Triple the Love

Confronting my Boss

Hank

“Morning,” I greeted as I walked into the office of Crawlott Construction. The weather was dark and gloomy, much like my mood, but as I took a seat at my desk, I couldn’t help but look over at Alastair. He was on the phone, but there was this nagging feeling that I couldn’t shake. Damon and Atticus greeted me with their usual gusto, which only further confused me. After my date with Corey, I just couldn’t help but feel like I had taken one step forward and five backwards. The tension in the office hung like a storm cloud. Much like the weather outside. Alastair wasn’t just my boss, he was a friend. Someone I respected. But after last night, I was truly confused and upset by his lack of support and obvious discomfort. I wanted to talk to him. I wanted to know from him what the hell was going on, but I didn’t want to say anything in front of Atticus and Damon. On top of that, I didn’t really want to ruin things with Corey. It had taken us forever to get to this point and even though we had gone on our first public date – albeit without affection – I felt like things were moving forward. Slowly but surely. I stared blankly at the blueprints in front of me. I couldn’t get my mind to focus on work.

“Heading out!” Damon suddenly announced, and I looked over to see that Atticus had already left. Damon waved as he left the office, officially leaving me alone with Alastair – who was no longer on the phone. Now that we were alone, I wasn’t going to let this opportunity pass me by.

“Alastair,” I said slowly. He looked over at me, blinked a few times, and then he nodded.

“What’s up?” he asked casually.

“We need to talk,” I stated as I considered whether or not I should go over to his desk.

“About?” Alastair asked with a raised eyebrow, and I frowned. Was he seriously going to play it like that? “Let me guess…about last night,” I nodded, and he sighed as he stood up. “Look, Hank…I already told you…I wasn’t comfortable,” I wanted to argue with him because I just didn’t believe it. There was more to it, and I wanted to know.

“Why can’t you just tell me what is going on?” I questioned, as I stood up as well. Alastair hesitated and then he sighed. It was strange to see him acting this way.

“I care about you, Hank, and I just don’t want to see you get hurt,” Alastair stated softly.

“Corey isn’t going to hurt me,” I argued, confused as I frowned.

“You don’t know that, Hank…Corey is…he is in a dark place…I don’t think you realize just how complicated things are for him,” Alastair said, and I felt a wave of frustration wash over me.

“What the hell are you talking about? Is this about Daniel?” I questioned. I knew he was trying to warn me. I knew he wasn’t saying everything. I knew there was more to it. My heart started to pound as I stared at my boss.

“This isn’t just about Daniel, Hank…” he said as his eyes narrowed slightly. “Corey isn’t being entirely honest with you about everything…he is taking on too much…he is trying to juggle too much, and I’m just worried that he is going to end up hurting you…and himself,” my head started to spin as I tried to wrap my head around what he was saying. I was also trying to read between the lines because it was obvious to me that Alastair wasn’t being straight with me. It also didn’t help that his words had planted seeds of doubts.

“Ugh!” I groaned. “What aren’t you telling me, Alastair?! It’s clear that you know something, so why aren’t you just telling me?” Alastair shook his head and the look of sadness in his eyes was daunting.

“It’s not my place to say anything, Hank. But you are my friend, and I have to warn you…be careful. Protect your heart. Corey isn’t ready to be dating…anyone…” silence fell between us as I still tried to process what he was saying. There was so much more to it, and I was frustrated that I couldn’t read between the lines.

“Stop this,” I said softly. “Just tell me,”

“I’ve said too much as it is, Hank. I’m sorry,” he said, and I knew he was. I could hear it in his voice, and I also knew that he wouldn’t say anything else on the topic. It was over.

“Ok,” I said with a nod as I sat back down. Alastair didn’t respond, nor did he say anything further as he went over to the large whiteboard and started to update it. I watched him for a minute as I tried to wrap my head around everything. I was definitely missing something, but I had no idea what. Maybe Corey wasn’t ready to start dating. Maybe something else had happened and he was afraid to tell me. Maybe he was hiding something. Something that could ruin whatever chance we had at a real relationship. However, the more I thought about it, the more I wanted to just run away. I wasn’t the type of person to run away from something, so I wasn’t about to start now. I didn’t believe that Corey would deliberately break my heart, but now uncertainty gnawed at me. It made me wonder if I was blind to something that was right in front of me and that meant I had only one option. I had to confront Corey and get the truth. Even if that truth hurt me. Because if I didn’t, I would be left wondering what the hell is going on.

“Oh…Hank?” I glanced over at Alastair, who was once again seated at his desk. “Do me a favor and don’t invite Jacob and me on any more dates,” I frowned at that because it hadn't been my idea in the first place. I nodded in agreement even though it left a sour taste in my mouth. I had a feeling Alastair had tried his best to tell me without actually telling me. But the pieces of the puzzle weren’t enough to give me a clear picture.