“I have to change that ringtone,” she grumbled. Without moving her head, Evelyn removed her phone from her blazer jacket and sighed. “Hey, babe,” she said, trying as hard as possible to sound upbeat.
“Where are you?” Mindy huffed. These calls were becoming a frequent occurrence. Evelyn had told her girlfriend the next few months were going to be tough, and at the time Mindy had said she understood.
Apparently not.
“I’m in the office, Min, you know that.”
“It’s nearly nine o’clock. Are you coming home tonight at all?”
“Yes, of course. I’ll be out of here by ten at the latest.”
“Ten?” Mindy screeched. Evelyn pulled the phone away from her ear. Her head was still firmly planted on her desk.
“Yes, ten. I have a budget to approve and it can’t wait.”
“Fine, but this needs to change, Ev. Seriously, when was the last time we had an evening to ourselves?”
“Last Saturday,” Evelyn answered.
“Oh, you mean the hour I got between you working on your laptop and your phone?”
Evelyn hated fighting with Mindy, but what was she supposed to say? The company had to come first for a little while.
“Min, I swear, as soon as this god-awful season is over, I’m all yours. We’ll take a trip, somewhere tropical. I just need you to support me, just for a bit longer.”
Silence filtered down the phone. Evelyn was far too tired for this, but she didn’t want to lose her girlfriend. They’d been together eighteen months and mostly it was good. This was just a blip.
“I support you, Ev, I do. I just want a little more time with you. Is that so bad?”
Evelyn’s stomach dropped. Of course it wasn’t a bad thing. They should spend time together, but it just wasn’t possible at this exact moment in time.
“Just a few more weeks, okay? That’s all I ask.”
“Fine, I’ll see you later.” Mindy didn’t wait for Evelyn to reply before ending the call.
“Great,” she huffed to no one.
It was almost eleven thirty by the time Evelyn crawled into bed. Mindy wasn’t waiting for her. Hours later, Evelyn was jolted awake by a very drunk Mindy stumbling in the door.
“Baby, you’re home,” Mindy crowed far too loudly. Evelyn flipped over her phone, noting the time.
“Jesus, Min, it’s half three. What the hell?”
“Oh, hush. I just went out with a few friends. It’s not like I had anything else to do.”
Evelyn was not about to get into it again with her drunk girlfriend. “Can you just come to bed? I’m wiped and I still have a full day’s work tomorrow. Sorry, scratch that: in three hours.”
Mindy didn’t seem to be paying attention…or she was ignoring Evelyn. Ten loud minutes later, Mindy finally crawled into bed and promptly started snoring. Evelyn lay on her back, staring at the ceiling. There was not a cat in hell’s chance she was getting back to sleep now.
Turning her head, Evelyn studied Mindy. The light from the bathroom, which Mindy had left on, illuminated the room. Her short black hair was sticking out in all directions. Her lips were slightly swollen. Screwing her eyes shut, Evelyn tried not to think about the reason her girlfriend had swollen lips.
Not for the first time, Evelyn questioned their relationship. Mindy was eight years younger than her. They’d met in a bar, and Evelyn had been swept away by Mindy’s energy. They’d dated for a few weeks before making it official. A year later, Mindy moved into Evelyn’s penthouse.
Their lives were good. Not great. Evelyn struggled with Mindy’s need to go out all the time, but they got by. Getting by wasn’t the standard a relationship should be based on, but Evelyn hated being alone. At thirty-five, she thought she would be married, possibly with a dog of her own. Evelyn didn’t want children, but a house full of pets would be perfect.
Finally, Mindy’s snoring became so loud Evelyn had to leave. Grabbing a quick shower, she made herself a coffee, snatched up a protein bar, dressed in her usual pantsuit, and called a car to take her back to the office. If she wasn’t going to sleep, she might as well get some work done.
Coffee should be listed as an essential food group on medical websites or something, in Evelyn’s humble opinion. Without it, she would crumble into a useless heap within minutes of waking up. The thing is, though, Evelyn liked good coffee. The machine in the office kitchen produced black sludge. It was only just turning six a.m. though, so unless she wanted to leave the office and trek to the nearest coffee shop herself, Evelyn was stuck.
