A Wifey for the Bad Boy(184)

“Yeah, but that's just the way he is. He's such a jerk but what can I do? I have to just put up with it.”

“I don't know how you do it every day, go into that office with all those people. Does it not drive you crazy?”

“Gotta make a living, right? And I'm done struggling. You know I spent far too long trying to make my dreams come true. It's better this way, I get to put food on the table, I'm much less stressed, and I don't have to worry about things anymore.”

“But do you actually enjoy your job?” he asked pointedly. Carrie's eyes darted down and she raised the glass to her lips in order to avoid answering the question.

“I thought so,” he said smugly.

“Well, sometimes you have to make sacrifices. It's not ideal, but you have to pay your dues in this business. I'll keep my head down and work hard, then hopefully next year I'll get a promotion and I won't have to deal with that jackass anymore, and then eventually I'll be the one barking out orders.”

“You really think you'll be with the company for that long?”

Carrie shrugged, “I don't see why not. It feels nice to have some solid foundations for the future. Makes a change to the last few years of my life.”

“It feels weird, seeing you like this.”

“What, happy?”

“No,” he said, laughing, “Just, well, okay, don't take this the wrong way, but having your shit together.”

“Thanks.”

“You know what I mean, you were always the dreamer, the one that just floated through life and did whatever she wanted. I actually liked that about you. It's kind of a shame to see that part of you die, if I'm honest.”

“You've never had a problem with being honest before. And that part of me isn't dead it's just...taking a break. I have to be pragmatic, you know? Life isn't going to wait for me to get up on my feet and I don't want to be one of those people that held onto a dream for too long, only to turn around when they're forty and realize that they missed out on all of the fun stuff.”

“I still think you could have made a go of it, you were so close, I mean you had that story published in that magazine right, you could have gone on from there.”

“I think that magazine had a readership of about fifty people. I mean, look, okay, yeah, if I had my way then I'd be a bestselling author and I'd be able to make a living from writing but sometimes these things just don't work out. At least this way I can still write for fun but I can do other things as well. I know this is the best thing for me in the long run,” she said, trying to sound convincing but she wasn't sure if she pulled it off, especially not in front of Danny, who knew her better than anyone, even herself.

“Sounds like Martin talking, not you,” he said, narrowing his eyes and swallowing the remaining golden liquid in his glass. When he set it down, the ice that was left clinked softly, and he immediately signaled to the bartender to pour him another.

“And what's wrong with that?” Carrie said, bristling, knowing that another argument was coming. Danny inclined his head and exhaled deeply, unable to prevent himself for speaking the blunt truth.

“You know there's something wrong about that guy. He's trying to change who you are. I mean, look how much different your life is to what it was just a few months ago.”

“Yeah, instead of worrying about where the next meal is coming from I'm actually able to treat myself to things, and instead of crashing on my best friend's dirty couch I have a comfortable bed. The only changes I can see are positive ones.”

“I'm just saying be careful, that's all, there's still a lot you don't know about him and there's just something that makes my spider sense tingle.”

“You're just being your usual over-protective self. I'm not a kid anymore, I don't need you fighting my battles for me,” she said, and the words came out more bitter than she wanted. She was perhaps the only person that could speak to Danny in that way without him yelling back, although more often than not they did have very loud arguments.

“I'm not trying to fight your battles, I'm just expressing my concerns. You always told me that it's bad to bottle my feelings in so I'm just trying to be honest with you.”

“Well Martin is here to stay so there's no use you getting all upset about it.”

“Isn't it weird that you work with him as well though, don't you feel like he's just keeping tabs on you?”

“No, he's not here, is he? Anyway, I appreciate him getting me the job. And we're not really working together. He's got his own office. We only go into work together and then come home together. Sometimes we see each other for lunch. It's nice. It's homely. It's something that I've never had before and it's something that I really value so I don't need my best friend giving me hassle for it.”