"What is it, Tracey?" Andrew repeated, when she wouldn't answer right away. It was clear she was fighting with something, before she eventually closed her eyes, exhaled, and opened them again, meeting his gaze.
"I wanted to apologise for not supporting you yesterday." Andrew snorted, turning his face away from her. Even the view outside the window didn't dim the anger boiling inside of him.
"Apologise? For not supporting me?" Andrew took another sip of his coffee, and watched as Tracey looked him over.
"Well, you don't look good today, and I was just-" Andrew's laughter was harsh as he took his glasses off to rub his face. He couldn't believe her. This didn't feel like remorse. This felt like a cover up.
"Tracey, I was drinking, of course I don't look good." He put his glasses back on and leveled her with a look. "I was basically fired and broken up with within five minutes. Of course I'm not looking well. But it's too late to apologise, and I am not going to accept it." Her forehead scrunched up, and Andrew knew that wasn't what she wanted to hear. He shrugged, leaning back in his chair. "You should have been ready for that if you were going to apologise." It was clear she didn't like his response.
Andrew's stomach took a turn for the worst, and he got to his feet. Tracey looked panicked.
"Are you-"
"I'm just going to the bathroom. If you want to leave, you can, just leave the laptop behind when you do. I know you hate confrontation." She stared at him as he headed for the bathroom.
Once there, he locked the door and used the bathroom. Once done, and his hands were washed, he took off his glasses to splash some water on his face. Staring at his blurry reflection, he couldn't help but laugh. This felt ridiculous.
Putting his glasses back on, he pulled out his phone and let Maxwell know what she'd said so far. Maxwell fired back quickly.
That ignorant cunt. Should I hire someone to harass her with an egging of her home?
The fact that his words bellied a deeper, scarier threat made Andrew smile. He knew that Maxwell meant well, but finding his ex's address out to egg her house? Terrifying. Terrifying.
Andrew turned him down gently, and thanked him for the break from the tense atmosphere of the café. He also told Maxwell about the girls giving him their numbers, and how they wanted to be friends. He wasn't sure why, but he did explain that Emma and Rachel were in a relationship, and were quite cute. He told him how he had witnessed basically their whole courtship over the years. Talking about something so sweet softened the tense, awful feeling in Andrew's chest, and he felt like he could go back out there. It was a 50/50 shot that Tracey had left without him being there, so he wasn't sure what he was going to face.
Taking a deep breath, he opened the door, and left the bathroom.
Tracey was still at their table, only now she had a coffee in a to go cup. She'd taken the lid off, and was drinking from it. She had placed the laptop on his side of the table, and Andrew placed his phone on the small table as he joined her.
"What else could you have to say to me?" Andrew asked, taking a sip of his now lukewarm coffee. He paused after he took a sip, realising it was slightly more bitter. Maybe it just hadn't been mixed well?
"W-Well, I just…I never thought things were going to end this way. I thought…certain things would change, and then everything was going to be okay. I really liked you Andrew. I still do. I never wanted…I never wanted it to hurt you this way." Andrew couldn't believe that she was being so sincere. Pissed, he finished his drink and tried not to slam it onto the saucer below it.
"Tracey, if you didn't want to hurt me, you wouldn't have denied our relationship in front of so many people. You wouldn't have accused me of stealing your keycard without talking to me first to hear my side. I understand that you were probably under pressure to keep everything quiet, since it's such a serious situation, but there were several actions you could have taken that would have led to a different outcome. If I'm honest with you? It felt like you wanted to get me fired." Tracey went ghost white, and Andrew's heart began to race in his chest.
"W-What are you-"
"Oh my god, am I right? Were you trying to get me fired?" Tracey's eyes began to water.
"No! I would never do that! That's such an awful thing to suggest! Even if I didn't defend you, I would never want to take your passion away from you. I'm not a monster, Andrew." His heart was still pounding in his chest, but Tracey seemed genuinely upset that he had suggested that. It was a relief. He hadn't wanted to think the worst of her. He still liked her. Maybe not the same way as before, but they had been together for a long time. It wasn't easy to get rid of feelings that deep.
Andrew realised that his heart rate hadn't gone down, and he pressed his hand against his chest with a frown. Tracey's brows furrowed.
"Andrew? Are you alright?" Tracey's words sounded like they were coming through a fog. Andrew pressed his fingers against his throat, checking his pulse. It was racing.
"No, something's wrong. Maybe I drank too much coffee?" He muttered, but as his vision began to swim, he began to panic. This was not normal. Something was seriously wrong. Was it an adverse reaction to the food? Or was it a bad reaction from his hangover? He needed to message Maxwell, and get him over here. He needed help.
