I sit. The barstool is cold against my legs.
He doesn’t say anything for a moment. Just looks at me, so I break the silence.
“I’m surprised to see you here. Your firm is across town,” I say.
“Valentine’s Day, remember?”
“Oh. Right,” I say, but in all honesty, I had forgotten today was Valentine’s Day.
I guess that’s what happens when you don’t have anyone to spend it with. It’s just another day.
And James still comes here on this day every year.
“How have you been?” he asks.
“Good. Really good, actually. I had two trials this past year. Won them both. I have another one in a few months,” I tell him.
“I’m proud of you,” he says, and I can feel a warmth in my chest. “But I’m not surprised. I always knew you’d be a great attorney,” he adds.
The bartender appears, taking my order and asking James if he wants a refill.
James takes a moment, considering, then looks at me.
“Are you taking that tortellini to-go?”
I think about it. Thatwasthe plan. But I didn’t expect to see him here. And now that we’re together, I find myself not wanting to leave so soon.
“No. I think I’ll hang out for a bit,” I say.
He looks back to the bartender. “Then I’ll have another.”
The warmth grows as I think about how he’s letting his plans hinge on what I’m doing tonight.
The bartender pours our drinks and delivers them to us. James’s is a whiskey neat. Mine, a glass of red.
I sit, fiddling with the stem of my wine glass. “So how are things at the new firm?”
“Good now, but Mina had a lot to say when I was hired as her supervising attorney.”
I laugh. “Why am I not surprised?”
“I’m growing on her,” James says, smirking. “Mostly because I don’t tell her how to do her job.”
“That’s probably smart,” I say. “She’d murder you otherwise.”
“She told me as much,” he says, taking a sip of his drink.
I can’t help the laugh that bubbles up. “That sounds like her. But you like it? The new job?”
James shrugs. “Less money. More stress, if you can believe it. But I go home every day feeling like I did something worthwhile.” He pauses for a moment, then adds, “I don’t get to see you every day.”
My brow quirks. “You say that like it’s a bad thing,” I say jokingly.
“It is,” he says, deadpan.
A new silence blooms between us. This one is heavier until James breaks it.
“How’s Nash?”
