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“I didn’t take a section,” Elijah mumbles.
“Well, what are you good at?” Jason asks.
“Nothing,” he says.
I want to reach out and shake him, tell him to stop being this way, pretending to be lazy and not caring, when it’s obvious he’s hungry to figure out who he is and what he wants. Plus, we agreed. It’s his job to make me look like I didn’t fail at my internship.
“That’s not true,” I say, instead of resorting to physical violence. “I know it isn’t.”
“Fine, whatever. I’ll help with logistics too then,” Elijah says.
A hundred butterflies take flight in my belly. What the heck? It’s logistics we’re talking about here. I don’t even know exactly what that will entail, but it’s most likely the least interesting and sexy part of this whole project. And this is Elijah, my partner in crime...likely an actual crime. What’s there to get excited about?
Not that soft voice that makes my skin feel clammy anytime he talks to me. Nothing exciting about that.
Or those freaking mile-long lashes he always seems to be looking up from under. Nope, that’s not exciting AT ALL.
Knock it off, butterflies, I say internally, glaring at my belly, before getting back to business.
“Okay, so maybe we all spread out, find a quiet place to review the materials, and meet back here by...four o’clock? Is a couple hours enough for everyone to gather initial thoughts, questions, and ideas?”
All eyes turn to me.
“You’re letting us leave the ground floor?” Sarah asks.
“Um, well, there are a bunch of unused conference rooms and I’m guessing this is the kind of work they’re supposed to be utilized for. And we need separate space to discuss, don’t we? Or if you’d rather go outside and try and get inspiration from the city itself, I’m okay with that too.”
“Mira hasn’t even shown us anywhere above this level,” Roy says.
“You heard Jessica,” Elijah says. “Get out of here. Spread out. Find a room or leave the building. If anyone looks at you weird, look at them back even weirder. We’re employees here too and we’re doing work for the company.”
I can relate to their feeling of waiting for permission to do something, of fearing reprimand. It’s because we have something to lose. But Elijah is different, with all his confidence, maybe from being born from privilege. He acts like he owns the place. And you know what? He literally does.
“See you back here at four,” I repeat. And with that, everyone disperses. I turn to Elijah. “This is gonna sound super annoying, but we can go work in my office, if you want. It’s pretty private up there.”
He furrows his brow at the suggestion. “Let’s find somewhere else. I have no interest in being up in the executive floor at all this summer if I can avoid it. How about we take a walk?”
“Sure.” I’m not sure exactly what Elijah is going through and why. But I want to respect his boundaries. And I also kinda wanna make sure he’s okay this summer. That he gets what he wants and needs from this experience. It’s the least I can do, since that’s exactly what he seems to be doing for me.
The moment we leave the building, Elijah’s entire disposition changes. Energy courses through him as he looks left and then right and then left again. He nods a few times as if having a conversation with himself as to where we should go.
“Let’s head this way,” he says. I follow and pick up my walking pace to keep up. “Have you had the chance to take in much of the city yet?”
“Not really. Yesterday was a lot so I went straight home to the brownstone after we talked. I kinda just snooped around the house,” I admit. My cheeks heat as I realize what a creeper that makes me sound like. “Sorry.”
He shrugs. “It’s not my house. I don’t care. I bet my dad had it all decorated with things that seem like they should fit, but he has no idea what any of it is or where it came from. You’re fine.”
“It’s big. It’s weird being able to talk out loud to myself if I want to since I’m alone, but also feeling like I shouldn’t be making a sound.”
“Huh, I never thought of it that way, but I totally get what you’re saying.”
We turn the corner and I stop in my tracks. The person walking behind me runs into me and says some profanity-laced curse under his breath. But I’m too distracted to apologize. My mouth is on the ground. Before me is the most vibrant place I’ve ever seen. The colors of all the flags of other nations. Bushes and trees and flowers next to yellow cabs. The iconic red and blue of the sign that reads “Radio City Music Hall.” I’d only ever seen Rockefeller Center on television. I wasn’t ready to take it in with my own eyes.
“You just stepped in gum, Jessica. And those are some expensive new Hermès loafers you’ve got on,” Elijah informs me.
I turn to him just as he gently pulls us both off to the side, out of the way of busy city goers with places to be.
“It’s beautiful,” I say, taking it all in. Even gum on my shoe can’t take away from this moment.
