Page 32 of Want You

OCTAVIA

“Flora, I can’t right now, I’ve got three briefs sitting on my desk that I should have been done with three days ago.” Octavia sat back dramatically as her sister begged on the other end of the line.

“You never see your nephew though.” She whined.

“Don’t pout, Lor, you look like a melting troll doll when you do that.”

“You can’t even see me right now, Vee.” She huffed.

“I can hear it. Listen, I can come by this weekend but I can’t tonight, I’ll be here late.” Octavia looked at the stack of files on her desk, longing for the day when everything actually would be electronic, maybe it wouldn’t seem so daunting then. She was almost glad Nathan was gone for the next week and a half, it would give her time to focus on work instead of how many ways he was going to make her come that night.

It also gave her time to wrap her head around what he’d asked for. A real chance with her. A relationship. It meant truly letting go of the could-have-beens she’d spent weeks constructing with a faceless, nameless man. A fantasy. She had to acknowledge how much the text hurt when she thought he meant their relationship was a mistake. It may as well have been the truth of it all slapping her in the face.

“That would actually be convenient.” Octavia pulled herself out of her head to focus back on what her sister was saying. “I was asked if I wanted to cover someone’s shift on Saturday and could use the money.”

“Why? Are kids expensive or something?” Octavia laughed. Her sister had brushed off the financial consequences of being a single mother when she’d been pregnant with Tyler.

“Shut up.”

“That’s no way to speak to the person who could make it a lot easier for you to take that shift, and not charge for childcare.”

“You’d never, you love him.”

“Lucky for you. What’s the shift?”

Octavia hoped it wasn’t early because she’d be staying up way too late for Nathan’s game and then whatever he had planned for after it. She’d gotten home last night to a package she hadn’t ordered. Inside the nondescript brown box with a very generic return address was a sleek black box and a note.

Don’t open until I tell you to. N xx

“Octavia,” her sister snapped.

“What?” she asked innocently as the memory faded.

“It’s eleven to seven, will that work for you?” Flora huffed, making it obvious it wasn’t her first time asking.

Ideal in fact. “Yes, I’ll be there at ten thirty. What’s he eating these days?”

“Pretty much green food exclusively. His father’s almond mom sister told him it would make him a superhero or something. I’m guessing it was to get him to eat his peas or broccoli at a family dinner. Now he eats all his veggies, but there aren’t exactly a lot of other green options. So I find a way and tell him that I only buy green food now.”

“Lying to your kid, who are you? So do I have to get creative then?” Octavia laughed.

“Listen, I’m sorry I ever judged another parent before I was one. And no, he’ll eat whatever you eat because he is obsessed with being like Aunt Vee.” Flora sighed. “Alright, I’ve gotta get back to work, I’ve got to go supervise an epic Call of Duty battle.”

“You have a weird job,” Octavia mumbled, glaring at the files again.

“Weird but in a good way. See you Saturday.”

Corporate law wasn’t the most exciting, but she definitely had more of a life than some of the other law specialties. When she was working late, it was because she had wasted time doing something else, not so much because her clients were on her ass constantly.

Her phone buzzed and she smiled when she saw there was a new message from Nathan.

Nathan

Any chance you’d be willing to stay up late tonight?

By nine she was settled on her couch to watch the game. When it was over, she had a shower and tried to read while she waited for his call.

The previous two nights, he’d started the call by asking about her day and then had actually seemed interested in what she had to say. After she rambled, he told her what he’d gotten up to. Last night, he’d told her all about his day off. She had actually been jealous of his day wandering Pike Place Market and eating fresh seafood. When she’d expressed her jealousy, he’d laughed and told her he’d show her the city one day.