Spectrum

44

Natalia's POV

"Are you mad at me?" I ask quietly. 

The fact that we've been sitting on this couch in silence for five minutes now isn't exactly comforting. To add onto this, he would barely even talk to me in the car. 

"I'm not exactly thrilled." He sighs, taking a drink of the water bottle in his hands.

"Okay. Go for it." I say, sitting up on the couch. I cross my legs and sit on hands, not wanting for him to notice when I begin to fidget with them.

"Go for it?" He asks with confusion.

"Yeah. Go ahead and yell at me." I reply.

"I'm not going to yell at you." He sighs. "I just need to get some things straight with you."

Something about the way that he says this makes me more nervous than if he were just to start yelling at me. I can deal with the angry words and shoves. I can deal with all of that. It's what I'm used to dealing with. 

"Get some things straight?" I ask.

"Yes." He nods. "Shane told me that there was an incident between you and Gen." He says.

"God, why do you keep calling her that?" I groan.

"Because it's her name, Natalia." He replies.

"No, it's a nickname that you decided you would start using." I snap in reply.

"That's hardly the point in any of this." He sighs in reply.

"It's what started this entire thing!" I counter.

"No! What started this entire thing is your jealousy over someone who is nothing more to me than an intern. I don't know why you're so insecure when it comes to Gen, but it needs to end. I can't have Shane telling me that my girlfriend is threatening my intern." He snaps in reply.

I shrink back at his harsh tone. I've never had Grayson snap at me before, so this is new. Hell, maybe I'm not ready for him to yell at me. If I can't even handle him snapping at me, how the hell am I supposed to handle him yelling at me? 

"I'm not insecure!" I say, ignoring everyone else.

"Natalia. You have an issue with this girl and it needs to stop. You're being written up." He replies.

"Wait, what?" I say.

"You're being written up." He repeats.

"For what?!" I exclaim.

"For threatening to fight my intern. It's Shane's decision and I completely agree with him." He informs me.

"I did not threaten to fight her!" I lie. "But of course you would believe her over me." 

"You're really going to sit here and lie to my face?" He asks with disbelief. "Natalia, I know you threatened to fight her if she got too close to me. You're being written up for it. End of discussion." 

"End of discussion? Excuse me, but I'm not just some fucking child!" I spit out in reply. I know I'm raising my voice at him, but this is absolutely insane. This isn't fair.

"Well that start acting like it!" He yells in reply. 

When I don't reply, he lets out a sigh and runs a hand over his face in frustration.

"Look, I didn't mean to yell at you." He sighs.

"No, I get it." I mutter in response, picking at the skin around my fingernails. So much for sitting on my hands, I guess.