Meant to Marry Me

The phone wouldn't stop ringing. Most of the time, Trent welcomed that sound because it usually meant more business coming in. But today, it was beginning to jar his brain. Rather than happy clients calling, it was mostly people who were supposed to come in and get equipment and other important infrastructure set up so that his people could better do their jobs.

Celia was handling most of it. Trent had wanted to give her the best office for all of her hard work, but she'd fought him on it and said she'd feel bad having the largest office with the best view on days when he was in the office. He'd insisted, but she refused to be properly appreciated. Instead she was in the room next door, coordinating everything while he tried to concentrate on getting all of the positions filled. She was doing a great job, but the walls were thinner than he liked, and every time her phone rang, he checked his.

He was worried about Bree.

It was stupid for him to even feel that way, but that nervous sensation in his stomach was there nevertheless, and every time his phone rang--or Celia's rang and he thought it was his--anxiety washed over him.

Exactly what he was afraid of, he couldn't quite put his finger on. Anytime someone was taking a road trip there was the worry of vehicle trouble or a wreck, but that really wasn't what he had on his mind. It was Zach.

Over the last few weeks, he'd deduced that she was worried about Zach quitting. While Trent understood Bree was concerned about keeping her band together, he had to wonder if it wasn't something else as well. The two of them seemed awfully close on stage. Sure, Bree treated her other bandmates the same way, leaning against them during a solo or giving them a flirtatious smile. She even looked at Cat in an overly friendly manner from time to time, but Trent couldn't help but feel his blood pressure rise when she got too close to Zach.

He knew Bree wouldn't cheat on him, and he didn't think there was anything going on between them other than a little harmless flirting on stage. But it still hurt to think about them together. And now, she'd be staying in a hotel room just down the hall from his for the next few nights. Trent wouldn't be there until tomorrow.

Celia walked through his open door, talking before Trent even looked up. She started to explain when the people she'd hired to run the drop points for the Wi-Fi would be there, but about halfway through her statement, she stopped. "What's wrong?" she asked, her forehead crinkling.

"Huh? Uh... nothing."

"Bullshit," Celia said, standing in front of his desk. "I haven't known you long. But I know that look."

Running a hand through his hair, he tried to decide how much to tell her. "It's nothing. It's just... Bree's on the road with her band. I'm just worried about her, that's all."

"Worried about what? Does she have a lousy driver or something?"Belongs to (N)ôvel/Drama.Org.

He smirked at her. "No. I just don't like being away from her."

Celia's eyes burned a hole through him for a moment before she asked, "Does this have anything to do with that hot guitar player?"

Now it was Trent's turn to stare at her. "What do you mean?"

"Oh, come on. A quick Google search of Bree's band turns up a picture of all of them. Her guitarist is smoking hot. Even a dude who's one hundred percent straight can easily admit that."

"I may have noticed the girls staring at him... some."

"So... are you worried about him?"

"What? No. Why would you think that?"

Celia shrugged. "Because I would be. If it was my girlfriend. On the road with some sexy guitar player."

"Well... I'm not worried about Bree. She would never cheat on me."

"Have you ever been cheated on before?"

It seemed like an oddly personal question. Trent nodded, but that wasn't enough for her. She continued to look at him. "My ex-fiancé cheated on me with my best friend."

"Oh, God, Trent. I'm sorry. That sucks."

"Yeah. But... it ended up being a good thing. It's the reason that Bree and I were able to get together."

"And you're not even the least bit worried that Bree will think that she'd rather be with a hot guitar player who'll be there every time she turns her head than a boring accountant? I mean I don't think you're boring, but she might." "I don't think she thinks I'm boring," he countered. "She knew what I was when we got together. She's never complained."

"Does she listen when you come home and talk about numbers?"

"Sure." Trent shrugged, but then, he had noticed a few times recently Bree's mind seemed to be elsewhere.

"Okay. Hopefully, you have nothing to worry about. But... if it were me...." She didn't say more, only headed back toward the door.

Whatever it was she'd come in to tell him must've not been important anymore, and he wasn't going to call her back to find out.

Trent wasn't worried about Bree cheating on him with Zach. But he was a little worried that she might break up with him to be with Zach, especially now that Celia had reminded him that Zach really was more cut out for Bree than he was. With a sigh, he turned back to his work, trying to concentrate and forget about Bree for a while, but that was nearly impossible, and every time Celia's phone rang, he jumped and looked at his.