmly.

“Thank you for agreeing to come. You deserve to celebrate after your first week of work.”

Nodding my head in acknowledgement, I lean back against the seat as we pull out of the parking lot. She turns the radio up to fill the moderately awkward silence, and as if fate is the acting DJ, the first song that blares through the speakers is Sara Bareilles’ latest hit,
Brave.
Jae sneaks a peek over at me with a knowing smirk before belting out the lyrics at the top of her lungs, implicitly advocating she just wants to see me be brave. I can only hope that one day I can do as the song suggests and let some light into this cage where I live.

A short car ride later—thankfully without any more life-applicable songs—we pull up to a cozy-looking place that has the words “NOW POURING” and an arrow above a window that indicates we’re at Tony’s. Once again, following her lead, we exit the car and make our way inside what appears to be a relaxed neighborhood bar and grill. Immediately, I scan the room, looking for anyone that appears to be out of place—not that they’d send someone I’d recognize anyway. A few people look up at us, but quickly return their focus to their own conversations and drinks. A bar lines the right side of the long, rectangular space, while tables and chairs are spread out along the left side. Everything’s made out of wood—the furniture, the cabinetry, and even the walls—and it instantly reminds me of the extensive woodwork in my mom’s house, inviting and welcoming. A lump forms in the back of my throat as the memory of her and my brother sweeps into my mind. Suddenly, Jae hooks her arm in my mine, dragging me towards the bar and out of my grief-stricken thoughts, and I’m silently thankful. Breaking out in tears in the first two minutes of being here would quickly ruin my attempt at being brave.

Finding two barstools together proves to be a challenge. Judging from the people in business attire and near-empty pint glasses scattered around the room, it appears many others are out celebrating the end of another workweek as well. A dark-haired guy sitting in-between two empty chairs notices our predicament and offers to scoot over to the right so we can sit together. Thanking him, we both hop onto the neighboring stools and peruse the beer menu. I’ve never been much of a drinker, except for when I was forced to drink wine with dinner, and considering I’m only twenty-two and have been able to legally purchase alcohol for a little over a year, I have no idea what I may like.

“What should I order?” I whisper to her, a bit embarrassed.

“Do you like beer?” she replies nonchalantly.

“I’m not sure. I have only tried it a couple times, and that was quite some time ago.”

“I usually get the ACE Perry cider; it’s light and refreshing, kinda fruity. Let’s start with that.”

I nod as the bartender comes by, and Jae places our order. While we wait for our drinks, I gaze around the bar again, still searching for anyone who looks suspicious or puts me on alert. I lock eyes with a few people, but they all just give me a friendly smile and return to what they were doing.

“First time here, eh?” a masculine voice whispers in my ear, startling me to the point of a near heart attack.

I twist slightly in my chair to see who’s speaking, still not believing someone is actually addressing me. An attractive guy that I’d guess is in his mid-to-late-twenties is standing between me and the lady seated to my left, grinning widely at me.

“That obvious, is it?” I reply shyly, really unsure what to say.

“You look a little uncomfortable, so I thought I’d come over to say hi. I guess you could say I’m a regular here, especially on Friday evenings, and I’m positive I’ve never seen those eyes in here before,” he explains, the friendly expression never leaving his face. “I’m Greg, by the way.”

He offers his hand in a welcoming gesture, and I cautiously yet hastily shake it, not wanting to be rude, but extremely uncomfortable with touching a stranger. “My name is Blake, and this is my friend and co-worker, Jae,” I explain, leaning back slightly so the two of them can shake hands as well.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you both. Would you two ladies be interested in joining me and some friends over there?” He pauses to point to an area where several tables have been pushed together, and five or six males and females are sitting with drinks in front of them. “We’d love to buy you both a round or two.”

My initial reaction is to say no, but before I can get the one-syllable word out of my mouth, Jae answers, “We’d love to. Wouldn’t we, Blake?”

The bartender sets a pilsner, filled with an amber-colored liquid, in front of us at that moment, and Greg looks up at him and says, “Put those on my tab, Billy, and anything else they want.”

Again, a decision has been made for me, and I’m following the two of them over to the small group of people, now all looking up at us. Greg introduces us to his friends, and I’m unable to remember any of their names due to the nerves turning my stomach and wild thoughts racing through my head. A couple of them scoot over to make room for us, and for the first fifteen minutes, I sit quietly, gulping my cider faster than I should and hoping no one asks me any questions.

“So, Blake, where are you from?”

Damn it.
I peer up from my glass to see who’s asked me the question. Everyone at the table is staring at me, so I have no idea who it was. Surprisingly, with the help of liquid courage, I find my voice and answer the question.

“Originally I’m from out east, but I’ve been in Woodland Hills for almost a month now,” I say to anyone and everyone paying attention. To my relief, Jae begins talking about our job and how we’ve recently met, and no one asks any other questions about the specifics of my past. As much as I hate lying, I know I should come up with a consistent, believable story to tell people if I’m going to begin to have social interactions; no one would believe the truth if I told them anyway.

The next several hours are filled with a glass that never empties, plates of fried food being passed around, and plenty of conversation around me. Greg and all of his friends seem to be very nice, and I enjoy hanging out with them, as well as Jae; however, I still find it difficult to let my guard down, to feel comfortable. At one point, she leans over and whispers in my ear, “Are you expecting someone you know to show up?”

Crinkling my brow in confusion, I shake my head. “No, why?”

“Every time the door opens, you look to see who’s walking in,” she replies inquisitively.

I’m not even aware of my action, and hoping she doesn’t push the matter, I reply, “I like to know who I’m sharing a room with.”

“Understand,” she responds with a mischievous smile. I’m sure she assumes I mean I like to know what men are in the room with me, and in a way, she’s right—just not for the reasons she thinks.

When my face begins to overheat and my belly starts to turn over angrily, I know it’s time for me to call it a night. Thankfully, Jae is in tune with my timing, and she announces to the table we need to get going. After a round of pleasantries and goodbyes, we scoot our chairs out and stand up to leave. Just before we make our way to the door, Greg abruptly jumps to his feet and pulls me into an embrace, wrapping his arms around my shoulders. The unexpected movement frightens me, and my initial reaction is to press my palms against his chest and push him away.

“I’m so sorry,” we both say at the same time. I’m embarrassed by my rude behavior.

Trying to ease the uncomfortable situation, he pats my arm softly. “It was nice meeting you, Blake. I do hope to see you here again sometime.”

I smile reservedly and nod. “You too,” is the only thing I can think to say.

After teasing me about Greg and his incredibly awkward hug during the ten minute drive, Jae drops me off at my car. “Thanks again for coming out, Blake. I hope you had a good time.”

“I did,” I assure her. “I really needed to do something like that.”

“Good. Then we’ll be going again next Friday,” she remarks with a sly grin. “Don’t forget to dress up on Monday, and bring you’re A-game. We’ve got the meetings with the big wigs at Decker Enterprises.”

“I will. Enjoy your weekend.”

Hurriedly, I scamper to my car and slide into the driver’s seat, locking the doors immediately. Grateful to arrive home safely, I know I probably should’ve taken a cab instead of driving. Once I’m showered and in bed, I feel a tiny bit optimistic that tonight was a tiny sliver of light breaking through the bitter darkness that confines me like a caged animal.