Underground Girlfriend? Fine, You're Single Now

By the time I finished getting my ankle wrapped at the first aid station, Malcolm was already gone. The admin running the event handed me a bag of medication.

"Mr. Ridgeway asked me to give this to you. He said once you're bandaged up, you can take a cab back to the office yourself."

I asked quietly, "Where is he?"

"Ms. Leclair's blood sugar dropped. He took her to the hospital."

I looked down at my swollen, shiny ankle, and the last bit of hope I had left fizzled out.

Back at the office, I'd barely lowered myself into my chair when Savannah posted in the group chat.

"Thanks for staying with me during the checkup, Malcolm! I'm totally fine now. Don't miss tonight's dinner, everyone!"

The replies came immediately.

"Mr. Ridgeway personally went with her? Who wouldn't be jealous of that kind of treatment?"

"Some people can't even finish a hike without falling behind, but Ms. Leclair pushed through to the summit even when she wasn't feeling well. Talk about night and day."

I closed the chat, but my assistant walked over with a stack of files before I could even breathe.

"June, Mr. Ridgeway wants the Stellara project draft revised by tonight."

"Isn't tonight the dinner?"

"He said you lost the afternoon, so you need to make up for it."

The words barely left her mouth when the private elevator at the end of the hallway chimed. Malcolm stepped out with Savannah on his arm. She was wearing his jacket and cradling a deep blue ceramic mug.

It was the mug we made together at a pottery class on our first date after we became official. Malcolm had carved a crooked little "J" into the bottom with his own hands. Last night, when he drove me home, I accidentally left it in the cupholder on the passenger side.

Savannah noticed me staring and held it up with a smile. "Malcolm was worried my stomach might be upset after the hospital, so he made me some tea. Cute little mug, isn't it?"

I gripped the edge of my desk and stood. "That's mine."

The room went quiet.

Malcolm looked at me, a flash of warning in his eyes. "It's just a generic mug from the pottery studio. Nothing important."

Savannah laughed along. "Oh, it's just a freebie? If you like it that much, June, you can have it."

She set it down on the desk, but her fingers slipped, and the mug hit the corner. A crack split from the rim all the way down to the base.

"I'm so sorry." Savannah clutched her hand, her eyes already welling up.

"I didn't mean to."

Malcolm grabbed her fingers first to check. Once he was sure she wasn't hurt, he said flatly, "It's broken. Just toss it. It's a mug."

The janitor swept the pieces into the trash. I stared at the shard with the letter still carved into it while my ankle throbbed in waves.

A coworker called over, "June, when's that draft going to be done? Don't let your personal feelings hold up the whole team."

I sat back down. "Before midnight."

Everyone crowded around Savannah and headed toward the elevator, but Malcolm stayed behind. He glanced at my swollen ankle and slipped a key card into the stack of files. It was for the hotel we always went to.

He lowered his voice. "Come find me when you're done. Don't throw a tantrum over this."

I pushed the key card back across the desk. "Mr. Ridgeway, you don't have a girlfriend. It wouldn't be appropriate for us to meet alone."

He grabbed my wrist. "I can explain what happened on the mountain. Savannah's health is fragile. I couldn't just leave her behind."

"I couldn't walk either."

"You made it down, didn't you?"

He said it so naturally, as if the fact that I'd limped down a mountain alone meant I never needed him in the first place.

Savannah's voice drifted from the doorway. "Malcolm, everyone's waiting for you at dinner."

He let go of my wrist and flipped the file to the page that needed revising. "Focus on work first. We'll talk tonight."

Then he turned and walked toward Savannah, leaving with the rest of them by the elevator.