We sit for a couple of minutes until a series of knocks on the bus door disrupts the silence. I glance at the clock on my phone and sigh, time for the cavalry to go through every painstaking detail of the rollout of my girlfriend. This entire situation is so fucking absurd, but that’s the world we live in. Or, at least, the career pathIchose. All I want to do is play music, not obsess over which pictures to post on fucking Instagram.
“Come in,” I announce, ready to get this ridiculous meeting over with so I can actually spend time with Kate before soundcheck.
Anna walks in first, dressed in a floral dress like she’s headed to a garden party, not backstage of an amphitheater for a country music concert. Max follows her like a lost puppy; he’s enamored with everything Anna does—her partner in crime. It’s almost impossible to say no when the two of them gang up on me; thank God they usually have my best interests at heart. When Jason climbs on the bus, the entire mood shifts, and tension fills the air. It’s barely 10 a.m., how the hell are the two of them already pissed at each other?
I shake my head as Kate and I get up to sit at the table with the rest of the group.
Anna messes with her laptop, pulling up a presentation.
Why are there slides? I don’t have the energy for a fucking presentation this early in the morning—or ever. A music career was supposed to get me out of the dreaded spreadsheet and presentation hell that Kate loves so much.
I glance over at Kate. Her eyes are bright and shiny, eager to see what Anna has put together. No wonder these two kickass women get along so easily; they both live for the details.
Shit. Everyone at this table thrives on the details in their day-to-day lives, except me. I’m the anomaly.
“All right. So much to share with both of you, because today’s the big day.” Anna stands in front of the table with her laptop perched on the end. She advances the presentation with a clicker in her hand.
Why, in God’s name, does she need a presentation clicker?How long is this meeting going to take?
“Let’s get started with what I’ve selected for the Instagram carousel,” Anna says excitedly, flipping through a series of photos of Kate and me from the past few months.
A smile starts on my face, growing with each click as I remember the moments we’ve shared. I squeeze Kate’s thigh and shoot her a loving gaze, wanting her to know how much these memories impact me. The tears glistening in the corner of her eyes confirm she’s feeling the same. I lean over and kiss her temple, eternally grateful to have her by my side.
“Can you go back a few pictures?” Jason asks, staring at Anna’s laptop rather than his phone.
Perhaps his phone isn’t surgically attached to his hand, after all. Or, at least, he got it removed for this meeting.
“Sure,” Anna replies sweetly, with a hint of danger in her eyes. She slowly flips through the previous pictures, waiting for Jason to stop her. He’s utterly quiet as his displeasure becomes more evident.
“Yeah. Not that one,” Jason says when Anna stops on the very first photo.
She purses her lips as her forehead crinkles deeply. “Do you have a specific problem with it?”
Jason crosses his arms. “No. Just don’t like it.”
“Noted.” She clicks on the second photo in her presentation.
“Not that one, either.”
“What’s wrong with this photo?” Anna questions, frustration rising in her voice.
“Don’t like it. Frankly, I’m not a fan of any of these.” Jason whips out his phone and types furiously. “You can do better.”
“Excuse me,” Anna fumes.
Kate’s fingers dig into my thigh as her eyes go wide, alarmed by the argument in front of us, like no one else is in the room. The two of them have always been prickly toward each other, but it’s gotten significantly worse lately, leading me to believe something happened to cause their disdain to grow, even though they both deny it.
“I think the photos are great, Anna. They have my approval, unless Jason has anactualreason why he doesn’t think they should be used. What do you think, Kate? You have an equal say in this.”
Kate smiles softly at me for a few seconds before turning her focus to Anna. “I love them. You did a great job of capturing us.”
“Great! Any feedback on the caption I emailed earlier?”
Kate requests a few minor changes, while Jason continues to be occupied with his phone. Not saying a single word to anyone or making eye contact. I’ve seen him do something very similar in negotiations…just before he goes in for the kill. I really fucking hope that’s not what’s about to?—
“Emailed you my edits,” Jason says smoothly, leaning against the bench seat.
Anna reaches for her phone, tapping on the email and reading quietly, her anger growing with every second. She sets her phone down gently on the table and takes a deep breath. “Those aren’t edits, Jason. You rewrote theentirepost.”
