“You’ve been working hard, eh?” She smiles sympathetically.
I nod, running my hand through my hair. “It never stops.”
She breathes in deeply, eyes darting around the room. “Jude wouldn’t want you working so hard.”
I shake my head. “It’s fine.Honestly.”
She sighs deeply, shaking her head. “Fine.Your favorite word.”
A smile tugs at my lips. It’s the only thing I know to say.
“Well, anyway, I just wanted to pop in and say hi, I know you’re working…” She looks me over. “But, maybe we could go out soon? Can we do that? Have lunch together?” She moves her hand to my face and rubs her thumb back and forth on my cheek.
I close my eyes and lean into her touch. “Yeah, that sounds nice. Okay.” I agree.
“Okay. Next week, let’s do it.” She nods. “I’ll call you.” She smiles, coming in for another hug.
I give her a tight squeeze, taking a deep breath of her vanilla and coconut perfume. We hold each other for a little while until she makes her way to leave.
“Oh, Gwen?” I stop her. She turns around, her long brown and caramel hair tossing over her shoulder.
“Yes, love?”
“Can you give me advice on legal stuff? I think I need help.” I admit, stuff my hands in my pocket.
She gives me a warm smile. “Absolutely. You can always always ask for help. I’ll be there.” She says it like she means it more than this situation.
The reminder gives me a warm feeling in my chest. “Right. Thanks.” I nod.
She says her goodbye and makes her way out of the office, leaving me alone once again.
17
Elijah
“I really appreciate you staying back this weekend,” Flux says, as she peers at me over her glasses.
I’m organizing and stapling together some papers for the upcoming lesson on Monday. Tedious work, but it’s simple enough.
“No problem.” I grin. “I’m just glad I could be of some assistance.”
She nods her head, typing away on her computer. “Absolutely. Small chances like this can get you where you want to go.”
A small smile tugs at my lips as I smooth the stack of papers before me.
“And that would be…?” she asks, shuffling through some papers on her desk.
My eyebrow arches. “Pardon me?”
“What are you aiming for, exactly?” She exits out of the pages on her computer screen and turns her attention to me.
Her eyes zoned in on me is nerve-racking. “Oh, wow. Big question.” I straighten my posture and blow out a breath of air.
“Not really. You’re here. You’ve been doing art for years. There must be an end goal or else you wouldn’t be wasting my time or yours.” She leans back in her chair, taking off her glasses and setting them on her desk.
I quickly wonder how honest I should be here. She’s right. “Well, if you had asked me that question a couple of years ago, I would’ve said filmmaker. No hesitation.” I rub the back of my neck. “I really wanted to make movies and capture scenes, maybe work on commercials…” I begin.
She nods her head, encouraging me to go on.
