PLAY DIRTY
After Carla had successfully made sure no one had seen her. She headed for Nolan’s office as she had originally come to see him.
She couldn’t but admire him as he sat behind his mighty table, working like his whole life depended on it. He was definitely a workaholic.
“Hey Nolan, what’s up…” she waved, walking closer to him.
He looked up from his work and to see who it was.
“Hey, Carla.” He said, focusing his attention back on his work.
“What’s up?” His tone was a little friendly today, but he still seemed a bit distant.
Carla sat down in the chair across from him and sighed. “I just wanted to talk to you about something. Is that okay?” She asked, trying to gauge his reaction.
Nolan looked a little wary, but he nodded. “Sure, what’s on your mind?”.
“I’ve kind of noticed that you’ve not been yourself lately” she uttered, picking her words carefully. She has known Nolan for a long time now so she could easily tell if something was up with him.
Nolan’s face remained impassive, but his eyes narrowed slightly. “I’m not sure what you’re talking about. I’ve been my usual self, as far as I can tell.” He said coolly. He didn’t seem interested in engaging in whatever this was. But Carla was determined to make him talk.
“Come on, Nolan. You can’t fool me. I know you better than that.” She informed, trying to sound casual and friendly. But she could tell that she was starting to ruffle his feathers.
“What do you know Carla?” He dropped the pen he was holding on the table and finally looked up at her. Why did she suddenly come into his office and start asking baseless questions.
“I know that you and Layla have been having problems.” Carla said, carefully choosing her words. Nolan’s expression changed immediately, and he sat up straighter in his chair.
“What do you mean by that?” He asked, his voice low and dangerous. Carla felt a thrill of excitement at having finally hit a nerve.
“I mean that I know something is wrong. It seems as if you guys are not on good terms. I learnt that Layla comes to the office by taxi.” She said, watching his reaction carefully.
Carla was not still very sure if they were having problems before but now she was certain something was wrong with their relationship.
But Nolan wasn’t about to make it easy for her. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. Layla and I are fine.” He said, his face giving nothing away.
But Carla had a feeling that he was lying. “Nolan, I’m your friend. I just want to make sure you’re okay.” She said, trying to sound genuine.
“There’s no need to worry. I’m fine.” He said curtly, clearly not interested in pursuing the conversation any further.
“Come on, you can tell me..” she grilled, holding his hand affectionately. It felt so good holding arms with Nolan. If only she can remain in his arms forever.Content © NôvelDrama.Org 2024.
Nolan hesitated, looking down at their joined hands. “Carla, I appreciate your concern, but there’s really nothing to tell.” He said, trying to sound reassuring.
But Carla wasn’t going to give up that easily. “I know something is wrong. I can feel it.” She insisted, her voice soft and pleading. For a moment, Nolan looked like he was about to crack. But then he pulled his hand away from hers and stood up.
“I’m sorry, but I really have to get back to work.” He intoned, his voice cold and distant.
“but Nolan…” She drew up standing up.
She was not ready to give up yet. Not now, she was supposed to know everything going on in their relationship, that’s the only way she could separate them.
But Nolan held up a hand to stop her. “Carla, please. Just drop it.” He voiced out, his voice tight with frustration. Carla felt like she’d hit a wall. She could tell that he wasn’t going to open up to her, no matter how hard she tried. With a sigh, she relented.
“Fine. But I’m always here if you need to talk.” She smiled warmly, her voice still gentle.
Nolan nodded, but he didn’t meet her eyes. “Thank you.” He sighed, turning back to his desk. And with that, the conversation was over.
“I’ll leave now but if you want anyone to talk to I’m here” she smiled warmly at her, her face holding no sincerity.
“Get out!” He snapped out sternly. She was now biting off more than she could chew. He was trying to take it easy with her. But she was still persistent.
Carla’s smile faltered, and she felt a pang of hurt. She hadn’t meant to upset him, but she could see that she had.
“I’m going.” She said, her voice quiet. She turned and walked out of the office, feeling like she had failed. But she couldn’t help but wonder what was really going on with Nolan and Layla. And she couldn’t shake the feeling that there was something more to the story than he was letting on.
But now she should just leave, at least she wasn’t entirely defeated. Layla had a bowl of trouble waiting for her once she returned from her lunch break. She had already made Nolan angry and his anger wouldn’t wear down before Layla came back. Once he realized what Layla had done, he’d pour out his anger on her.
“I’ll definitely get what I want, you and Layla can’t be together..” she swore under her breath, leaving the office.
As Carla walked away, she couldn’t shake the feeling of foreboding that had settled over her. She knew she’d made things worse by pushing too hard. But she was determined to find out the truth about Nolan and Layla, no matter what it took. She was prepared to do whatever it took to make sure that they didn’t end up together. Even if it meant playing dirty and that’s exactly what she was going to do. Play dirty.