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ChapterTwenty-Two
Emelia
It’s early Thursday morning, and I’m sitting at the table in my apartment, pushing around some yogurt and granola in a bowl, trying to force myself to take a bite. Sonya and I are on the phone. We’ve found chatting in the morning works best since we’re both early risers. It’s too hard to sync our schedules in the evenings. I leave the office later than she does, and she’s usually with Wesley anyway.
“I can’t believe it’s only two weeks until your wedding.”
“Don’t remind me! I have a to-do list a mile long. I don’t even think I can get everything done unless I forego sleep until the night before.”
“Okay, well, obviously, don’t do that. No one wants a zombie bride. What’s left? I can help.”
“Thanks for the offer, but it’s not really stuff I can foist onto you. Areyougoing to write my vows?”
I smile. “I could if you needed me to. I’m sure there’s a ton of examples online I could just copy.”
She laughs. “Good to know.”
“What else?”
She sighs as she starts to list everything off. “I need to call and confirm all the vendors are still good to go. Check in with the caterers. Finalize the seating plan. Oh, that reminds me, have you found yourself a plus-one yet?”
My spoon clinks against my bowl as I push around a chunk of granola.
I went to MIT yesterday so I could witness Professor Barclay teach, and the encounter ended with me on my knees in his office.Cue red cheeks.
“No. No plus-one.”
“Are you kidding me? There’s notoneguy in Boston who’s caught your eye since you moved? What about Zach?”
“Zach is really nice.”
He’s probably the closest thing I have to a friend at work outside of Meera and Hugo. Sometimes we chat in the break room in the mornings. Once, last week, he brought me a sandwich when he noticed I hadn’t left my cubicle during my lunch break (both because I wanted to get some work done and because I was hoping to catch sight of Professor Barclay). I suppose if I were going to invite anyone to Sonya’s wedding, it would be him.
But no.
“Not Zach.”
“Well, I’ll leave the spot open for now, just on the off chance you find love in the next fourteen days.”
“Spoiler alert: I won’t.”
“How are things otherwise? Any updates about Professor Barclay? I still can’t believe he drove you home the other week. You say it wasn’t sweet, but HELLO, he rescued you while you were walking home in the rain.”
God, she’s behind. I’ve kept her so out of the loop.
“It’s not that it wasn’t sweet. I just meant…it wasn’t a big deal. Like he would have driven home any of his employees if he’d caught them walking home in the rain.”
“Okay sure, fine. Listen, I have to run or I won’t have time to shower before work. Call me later. I want your opinion on this new lipstick I got for the big day. I’m scared it’stoopink.”
“Yeah, I get it. Show me later, I’ll be honest.”
I suppose I need to get going too. I’ve already showered and dried my hair, but I add a few soft waves, and then I wrap half of it up into a loose bun with my long bangs parted down the center, framing my face just the way I like. The emphasis is all on my eyes, and I enhance them more with a swipe of eyeliner and a few coats of mascara. I run my finger over my lipsticks neatly organized in a tray on my counter and land on a pale pink. I like how contradictory the shade is compared to the one I wore in Professor Barclay’s office yesterday.
My outfit is simple: black trousers paired with a semi-sheer collared black blouse adorned with a smattering of tiny gold foil stars. A tank underneath ensures it’s safe to wear to work.
I check my lipstick again in the elevator at the Banks and Barclay building, and just as the elevator dings, I stow my small mirror in my bag.
There is no clear path forward where Professor Barclay is concerned. Yesterday, he asked me out on a date, “a proper dinner,” he said, but the offer was more than a little coerced. I mean, his pants were still unbuttoned at the time. He was trying to soften the blow for me so I wouldn’t have to feel so degraded by what I’d just done.
