“Thanks a lot,” I shoot at him as I throw my bag onto my desk. “Where did you go?”
Rourke looks at me, deadpan. “Excuse me. In case you didn’t notice, your Hulk of a gym junkie boyfriend was going to punch my lights out.”
I roll my eyes and drop into my chair.
“He’s fucking crazy, Tully,” he mutters. “He must be on steroids.”
I pick up a pile of files, drop them onto my desk, and they land with a thud. “Well, you won’t have to worry about him anymore.”
“Why?”
“Because it’s over. I ended it.”
He looks at me flatly. “Does he know that?”
“He does now.”
He frowns and gets this stupid look on his face.
“What?” I snap.
“Does he fuck as crazy as he acts?”
I twist my lips and nod.
His eyes hold mine.
“And, your point is?” I ask.
He shrugs and goes back to his work.
“What?” I snap.
“It’s been a long time since I saw a man get that passionate about anything.” He begins writing something down on his file.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” I frown.
He shrugs. “I don’t know what it means, but I know that I never saw Simon get the slightest bit jealous of you. We could go out all weekend and have sleepovers and everything.”
I stare at him. “So?”
“Well, that dude nearly ripped my head off just because I was sitting with you.”
I stare at Rourke for a moment as my mind tries to catch up with his thought process. “I don’t understand what you’re trying to say.”
“I’m saying I would give anything for someone to be that passionate about me.” He looks at me flatly.
I screw up my face in disgust. “Then go to the gym and hang in the toilets, if you’re lucky, might come and fuck you up the ass.” I shake my head. “It would not surprise me one little bit.”
He rolls his eyes. “Why are you so dramatic?”
“Because I’m getting back with Simon and I don’t need this shit.”
Rourke gets out of his chair. “Whatever.” He takes his files and disappears downstairs to the other lab. I turn on my computer and stare at the screen.
Why the fuck did I change gyms?
I walk out of the elevator in my building and up the hallway towards my apartment when a door opens. A girl with black hair comes out into the corridor. She’s wearing old fashioned, un-matching clothes. I saw her the other night when she was talking to a girl downstairs in the foyer. She’s quite pretty underneath her horrible styling.
“Hello,” she says to me.
“Hi.” I smile and walk past her.
“I’m Meredith.”
I turn to face her. “Hi, Meredith. I’m Tully.”
“You just moved in this weekend?”
“I did. Do you live in that apartment?” I ask to make conversation.
“Uh-huh. My mother pays my rent because she doesn’t want me to listen to her having intercourse with her boyfriend anymore.”
I blanch. What the hell? Okay, that’s just way too much information. She would be my age or close to it; at least twenty- four. Why the hell does her mother pay her rent? And why would she want to hear her mother having intercourse?
Sick.
I force a smile. “Really nice to meet you, Meredith. I have a lot to do, so I’ll see you later.” I turn and begin to walk down the hallway towards my apartment.
“Tully?” she calls.
I turn back. “Yes.”
“Do you want to be my best friend?” she asks hopefully.
“Erm.” I pause for a moment. What the hell? “You want me to be your best friend?”
She nods eagerly. “I’ve never had one before. I ask everybody, but nobody wants me.”
“Oh.” She must have problems. She looks so hopeful, smiling goofily at me.
Empathy wins. “I already have a best friend. Her name is Callie, but you can be my friend too, if you want?” I shrug. “We can all be friends together.”
Her eyes widen with excitement. “Really?”
I smile, feeling like I’ve done my good deed for the day. “Yes, really.”
She nods as she pretends to play it cool. “Okay, I’ll see you around.”
I smile. “Okay.” I turn away.
“I’ll see you around because now we are in a gang together.”
I hesitate for a moment as I crease my face up. “Not really a gang, though, is it?”
“More like a wolf pack?” she asks excitedly.
“Sure.” Jesus, what the hell? “See you later then.” I turn... again.
“Ah-wooooo!” she calls out.
I turn to see she has her head back and is howling like a wild dog.
“We could have a wolf call,” she says. “For our wolf pack.”
I stare at her.
“You know,” she adds seriously. “In case someone gets into trouble, we have a wolf pack call.”
What the hell have I gotten myself into here? Does she think this is The Hangover movie? “See you later, Meredith,” I say.
She howls again in response.
Fuck me.
I rush to my door, quickly dart in, flick the lock, and lean on the closed door behind me.