Presentation

I struggled to sleep with that picture on my mind. Why would Jake be sending dick pics to Lily? Maybe he sent them to everyone? If I had a dick like his maybe I would be sending them to everyone too? I tossed and turned before finally drifting off.

The next day was my presentation. It was important that I nailed it as it would mean taking on a huge client, and I'd been working on it for weeks. I was meeting Lily for drinks after and I was looking forward to cutting loose.

Lily had been working so hard lately, she needed a break too. We hadn't had much alone time together since our last vacation, which felt like ages ago. I felt like we needed to rekindle the fire that once burned between us.

When I arrived at The Clock Bar, Lily spotted me immediately and waved me over to the table where she was sitting. She looked gorgeous as always, in her work clothes, just a black shirt and short black skirt. She was sitting with her friends, Abby and Laura, both of whom worked at the bar as well. They were laughing and chatting animatedly as I approached.

"Hey baby!" Lily called out to me as I reached the table. "How did it go today?"

"Pretty good," I replied, slipping into the seat beside her. "How'd your shift go?"

"It was good, thanks for asking," she answered, smiling up at me.

"But I'm ready for a break now. What do you say we grab a drink and catch up?"

Laura jumped up to grab us some drinks and the four of us chatted for some time, Lily filling me in on all the latest gossip from work. I listened intently, sipping my drink and watching her out of the corner of my eye.

We'd been there for about an hour when I saw Jake walk through the door. He was working tonight so I hoped I wouldn't have to deal with him too much. I was still in two minds weather to confront him or not. He caught sight of me and quickly made his way over.

"Alex! Hey buddy!" he exclaimed, slapping me on the back. "How's it going mate?"

"Good, good," I replied, glancing over at Lily who looked annoyed by Jake's presence. "Been busy with work, you know how it goes." Jake nodded, apparently understanding.

Jake went to work and we sat and had a few more drinks. Lily seemed distant, almost preoccupied. Every time I caught her gaze, she quickly looked away. Something was definitely bothering her. Eventually, she got up to go to the bathroom, leaving me sitting with Abby and Laura.

Laura leaned in close, "is everything okay between you guys?" she asked quietly.

I sighed, "not really. We've been having some issues. It's been tough."

Abby nodded sympathetically. "That's rough. Have you talked to her about it?"

I shook my head. "Not yet. I don't know how to bring it up without starting another fight."

They both looked at me with concern before turning their attention back to their drinks. I excused myself and left the table. I'd noticed Lily hadn't come back so I went to look for her.

I walked towards the bathroom and saw her and Jake talking in the corridor.

"Hi babe," she called out when she saw me approaching.

"Oh, hi Lily," I replied coolly, trying to hide the irritation in my voice. "What are you doing here?"

"Just talking to Jake," she explained, her hand resting lightly on his arm. I felt a wave of jealousy surge through me at the sight of them together.

Jake, with his big muscles and cocky attitude, was the last person I wanted Lily talking to. It made me realize how much I truly cared for her, how much I didn't want to lose her.

"He said he'll give us a lift home" Lily said to me, seemingly completely oblivious to the tension between us.

"That's great, thank you Jake" I responded coolly, my voice betraying my discomfort. I couldn't stand being around him any longer.

We all piled into the car, Lily called shotgun so I squeezed into the back with Abby and Laura.

"Why don't you all come back to ours for a drink?" Lily suggested suddenly, turning to face me in the backseat.

"Actually, that sounds like a great idea," Abby and Laura chimed in enthusiastically.

"Sure," Jake added, clearly pleased that he'd be able to spend more time with Lily.

"No problem," I muttered, already regretting the offer.