My eyebrows shoot up as a genuine chuckle booms out my chest. “Oh, okay. Now I’m going to hold you to that.”
“I don’t know why I said that. Please don’t.”
“Oh, we’re so doing it now. Just you wait.” I sigh happily, leaning back in my chair. “And what are you doing tonight?”
“Katie’s taking me to another dorm party with her and Jamie. Guess we’re sorta becoming a trio or whatever.”
“It’sKatienow. Wow.” I laugh into the phone.
“Shut up.” Elijah teases back.
As much as it doesn’t thrill me he’s hanging out with his ex, I also know that I can trust him. They never had what we have together. No one ever can compete with that. “Ah, well that sounds like a fun plan.”
“Yeah, well. I guess it’s good to get out there and meet more artists and such. I need to get back into the swing of things after my time off.”
“Yeah, I think it’s a good thing you’re going.” I pick up a pen and start scribbling jagged lines on a blank piece of paper. “The first step in getting comfortable with that sort of thing again,” I say into the phone.
“Yeah…” he breathes.
I close my eyes, trying not to crumble. If he can sense I’m wishing he was home every time we talk, he’ll get tired of talking to me. I can’t have that. I—
“I wish you were here,” he says softly.
I grip the phone in my hand, wishing I could just float through the screen and go straight to him.
“I wish—”
Suddenly, my office door pops open. Claire, Gabe and a few other staff members come tumbling through the doors, laughing and talking amongst themselves, all dressed in their outdoor clothes.
“Come on! You better get your walking shoes on, Boss.” Yasmin laughs, walking around my desk and pulling on my arm.
“Shit,” I breathe into the phone. Claire knocks over a picture frame on my desk of Jude as she climbs on top of my desk. I hurriedly scramble to reset it upright. “Elijah?” I ask into the phone.
“Don’t worry! I gotta go now anyways,” he says, cutting into the noise around me. Everyone is laughing and talking so loudly that I can hardly hear him.
“Fuck. Okay, I’m sorry, babe. I’ll talk to you later?” I ask. I hate having to end our call early.
Honestly, I hate having to end our callat all.
“Yeah. Sounds good.”
“Okay, I love you. Bye,” I say.
“I love you too, bye,” he says before the line goes dead.
Before I can take in what just happened, Claire is on top of my lap, squishing my face with her fingers. “You,sir,owe me a drink.”
“Is that right?” I laugh, swatting her hands off me before giving her a gentle push. Claire is a walking HR problem. “Alright, everyone out,” I say, waving my hands to shoo them along.
She laughs, skipping towards the door. You’d think she already has had a few drinks. The group of them files out of my office as soon as they see me walking towards the door.
Gabe laughs, following after her. “Is she always like this?” He asks, looking at me. I sigh, thinking about it.
“Yeah. Pretty much.” I smile.
He shakes his head, chuckling, before throwing his arm around my shoulder and leading me out of the office.
19
