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There are two: a missed call from my friend Andie, who I keep meaning to call back, and a text message from Javi. Butterflies take flight in my belly as I tap on his message to read it.
Javi:Here’s your song of the day, beautiful. Can I see you tonight?
There’s a Spotify link for ‘Iris’ by The Goo Goo Dolls, and my heart races with excitement as I sling my gym bag over a shoulder and stuff a hand in to dig around for my ear buds.
“You’re coming out with us tonight, right Lo?”
I jerk my head up when Avery says my name, finding both her and Sloane staring at me expectantly. “Oh, I don’t know…”
“C’mon, what else do you have going on?” she presses.
I pause my search for my headphones and open my mouth to respond, but she levels me with a stern stare, pointing a finger in my direction.
“And don’t you dare say work, because you do way too much of that. You deserve a break, babe.”
My excuse dies on my tongue now that she’s called me out, and for the life of me, I can’t come up with any other passable reason for ditching out on our weekly bar night. I snap my mouth closed, my cheeks heating.
“Besides, it’s possible that your job’s about to get a whole lot easier,” Avery continues, stepping closer and clapping a hand down on my shoulder. “Madd has a new angle he’s playing to get more info on Javi’s pack.”
“He does?” I blurt in surprise, blinking at her. “What’s that?”
Avery shrugs a shoulder casually, clearly not picking up on my internal panic. “He didn’t go into specifics, just said that he had an idea to speed things along since you haven’t been able to dig anything up yet in IT. You can ask him about it tonight.”
My heart sinks as her words settle over me.I’ve let them down. I had a job to do, and for the first time, I haven’t been able to produce results.I’ve failed.
“Yeah, okay,” I mumble, tossing my phone back into my gym bag and zipping it up. I adjust the strap on my shoulder, a hollow feeling settling in the pit of my stomach. “I’ll see you guys tonight, then.”
If my friends pick up on the sudden shift in my mood, they don’t let on. They just continue chattering amongst themselves as I turn on a heel and stride away, intent on getting to the IT hub as quickly as possible so I can do what I should’ve been doing all along- using the information I’ve gleaned from Javi to investigate his pack.
That’s why I’ve been meeting up with him rather than continuing my search online, right? Or at least that’s how I rationalized taking time away from my obligations to the squad to go see him. Instead, I allowed myself to get swept up in his charm, distracted from my objective by a handsome face and pretty words.
This is the reality check I needed.
I make my way through the complex to the IT hub, keeping my head down as I go straight to my workstation in the back of the room. My gym bag lands on my desk with a soft thud and I unzip it to pull my laptop out, sinking into my chair while I get it plugged into my docking station and boot it up.
As I wait, I hear my phone vibrate from inside my bag. My pulse picks up speed as I reach in to retrieve it, but when I fish it out and look at the screen, the message waiting for me isn’t from Javi. It’s from Avery.
Avery:Sloane and I are gonna get ready at the packhouse tonight, you’re welcome to join us!
I frown, chewing on my lower lip as I consider my response. If I keep evading them, they’ll know something’s up. Avery is observant like that. So even though all I really want to do tonight is bury myself in my work and try to redeem my failures, I begrudgingly send a reply.
Lo:Sounds fun, I’ll be there.
I close out of our text thread, then tap the screen to go back into Javi’s, since I left it unanswered.
Javi:Here’s your song of the day, beautiful. Can I see you tonight?
I get a sinking feeling as I re-read his message, knowing I’m going to have to let him down.
Lo:Can’t tonight.
I go to tuck my phone back into my bag, but it vibrates in my hand, Javi’s response coming through within seconds.
Javi:Are you playing hard to get?
I can’t help but crack a smile at that. Warmth blooms in my chest as I picture how he’d look saying those words: brow arched, head cocked, and lips tipping up in a smirk.
Lo:No, I’ve already got plans.
