Strings

Chapter 26 - Part I

Hayden

"You guys are insane, if I don't get food right this second I am going to fucking disintegrate right now." Sam exhales exasperatedly.

"Shut the fuck up, Sam, if you nag one more time I am going to fucking throw you out."I respond back in my eerily even tone without bothering to look up from my desk.

"You can try, but I am gonna WWE your ass to the ground." Sam retorts back successfully earning a scoff from me.

"Yes because between the two of us, it is I who ends up begging me to let go of you." I say with clear mockery in my tone, having more fun with him than I would care to admit.

Sam feigns a dramatic wounding to the heart before he gets up and again, dramatically huffs,
"That's it; I am gonna go to that 24/7 deli since that's the only place that'll be open after midnight, which is the time right now you sicko, Avery you wanna come with?"

She looks up from her place at the couch placed in a little distance from my sleek desk and workspace where Sam and I were working and now currently arguing.

"Uhh no I am good, I am gonna go review Olivia's financials once again, the figures alone are making me dizzy." She says softly adding a polite laugh at the end.

"You sure? I am way more fun than Hayden's tight-ass company, especially after midnight" he says winking.

"Mmhmm I am good, go safe!" She responds back laughing.

"Will do gorgeous, and don't worry I'll pick something up for the two of you as well. Can't have the two of you dying on me." He calls back closing the door behind him.

I shift my focus on Avery, feeling like a fucking idiot with the amount of times I've snuck glances at her as she works in her own space and pace.
Eyes focused and eyebrows furrowed as her entire concentration is devoted to the work at hand.
So far, she has tracked all of Olivia's movement in the last 5 years, has been all up in her financials, divided it into 2 groups; ones that need immediate fixing just for her own safety and the ones that can be used to make a solid case in favor of Knight Enterprises aka her and can be used to channel and funnel out Olivia's blatant carelessness and illegal activity that has already triggered attention from the IRS.

She yawns lightly and brushes the loose strands of hair away from her face and leans back, clear exhaustion littering her beautiful face. I wonder what she's thinking as she closes her eyes and takes a deep breath.

And just like that she snaps her eyes back open, pulls the files closer and begins working all over again. She goes on for a decent chunk of time, I wouldn't know for how long. I find it impossibly difficult to focus on anything with her right there.

Before I realize, I find myself walking towards her and before I can make an effort to do otherwise I plop right there on the opposite side of the couch.

For a second she is startled, then leans her head to the side of the couch, and offers me a tired smile. Yet I cannot find myself to respond, react or to do anything at all, for that matter. All I can do is stare at her. She is so beautiful.

"What?" she finally asks, half laughing. She sounds so beautiful.

"What, what?" I respond back, not being able to supress my smile.

"You're staring!"

"It was not my intention to do so."

"Then why do it? Its.."  she hesitates  "...strange."

"Is it?"

"It must be, I wouldnt know what else to call it" she says, almost sounding unsure of herself now.