"Let's get you to the bathroom, just in case." Tracey told him, and got up. She approached, and wrapped her arm around his shoulder, helping him to his feet. He was a big guy, and Tracey was around Maxwell's height. It reminded him of last night, and his heart winced.
"Tracey, I don't feel well. I need to contact-"
"Shh. I've got you. I'll make sure you are safe and sound. It's the least I could do." Andrew's vision was blurry, even with his glasses. Was he wearing his glasses? He wasn't sure anymore. He could feel Tracey's arm around him, and he thought he heard a door open, and another set of arms wrapped around his shoulder. This set was thicker, firmer. "Make sure he gets to the car safely. I don't want him injured." Confused, Andrew turned towards the voice that was speaking. It was warped, he couldn't tell if it was a man or a woman.
"Tracey? What's going on? I think I need to go to the hospital." Andrew's lips felt strange and heavy. He couldn't speak well, and his mouth didn't feel like his own.
"Shh Andy. Don't worry. I'll make sure that you get all the help you need. I'm going to make you perfect." A wave of concern washed over him, and Andrew tried to struggle, but it was too late. Andrew realised too late that Tracey had slipped something into his drink. He couldn't believe that the girls had drugged him, since nothing had happened for a long time. He had only gone to the bathroom and come back, and finished his coffee and then suddenly he wasn't feeling well. It had to be the drink. And it had to be Tracey?
"What have you done?" He asked, his lips struggling to form the words.
"I'm going to make you beautiful. Shh. Soon, you'll be asleep, and when you wake up, everything will be just fine." Andrew couldn't control his body, and he couldn't fight against him being carried out of the café. He had no idea why no one else wasn't protesting, but he was furious. His phone. He'd left his phone on the table. Fuck!
~
It had been hours.
Hours!
Maxwell hadn't heard a thing from him, and he hadn't moved from the café for hours! What the hell could they be talking about that would result in him staying there without contacting Maxwell for hours!
Furious, Maxwell made his way towards his location, able to find the small café with very little issue. When he pulled up in his flashiest car, since he wanted to make an impression, everyone on the street watched him adjust his suit and storm towards the café.
The café appeared to be on the verge of closing as Maxwell stormed inside, his eyes scanning the area and detecting nothing. No Andrew, no cunt ex girlfriend. Nothing.
Something wasn't adding up here, and he hated mysteries.
"Excuse me, can I help you?" A pretty brunette asked, and Maxwell turned his sharp gaze towards her. She didn't flinch, and it was a mark for her that she was able to stand up to him.
"Yes. I'm looking for a tall man, blonde, glasses, slightly disheveled. He was supposed to…meet someone here earlier." Maxwell spoke stiffly, and her eyes widened, before her expression softened. She looked him over, a smile on her lips.
"Ah. You must be Mr. Neighbour. It's nice to meet you. I'm Emma." She held out her hand, and Maxwell took it stiffly. He wasn't aware that Andrew had spoken about him. "I haven't seen him since he left. He left in a hurry, since he forgot his phone. He didn't seem well though. His ex was helping him out the door. Have you not seen him?" Maxwell shook his head, frowning. Emma quickly turned and grabbed a cellphone from behind the counter. Maxwell instantly recognised it as Andrew's.
"You said he was unwell?" He asked, and she nodded.
"It came on rather suddenly too. One moment, he was able to walk and move around, and then the next he needed to be practically carried out of here. Thankfully, another man was able to help her, since she was about your height, and Andy's a big man." A sick, awful feeling settled into Maxwell's gut. He clenched his hand tightly, staring down at the screen filled with his own messages. Blinking, he realised the name had been changed, and his emotions shifted.
"Fuck!' He exclaimed, covering his face with one of his hands, and Emma stared at him, confused. A few other girls popped out of the woodworks, and Maxwell was feeling grumpy and growly.
"Who is he?" He heard one of the girls whisper.
"Mr. Neighbour." Emma whispered back, and he hated how happy that made him feel, given the circumstances.
"Did you see what direction they went?" He finally asked, looking at the trio. They shook their heads, and Maxwell growled. Double fuck. "Thank you for your time. I have to go find Andrew now." He muttered insincerely, and Emma chuckled.
"I wish you luck. Have a good night, Mr. Neighbour." Maxwell stormed out of there, slamming himself into his car and wanting to break something. Instead, he called his assistant and got to work. No one was going to kidnap his beta and get away with it.