Should I start wearing a suit to school? I’d have to buy a suit first. Would I need more than one?
Before I can spiral too far, my phone buzzes.
Matthias
Are you going to come in or sit in the car?
The car’s pretty nice
Squeezy and I get along fine, thank you. Mostly. Now that she has a new battery. Maybe I can convince people that I’m studying for an important test. Except Matthias has seen my syllabi for the semester, he’ll be hard to fool.
Matthias
Get in here. We have champagne.
If there are magic words that might convince me to stray from my vehicle, those are them. Wine I’m still growing accustomed to, but champagne I love. And the stuff Matthias’s parents have is amazing. At least it made good mimosas.
I take a quick glance in the rear-view mirror to make sure my hair is… well, not feral is probably the best I’m going to get.
“Alright, doing this. In three, two, one.” A knock on my car window makes me jump.
“What are you doing?”
“Psyching myself up.” I can tell Matthias is stifling his laughter. I appreciate the effort. Though it’d be better if he was more successful.
“They adore you.”
I blink a few times. “They do?”
“Of course, now let’s go.” He holds out his hand andhelps me out of the car. “There’s something I need to tell you before we get inside.”
“What did I do?” My mind runs through the last couple of days, trying to figure out which rule I might have broken. I forgot my water bottle one day for work, but I stopped and purchased something at a gas station. Not the best, but since I managed to fix my mistake, Matthias said he was proud of me.
“You didn’t do anything. I did.”
Okay, I was wrong before. That thing in the car was only a small spin out of control. The spiral I’m in now is a full whirlpool, Charybdis ready to pull me under.
“Whatever you’re thinking, it’s not that.” Matthias stops and turns to me, lifting my chin with his finger until I meet his gaze. “They offered me the senior associate job.”
“That’s amazing!” I push up on my tiptoes so I can kiss him. Better rewards will have to wait until we’re home. Well, his home. “Wait? Why is that a bad thing?” Oh shit, did they not think I was good enough to date someone that high up. I mean, my current appearance doesn’t make a good argument, but still.
“I said no.”
“Why? I thought this was your dream job.” Every minute that passes leaves me more confused. He’s been talking about this for weeks, prepping for the interview late into the night. I’ve heard him mention it on the phone to Aaron multiple times. Why would he give that up?
“It was, but I want to chase some other dreams, too. There’s another firm in town that’s been after me for years. I’m going to take a leadership role over there.”
“Are we happy about this?” I ask tentatively.
“Very happy.”
“And how’s the mood in there?” I point toward the house, trying to get a sense of what I’m about to walk into.
“There were some tense moments, but my parents want what’s best for me. They see that this is the right choice.”
“Is it my fault?” I have to ask, otherwise I’ll spend the whole night thinking about it and trying to keep it from spilling out. Secrets and champagne do not mix. Ask me how I know.
“Yes, Firecracker. It’s one hundred percent your fault.”
