Part 3Petty Games

That night, I worked on the client pitch until the early hours of the morning.

Yet, at six a.m. sharp, my phone began vibrating like crazy.

I slid the screen open. A long string of unread messages, all from [Hailey ❤️’s Liam].

[Sarah, are you awake?]

[I hear Liam is going to see Mr. Vance today. Are you going too?]

[Is Mr. Vance a man or a woman? How old are they?]

[Since you claim you and Liam are strictly professional, you better tell me if you see any women trying to hit on him! I’m trusting you as a sister!]

[Also, remember to remind Liam to say 'I love you' to me at least twenty times today! If he doesn't hit his quota, I'm going to be very unhappy!]

My head was pounding. I threw the phone to the side, reclaiming some peace.

I figured not replying would be statement enough. I was wrong. Ten minutes later, my phone began ringing with a relentless call. Caller ID: [Hailey ❤️’s Liam].

I took a deep breath, eventually picking it up. I had to force the tension out of my voice.

"Hailey, it is six-ten in the morning. Is there some kind of national emergency?"

"You finally picked up!" Her voice was angrier than mine. "Why didn't you reply to my messages? Do you have a guilty conscience?"

"I was sleeping." Every word I spoke felt like it was being squeezed through my teeth.

"Sleeping?" She sounded like I had just told her a fairy tale. Her voice spiked. "You might be able to sleep, but I can't! Every time Liam goes to see a client, I worry myself to death. You have to keep an eye on him for me!"

"Hailey," my voice went cold. "You are an adult. If you want to talk to your boyfriend, contact him yourself. I am not your assistant, and I am certainly not your spy."

With that, I hung up. The world was quiet again, but my sleep was gone. I got up, showered, and re-checked all the materials for the Vance meeting.

At nine a.m., Liam and I arrived at Mr. Vance’s company. As we stepped into the conference room, my phone vibrated.

[Hailey ❤️’s Liam: Sarah, did you see Mr. Vance yet? Snap a picture for me! ~]

I glanced at it and ignored it.

Messages came flooding in:

[Are you ignoring me because of last night?]

[I know you’re mad I doubted you, but it’s just because I love Liam so much.]

[If you don't have something to hide, you should help me.]

[Think about it, if I start a fight with Liam and it affects his work, the company loses money. Can you take responsibility for that?!]

I couldn't handle the psychotic logic. I quickly typed four words:

"In a meeting. busy."

I put the phone on silent and shoved it into the deepest pocket of my briefcase.