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‘Good morning, I’m Ariella. Lovely to meet you.’ I stretch out my palm to shake her hand.
‘Hi,’ she croaks, ignoring my palm as she puts her forearm on the counter to rest her head.
‘Rough night?’ I soften my voice.
All she does is grunt. I quickly deduce that is all the communication I am going to get. I grab my grapefruit from the fridge and split it in two, putting the other half back. I silently make some tea and escape to my room, giving her the pleasure of solitude. I’m hardly shining company either. I sit at the small desk in my room, looking out of my window as I eat.
Even though I was petrified of what would happen, I expected Jasper to call last night –but he didn’t. I’m not sure what that means, but I force the thought aside and hit the shower. When I return to the kitchen with my bowl and cup, the girl is gone, and in her place, eating cereal and watching cartoons, fresh from a run, is my flatmate; the picture of health and vitality.
‘Morning. Sleep well? Those beds are amazing. They cost a fortune, but they’re worth it, aren’t they?’ he asks brightly.
‘Yes, thanks.’
‘Great! I aim to please.’ He laughs, pointing his spoon at the TV.
‘Your girlfriend didn’t look too well. Is she okay?’
‘She’s not my girlfriend.’ He smiles, keeping his gaze on the TV.
‘Is she all right?’
‘Oh yeah. She left when I got back from my run. Tequila is no one’s friend. Time for a shower, then work,’ he announces brightly, slapping his hands together.
‘I’m heading in now.’
‘It’s a bit early, isn’t it?’
‘I usually get in at about a quarter past seven.’
‘Aren’t you the office pet?’ He laughs. ‘Maybe it’s a good thing we aren’t heading in together. People might talk.’
‘About what?’ I ask.
‘They might get the wrong impression.’
‘What impression is that? We share a flat.’
‘People tend to jump to conclusions…In fact, maybe don’t mention that we live together.’ With that, he dashes into his room quickly.
Strange boy.
I struggle through the morning. I’ve heard nothing from Jasper, but if he was with Zachary yesterday I know that he’s fine. My brother is brutally honest and isn’t always the warmest guy, but he has a great heart and can motivate anyone into doing anything. His relentless inability to let a task go until it is complete makes him an excellent lawyer. With Zachary by his side, Jasper is going to be okay.
I, on the other hand, feel numb. The 10a.m. passes in a blur and I keep getting emails from Lara, first with playful insults, then asking if I am okay, then asking if I need anything. At noon, she shows up at my desk and drags me out of the building into a dim sum place nearby. She spends the first part of lunch filling me in on CrimeSpree’s girlfriend and other things I don’t remember.
‘That’s it. I’ve had enough. What’s going on with you?’
It’s only when she grabs my phone that I realise I have been staring at it the entire time. I inhale deeply. ‘Can I have it back please?’
‘No. It’s rude. If you’re not going to talk about you, then at least give me some advice. CrimeSpree’s lechy girlfriend might get me fired if she doesn’t cool it with the texts and indecent selfies to my work phone.’
‘You were so keen on her yesterday,’ I said, expecting this.
‘Like you said, she’s my client’s girlfriend!’
‘Yeah.’ I exhale.
‘Why aren’t you having a complete meltdown and listing all the different ways I can get fired, while praying loudly that they don’t make you do it? What’s up with you?’
