"Sure." I deflate a bit. "That makes sense."
My job is the one space that belongs entirely to me, especially now that my apartment is gone. My office doesn’t belong to Beck or my parents or my skating history. In this building, I am Mollie Tate, social media coordinator. That felt like something real.
Now I'm the person following Thorne around with a camera. I can already feel the edges of my neat little spaceblurring.
"Great. I'm going to talk to the interns about posting content for you and shooting B-roll. You focus on Thorne. Interview him, get B-roll of him doing activities outside the rink. During games, you can relax. Everything is caught on the cameras."
"And eventually, you want... what, a documentary about him?" I can already see the fans lining up for that. Blegh.
"Kind of depends on what you get on film. Maybe you can do a series of thirst trap videos, a few where he talks about his passion for volunteering, and then something else."
"Hanging out with his King Kong-sized dog?" I muse.
Juliet's eyes light up. "That would be amazing!"
"Can do. Do you have a timeline?"
"Let's check in after a week. I'm willing to go for a month if you get the right footage." She pauses. "This won't be weird for you, right? I don't want to put you in any awkward positions trying to get thirst trap videos."
My face flames. "No. I'll be all right."
"Okay, great."
There is a knock at the open office door and Jessa pops her head in. "Am I interrupting?"
Chestnut-haired, angelic-looking Jessa is literally the sweetest person on earth. She's also the team-services coordinator. She beams at me. "I heard that Rosie is sick?"
I blink. "Yes, she is. How did you hear that?"
She ducks her head. "I texted your brother."
She hands me a tote. Peeking inside, I see Pedialyte pops, drinkable applesauce packets, a few coloring books, cheddar popcorn, and a handwritten note addressed to Rosie. My jaw drops.
"Whoa, Jessa. These are all Rosie's favorite things. How did you know?"
"Your brother mentioned them on his Insta." She turns red as a beet. "I follow everyone on the team."
She squirms a little and I can't help but laugh. "Beck is going to go nuts over this. Really."
"I figured you would see him before I do."
Juliet smirks faintly. "I'm sure Beck will be appreciative. Jessa, do you mind staying for a minute? I have a new to-do list for you. Mollie, go get some great film."
Jumping up from my seat, I give them both a salute. "I'll do my best."
"Hey, before you go. The Coven should meet up soon!" Jessa says. That's the nickname for the crazy women that work here. All of us try to get together and cackle together under the moonlight whenever we get the chance.
"I'd love that. Text me!" I make my way out of Juliet's office, my heart thrumming.
It's not that I don't want to hang out with a bunch of women who are infinitely cooler than I am. But Juliet just handed me a huge assignment... and it's to cover the one guy I should probably be avoiding. We already live together and work together. Now I'm supposed to follow him around and document him?
The only time I won't have Thorne in my face is while I sleep. And knowing my overactive imagination, even that's not a promise.
Sighing, I stop by my office and grab my work laptop. It's big and clunky compared with my phone, but I might need it to edit some reels.
Slinging a laptop bag over my shoulder, I lug my raincoat and my hoodie all the way over to the practice rink. It's technically next door, but it’s enough of a walk that I'm covered in a light sheen of perspiration by the time I show my badge at the security checkpoint. The second I step into the building's chilled air, I relax.
I've been hanging out at skating rinks since Beck's very first practice, all those years ago. When the local rink started offering ice skating lessons right before the afternoon hockey practices, I begged my mom to let me try.
