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“I don’t have my phone.”
* * *
By the timeI was moved downstairs, I felt defeated. Apparently, in the chaos of last night, I dropped my phone and had no idea where. Not only that, but when I called work using James’s phone, my boss screamed at me for over ten minutes about how unprofessional I am. James eventually had to take the phone away and hang up because I was close to tears. He moved me to the library, setting me up sideways on the couch so my feet wouldn’t touch the floor and surrounded me with pillows. Since I still didn’t have any clothes with me and I felt really awkward in just James’s shirt, Jo offered me some leggings. I had to roll them up, she is a lot taller than me, but then again most people are.
Jo was currently calling out names of different books in the library in hopes of finding me something to do. The fact that she had an entire library was shocking. I had a lot of books on my shelves but nothing compared to this place. Any wall without a window was covered in shelves, and lines of them ran down the center of the room. You could disappear in here and no one would know unless they went looking for you. There was a fireplace near the door with big antique couches and armchairs facing it. I would’ve thought they would be uncomfortable given how old they look but the one I was currently camped out on was squishy and the fabric was soft.
“How about Wuthering Heights? Or maybe Pride and Prejudice?”
I made a face. “Do people actually read those books anymore?”
Her head poked out from behind one of the shelves, her mouth hanging open. “Yes! Have you never read them?”
I shrugged. “I mean, maybe in high school? I don’t remember. Unless it's manga, I’m not a big reader.”
She disappeared again, snorting. “If the apocalypse happens, you’ll be bored out of your mind.”
“I’m pretty sure if the apocalypse happens, she’ll be too busy trying to survive. She won’t really have time to sit and read,” Gabi pointed out, waltzing into the room. She gave me a small smile. “I heard what happened. You’re having a rough week so I brought some treats.”
Jo came out from the row of books she was in, frowning. “You don’t cook.”
Gabi beamed. “I may have convinced Dmitriy to make them for me. I’m not technically allowed in the kitchen anymore.”
I raised an eyebrow but she didn’t have time to answer before Yuri waltz in, snickering. “You lit the kitchen on fire last time. Why would we let you back in there?”
When our jaws dropped, Gabi turned scarlet. “Yuri! Shut up!”
“How did you light the kitchen on fire?” I leaned forward, curious.
She covered her face with her hands, shaking her head. Yuri plopped himself into an armchair, smirking. “She was trying to make Dmitriy a birthday cake but he came home early and they got distracted.”
Jo and I burst into giggles and eventually Gabi dropped her hands, trying and failing to hide her smile. “Shut up. It would’ve been fine if he didn’t distract me.”
“I think it’s cute. At least you tried,” I reassured her. She gave me a relieved smile.
“Thanks. Here, they’re his mother’s recipe. The guys tried teasing him for baking until I pointed out he was getting laid and they weren’t. They shut up after that,” she snickered.
I took the container she handed me, chuckling. He made Russian tea cakes and we made a mess with the powdered sugar as we devoured them. Even Yuri stole a few, tossing them into the air and catching them in his mouth. He made a bigger mess than we did.
While Jo and Gabi chatted about their recent kitchen mishaps, I eyed the door, hoping that James would come back soon with my phone. I knew for a fact that my boss wasn’t going to just let it slide after James hung up on him. He probably already called my phone several times. I started biting my nails, stressing hard. I couldn’t even text James to ask him how it was going.
“What’s wrong with you?” Yuri prodded, trying to tip back in his chair. Jo immediately snapped at him to stop and he scowled at her.
“Leave her alone. She’s stressed out. Her boss is being a douche about her taking time off.” Jo had come upstairs to see if she could help me move to the library right as I called in. She could hear everything because I had to hold the phone a few inches from my face, he was screaming so loud.
Yuri frowned. “You are injured. Why would you not take time off?”
I dropped my head into my hands before running my fingers through my hair. “He prefers me as his secretary instead of an actual programmer. He’s mad I’m not there to wait on him.”
Apparently, Yuri took issue with that. He pulled out his phone. “What’s his name?”
Jo narrowed her eyes suspiciously. “Why?”
“I’m going to find some dirt on him so he will leave her alone.”
“Will that even work? Doesn’t he work in tech?” Gabi asked.
I snorted. “I could out-code him with my eyes closed. He won’t notice shit.”
