"You know what you need?" she asks, lifting a brow like she's about to say something cheeky. "A distraction."
I give her a dubious look.
"You know, something to give your mind a break. Like…a party? There's one this weekend. You should totally come."
"There's always a party on the weekends," I correct. "But I don't know anyone here."
She pushes her long golden bangs away from her face, tucking them behind her ears as she leans in. "And how do you think yougetto know people?"
I scoff dramatically, even though there is a real smile tugging at my lips. Maisie has been bugging me to go out with her since I first met her. "Fine. I'll think about it. If not this weekend, then the next one for sure."
She squeals. "You swear?"
"I swear."
She sets her coffee down, sitting up straighter in her chair as she pivots to the desk and opens my laptop for me.
"What are you doing?" I ask.
"I'm feeling inspired," she replies cheerily. "My essay is pretty much done, but yours needs some serious help." She takes a minute to read what's there, then nods. "The topic is whyyou're struggling so hard. I think you should narrow it down more. Instead of just 'streaming services', maybe do something like 'the impact of streaming services on music consumption patterns'?"
I blink at her as all the pieces of this stupid essay click into place in my mind. That's it. That's what it was missing. A narrowed focus.
"Maisie, you're a fucking genius."
She smiles like she knows it. "Well, I didn't bring you an eight-dollar coffee for you to stare at the screen." She gives me a pointed look. "Put that caffeine to work."
The days leading up to the official meeting Ambrose's assistant Linette scheduled for us are long.
By Wednesday night, I'm beyond being able to sit still in classes or the apartment. I've written and rewritten my essay twice and walked Ellie so often that I think I might've accidentally lost weight in the process.
All I know is my jeans are more loose than they were last week when I decided to leave Ellie at home to sleep, and grab armfuls of clothes that aren't even dirty, throwing them in a hamper.
It's reasonable to do laundry twice a week, right?
I'm only a step out the door when I hear the phone ring. Not the one in my pocket, the other one. The one I keep tucked between the mattress and box spring, deeper in than the vibrator, so anyone who could come looking will find that first and stop there.
Cursing, I step back inside and set down the basket, kicking the door shut with the toe of my boot. I get to the phone beforeit stops ringing and immediately shut the ringer off. I must've accidentally hit the volume button when I stuffed it back in there last night.
"Hello?"
"Where are you going?"
It's Atticus's voice on the other end of the line, and I frown. He's never called me on this phone before. And hold on…
For him to have caught me leaving that quickly, he would've had to have been actively watching the cameras. "Are you so bored that you sit there and watch my front door all night?"
I can hear the exasperation in his silence, and it makes me grin.
"I saw the basket, figured if you were rushing over here, it must mean something happened."
So he's the one over there right now. "Are Elijah and Seven?—"
"They're at home."
I wonder if he can sense my disappointment through the phone.
"Aurora?" he presses, and I'm not sure when I decided to start talking to him, and I'm not sure yet if I'm completely cool with it or not, so I just sigh.
