The Endless Take

My coworker found out my boyfriend was a trust fund kid and crawled into his bed.

Two months later, she sauntered over to my desk, nose in the air.

"I'm pregnant with your boyfriend's baby. You should back off now, before things get ugly."

Whose baby?

I froze.

The "rich boyfriend" she was talking about… is a woman.

So whose baby was it?

1

The moment I walked into the office, my coworker, Amber, slid up to me with a sly grin.

"Mia," she purred, "who was that dropping you off downstairs?"

I played along. "My boyfriend, of course."

Her voice dripped with a sour mix of envy and teasing. "Well, well, keeping a secret boyfriend from us, are we? I saw the car. It was gorgeous." She nudged me. "So, when do we all get to go out for dinner and meet this mystery man?"

My best friend, Alex, is tall, has an androgynous look, and recently chopped her hair short. So, half-jokingly, I call her my boyfriend. She’d let me crash at her place last night and gave me a lift to work this morning. I never thought anyone would see.

But Amber had taken the bait, hook, line, and sinker. Now she wanted a double date.

I couldn't help but smile, brushing it off. "Maybe some other time."

Her face instantly soured. She rolled her eyes. "What's that supposed to mean? You think just because your boyfriend has money, you can hide him away? So much for being 'besties'."

The passive-aggressive tone was grating. She wasn't done.

"Are you afraid we'll steal him away? Worried you don't quite measure up to his status?" she sneered. "Don't get too comfortable. Rich guys like him stick to their own kind. You'll probably be dumped before you know it."

That was it. "My relationship is none of your business." I was about to swing my Chanel bag right at her smug face.

Jessica, who shared our office space, saw the storm brewing and quickly stepped between us. "Mia, calm down. Amber's just having a bad day."

Our other colleague, Gita, moved to hold Amber back, who looked ready to lunge. "Alright, Amber, that's enough."

I lowered my bag, a cold smile on my face. "Apologize. Right now. Or I swear I'll rip that gossiping mouth right off your face."

Amber knew she'd crossed a line, and with both coworkers telling her to back down, her eyes welled up with tears. "I wasn't wrong! Why are you all taking her side?"

With that, she shoved Gita aside and stormed out of the office, slamming the door behind her.

Jessica gave me an awkward smile. "Mia, don't mind her. Amber's fresh out of college, she doesn't have a filter. Just... maybe be careful she doesn't get too close to your boyfriend."

I didn't say anything, just sat down and buried myself in my work.

My best friend is a woman, and she's very, very straight. Amber would need to sprout some new anatomy to have a chance.

2

After that day, Amber started watching me. Secretly.

Sometimes, I’d feel her presence and find her standing right behind my desk, trying to read my phone over my shoulder.

Just then, a message from Mr. Evans, one of the general man...