[FUTURE] -- Jai
Jai Wilcox didn't consider himself a bitter man. He had seen the look on Annie's face as she'd walked away that day and had known beyond a shadow of a doubt that it was over. It hadn't been that much of a shock, not really. It wasn't that she'd been pulling away. He had the feeling that she hadn't really been there the whole time to begin with.
What he hadn't expected was the stark feeling of betrayal when he saw her blond head exit the bright red sports car at the front of the parking lot the following Tuesday morning.
She was laughing, which wasn't unexpected. She was usually in a good mood in the morning... once she'd had coffee. That she was laughing at something Clayton Webb was saying (or had said) was what grated on Jai's nerves. It grated a lot.
Hadn't she said she wasn't going back? He could have sworn she'd said she wasn't going back.
He took his souring mood inside as he collected coffee for Auggie and set it heavily on the other man's desk. Judging by the smirk that appeared on Auggie's face, Jai wasn't hiding his mood very well at all. "What?"
"You're not compartmentalizing very well. Yesterday, you were fine."
"Yesterday, they weren't carpooling."
"Maybe she decided to go green," Auggie said as he leaned back in his chair, folding his arms behind his head, still smiling. He didn't need to see to feel the glare Jai gave him.
"That's it. She's an environmentalist." Even though he'd barely spoken, Jai hated the sniping in his tone.
Auggie leaned forward, a curious look on his face. Annie had just passed by the open door and something was different. "Kitten heels, grey Christian Louboutins?"
"Yeah, why?" Jai had been forced to adjust his stance to see just what shoes Annie was wearing and then he frowned. "He bought her new shoes."
"Nope." Auggie shook his head and picked up his headphones. "He bought her those shoes at least five years ago. Someone's been hanging onto them for that long."
Jai's scowl deepened. He hadn't seen them in Annie's closet before, which meant that the Director had held on to them (and who knew what else) for half a decade or more. His bitterness grew. Annie'd kept a t-shirt, he'd kept her shoes...
"What does she see in him? He's old." Jai lifted his coffee cup to his lips and took a long drink. "They deserve each other."
Auggie snorted a laugh. "You just hate losing."
It wasn't something he was going to admit out loud, but Jai Wilcox could barely acknowledge that he HAD lost. It stung. And he was bitter.
What he hadn't expected was the stark feeling of betrayal when he saw her blond head exit the bright red sports car at the front of the parking lot the following Tuesday morning.
She was laughing, which wasn't unexpected. She was usually in a good mood in the morning... once she'd had coffee. That she was laughing at something Clayton Webb was saying (or had said) was what grated on Jai's nerves. It grated a lot.
Hadn't she said she wasn't going back? He could have sworn she'd said she wasn't going back.
He took his souring mood inside as he collected coffee for Auggie and set it heavily on the other man's desk. Judging by the smirk that appeared on Auggie's face, Jai wasn't hiding his mood very well at all. "What?"
"You're not compartmentalizing very well. Yesterday, you were fine."
"Yesterday, they weren't carpooling."
"Maybe she decided to go green," Auggie said as he leaned back in his chair, folding his arms behind his head, still smiling. He didn't need to see to feel the glare Jai gave him.
"That's it. She's an environmentalist." Even though he'd barely spoken, Jai hated the sniping in his tone.
Auggie leaned forward, a curious look on his face. Annie had just passed by the open door and something was different. "Kitten heels, grey Christian Louboutins?"
"Yeah, why?" Jai had been forced to adjust his stance to see just what shoes Annie was wearing and then he frowned. "He bought her new shoes."
"Nope." Auggie shook his head and picked up his headphones. "He bought her those shoes at least five years ago. Someone's been hanging onto them for that long."
Jai's scowl deepened. He hadn't seen them in Annie's closet before, which meant that the Director had held on to them (and who knew what else) for half a decade or more. His bitterness grew. Annie'd kept a t-shirt, he'd kept her shoes...
"What does she see in him? He's old." Jai lifted his coffee cup to his lips and took a long drink. "They deserve each other."
Auggie snorted a laugh. "You just hate losing."
It wasn't something he was going to admit out loud, but Jai Wilcox could barely acknowledge that he HAD lost. It stung. And he was bitter.