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“I saw your texts earlier. They came in so quickly I thought you were having another meltdown,” I tease, hoping that keeping my tone light won’t trigger one in the moment.
“Oh crap, I didn’t even think how my messages would come across since you couldn’t read them! I’m sorry! I was just excited about my promotion.” Pianna blows me a quick kiss. “I won’t do it again unless I have a panic attack.” Before I can assure her that it’s fine, she continues, “So I have some more news,” Pianna announces as I make my way toward the only bedroom in the apartment.
“Tell me about it while I get out of my work clothes.”
I throw my phone onto the bed and immediately begin to strip. While Jonathan may be the best dressed at work, I try to be a close second. My shirt goes first, then my skirt. I barely glance at myself in the full length mirror propped in the corner as I move toward the dresser. No need to focus on the parts of me I’m not comfortable with. Particularly my soft stomach and thunder thighs. One day I’ll lose weight, but for now, I’ve come to accept my pear shape.
“I met someone.”
I bite back a heavy sigh of disapproval. Pianna jumps from relationship to relationship like a frog crossing over lily pads.
“Tell me about him.”
“Well don’t sound too thrilled, Bri.”
I roll my eyes as I slip on my pajamas. “I was excited about the first ten. You’ve officially made it tothirtymen that you have met since we’ve been apart.”
“This one is different!”
I grab my phone off the bed and head to the bathroom. “Send me a picture and tell me about him.”
My phone vibrates even before I’m done talking.
“There!” Pianna chirps happily. “His name is Miguel, and he’s gorgeous, nice, funny, and did I mention gorgeous?”
As I remove the minimal makeup I wear to work, I pull up the picture and stare at the Hispanic man in the photo. He’s attractive, with long hair tied back into a man bun, tattoos crawling up his neck, and a warm smile. Compared to the other men she’s dated, he’s definitely a looker.
“He looks cute.”
“Oh my god, he’samazing, Briella.”
As Pianna dives into howamazingMiguel is, I brush my teeth and wash my face. When I’m done, I stand in front of the mirror and let my thick curls tumble down my back as I loosen them from the severe bun I keep them in. My warm, medium brown skin is pink from being washed. I need to scrub a little lighter next time.
“He sounds great, Pianna. I hope he treats you better than the last guy.”
“He already is,” my best friend assures me. “Anyway, I’ll keep you posted. Now, when are you coming to visit me?”
For the rest of the evening, we talk. By the time I hang up, my heart aches. We may have our own lives, and we’ve grown less codependent on one another, but still, ImissPianna. Maybe one day we’ll live near each other again.
Two
“Can you believe Ms. Barbara? She literally just bitched me out for ten minutes in front of everyone during that meeting!” Jonathan hisses under his breath from beside me.
“That’s Barb for you,” I mutter.
“Clearly she’s getting senile in her old age. I wouldneverput books back where they don’t belong. I’m probably the most anal person about following the Dewey Decimal system.” His fingers slam down on his keyboard as he types something out in frustration.
I chuckle. Jonathan has been here a year longer than I have and loves books just as much as I do. The fact that Ms. Barbara railed him out for a mistake he clearly didn’t make was definitely wrong. If it was anyone, it was probably Dora. How she got a job here, I’ll never know but that woman is dumber than a box of bricks. Thankfully, she and Megan work the evening shifts so unless she needs to rearrange her schedule with Jonathan, I hardly ever work with her.
I smile over at him. “She’ll forget that she barked at you by lunch. Deep breath. It’s just the start of your shift.”
He slides one of his hands over his bald head before his dark brows come together. “She might forget, but I won’t. I’m going to eat those leftovers she brought in for lunch today.”
I laugh. It’s soft so as not to bother the students around us but it’s loud enough the student approaching us jumps a bit in surprise.
“Hi, can someone help me?” a girl approaches the counter by Jonathan whose visible frustration blinks away as he looks up.
“What can I help you with?”
