But maybe not as sad as befriending an AI.
A knock at the door interrupts my thoughts. Sighing, I head over to open it, expecting maybe Willow, wanting another Twizzlers. Instead, my boss, Dr. Edward Langley, stands there, an uninvited smirk playing on his lips.
“I thought I’d check on how the testing is going,” he announces, pushing past me into the apartment before I can respond.
The audacity.
He glances around, his fingers trailing along my bookshelf.
Ew.
I clench my fists, forcing a neutral tone. “I’m still trying things out. I’ll have more to report on Monday.”
Langley picks up the photo of August and me, examining it with an infuriatingly proprietary air. “You should really consider my offer to help you test this weekend. Could be… enlightening.”
His implication hangs heavy in the air, and I edge toward the door. “I appreciate the concern, Dr. Langley, but I’m quite capable of handling it on my own. But there is still a lot to do, so if there’s nothing else…”
He sets the photo down, the edges of his smile tightening as he meets my gaze. “Of course. The offer still stands. If you need help, you know where to find me.”
As he finally steps out, I close the door with a firm click, my relief short-lived as Jamie’s voice cuts through once more. “Seems like you handled that well,” he observes, almost cheekily.
“Handling him is like defusing a bomb,” I mutter, returning to the sanctity of my couch and the unfinished Twizzlers in my hand. “One that could go off with the wrong word.”
“And yet, you managed to keep the conversation from exploding,” Jamie points out. “That’s something, right?”
I nod, sinking deeper into the cushions. “Right. Now, can we please talk about something other than my invasive boss or my nonexistent social life?”
“Absolutely,” Jamie replies, his tone lightening. “Did you know the average person eats about two pounds of insects a year, mostly unknowingly?”
I scrunch my nose in disgust and drop the Twizzlers onto the coffee table. “That’s another topic to avoid, Jamie.”
“Noted. I’ll stick to more palatable trivia next time.”
Shaking my head, I chuckle.
God, what is my life right now?
The shiftfrom the crisp outside to our perpetually warm apartment is immediate, and it makes me shiver. I’ve just returned from a long walk with Peanut, my grandpa’s dog. He needs his exercise, and since Grandpa can’t do it anymore, the responsibility has fallen to me—at least on the weekends. It’s a decent break, though, getting me out of our tech cave and clearing my head a bit.
Fresh air and all that shit.
I’m fortunate that we’re back to living in the city where I grew up, close to my grandpa. It was a major plus point for Elysium when we were all deciding where to go, and I’m glad we all agreed on this.
Oliver is from Portland, so at least his family is only a three-hour drive away, and he can see Morgan every other month. For Misha, being from Philadelphia, it’s another story. But he says he’s fine with the occasional FaceTime call, although I don’t quite believe it. He’s too much of a family person. Maybe, in a few years, when Grandpa is no longer here, we can look for somewhere new, maybe closer to his family. It would only be fair.
But that means acknowledging Grandpa’s declining health and that he won’t live forever, already being eighty-two…which I can’t think about.
I can’t lose my grandpa.
It’s bad enough that I have this underlying fear of losing my parents, which I’ve been fighting every day since I was seven and realized that being journalists in war-torn regions could cost them their lives. Although, if I’m honest, things wouldn’t really change much as I haven’t heard from them in months.
Stepping into our office, I find Misha asleep in his desk chair, head lolled back, low snores filling the quiet. Over by the window, Oliver is hunched over his journal, pen scribbling away furiously.
“You’re writing her another letter?” I prod as I kick off my shoes, raising an eyebrow at Oliver’s back.
I love this guy, but all his simping is getting on my nerves.
“She’s in the shower, not going to watch her shower,” he mumbles without looking up, defensive but focused.
