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Out of habit, I followed after her, noting the droop in her usually straight shoulders. “You look like you haven’t gotten much sleep,” I pointed out, and Reid shrugged. Her short hair fell into her eyes and she shook it out of her face, her eyes heavier as she gazed at her computer screen.
“It’s not new. I had recurring dreams of Jerri chasing me down with a massive microphone as a bat.”
I snorted. “I think that’s the stress talking.”
“Or the wine,” she mumbled. She kicked her heels off under her desk and pressed them into the cool tiles. “Has Warren sent any word yet?”
“Nothing yet,” I told her. She sighed and pressed two fingers to her left temple. “Reid, I have to say something-”
“If you’re about to tell me to stop looking into this, please don’t,” she huffed, turning back to her computer.
“Reid, come on,” I insisted, dropping into the chair in front of her desk. “You’re running yourself ragged, all for nothing. I feel fucking awful for being the reason you’re not sleeping. Maybe it’s best if I just accept this and get started on a new visa application.”
“I, for one, feel much better,” she countered with a playful smirk. “At least the thing keeping me up is someone as adorable as you.”
I ignored the little flutter in my gut, my eyes entirely focused on the dark circles under her eyes. The circles that her makeup hadn’t been able to hide.
“That’s not funny.”
“I think it’s hilarious,” she quipped. “Is Clara in yet? I’m dying for coffee.”
Her dismissal was clear, even if it was veiled in a hint of exhaustion. I got to my feet and grabbed her coffee off my desk.
“You already- ah, Mia,” she sighed gratefully, taking a sip. “Lifesaver. See,thisis why I need to keep you around. How else will I get my caffeine fix?”
I rolled my eyes at her, my heart squeezing a little uncomfortably before I spoke again.
“Rae and Clara will still be here,” I said. “They’ll both be able to take over easily, and the work can be divided between the two of them.”
“That’s bullshit and you know it.” She chuckled.
I did.
My index finger tapped out a steady rhythm on the cover of my diary, my chin in the palm of my hand as I watched the seconds trickle by.
Reid’s meeting was thirty minutes late, and I knew she’d want to talk before I headed home.
So I waited.
The little Rubik’s cube on my desk caught my eye and I reached for it, flipping the blocks mindlessly while my thoughts strayed. Six years ago, I’d moved to America to start over; to give my family a better life even if I wasn’t there to enjoy it with them.
I never imagined I’d have to pack up my desk. It was littered with knickknacks and sentimental trinkets that I’d collected over the last few years, little polaroid photos my sister had sent me of her exploits at school, selfies with my mom. There was a tiny figurine of the Cristo Redentor (a gift from Reid when I’d admitted to feeling homesick) next to an hourglass that was filled with beach sand from my favorite beach back home.
There were just… so many things that I’d soon be packing into one of those lame office boxes, the kind that made years look like nothing.
Reid walked in. “Why are you still here?” she asked, her feet bare yet again.
It was a habit she’d developed after hours or when it was just the two of us.
“That’s a weird way of telling me you don’t want to see me, boss,” I said, handing her the reports she’d asked me to prepare.
“You know me better than that, Mia,” she scolded, taking the reports with a smile. “If I didn’t want to see you, I’d-”
“Tell me to fuck off,” I finished for her with a giggle. “Yeah, yeah. Anyway, those reports are all up to date. The new VR is moving into its beta testing phase soon, so you’ll be moving into the arena for a few weeks until you’re happy with it.”
A small, wistful smile tugged at her lips. “I’ve always loved the testing phase,” she murmured, more to herself than to me.
“I know,” I teased. “That’s why I’ve planned for your meetings to be moved to the conference room on the third floor so that you don’t have to worry about wasting time between them.”
