“Not sure how much sleep I’ll get. I’ve no idea how we’re going to bring this game in two months early.”
“Why did you do it?” I asked.
“Because I had to. What you’ve got to understand, Cora, is that when a thing is worth doing, it’s worth going all in.”
I stood in that hotel corridor and considered his words. “Is that why you decided to propose? How many women did you ask?”
He sighed, ran a hand through his already messy hair, and said, “Only you. You’re the only one I want.”
“Why? Why me?”
“Because you say no to me. The bravest thing I’ve ever done was to ask you to marry me.”
I forced myself to walk away, but I thought about his words all night.
Now as I drop my pass around my neck and push through the venue doors, I put my game face on.
As it’s the first day, the noise and energy are immense even this early. At the moment, it’s mostly professionals manning exhibits or trawling the stands. The fans won’t surface until later. As I make my way to our space, I spot Scarlett. She’s cradling a cup of coffee, talking earnestly with a bearded guy in round black spectacles. She tosses her head, sleek locks flying, and moves off. Something about the exchange seems off but I don’t have time to analyse it further.
“Cora!” I turn as I hear my name. Piotr is gesticulating wildly.
Before he gets stuck in, I ask, “Who’s that? Baldie with the beard and glasses.”
“That, dear Cora,” he says, “is the devil himself, the RuinLord.”
“The RuinLord?”
Piotr shrugs in a way that saysGo figure. “It’s a gamer tag,” he explains. “That’s Conrad Mars, the CEO of Wobbegong. Now, can you sort this out?”
And that is the start. I sit at a tiny table in the corner of our stand, working away, co-ordinating everyone. It keeps me busy and I’m glad, because if I had a moment to think, I’d be scared to my toes that my job, my life and my hard-won stability, is careering towards a cliff-face and I’ve no safety net.
First Date Blues
Another morning and Steve is at my desk. It’s getting to be a pattern.
“Hi, Cora,” they say.
Looking up, immediately I notice something is different. Their hair has been cut into a textured crop, short at the sides and back. The topknot is no more.
I hide my surprise with cheerfulness. “Nice haircut. It looks good on you.” And it does. Without the weight of its length dragging it down, their hair is bouncier, somehow fuller. Their jawline appears more chiselled. They look less like a teen playing at being an adult and more like a grown-up.
“I’m glad you like it,” they say.
But my attention is cut short. From Anders's office comes a giggle, followed by a deep chuckle. Scarlett is in with him and it’s enough to get my hackles up. I’m so distracted I miss what Steve is saying.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t catch that.” I trot out the excuse, one ear listening for more girlish laughter.
“I said, ‘Would you like to get a coffee together sometime?’”
My attention snaps back to Steve. Is it a date? Are they asking me on a date? That’s unexpected. Although Steve has been hovering on the brink for so long, I was certain they’d never get up the courage. And they pick now to ask me? When I’m more confused about Anders than ever.
I stall. “As in coffee outside of work?”
They smile. “Coffee outside of work,” they confirm with a little nod for emphasis.
Scarlett’s titter comes once more, again followed by Anders’s full-bodied guffaw. It’s very distracting.
I pull my focus back to Steve as suspicion creeps in. Have they cut their hair because of me? I truly hope not. It would be a sign their interest is far, far greater than mine.
