"That's good, because Jack doesn't even appreciate good cooking," I said, ripping open a box of lights. "My oma said not to trust a skinny cook, and I certainly don't trust Hartleigh."
Nina and I tacked up the rest of the garland, decorated the trees, and strung up lights.
"It's beautiful," Nina said.
It did look nice. All the decorating had cheered me up a little bit. I snapped more photos and posted them. The comments came immediately. There were lots of Christmas emojis as well as phrases like "Beautiful" and "Christmas magic."
"Did some weirdo write, 'You'll make a great wife'?" Nina asked.
"It comes with the territory, unfortunately." I sighed, putting away my phone.
People were stopping outside to look at the decorations and snap selfies in front of the window.
"We certainly made this a popular space," I said as I rearranged the chairs that I'd bought around the lobby space. The space was cozy but elegant. It also didn't feel so sterile.
The glass walls that had previously made the lobby feel like a goldfish bowl now made the decorated space feel as if it was a magical portal to another world where it was always Christmas.
"The trees definitely help to scale down the space," Nina remarked as we picked up the remaining packaging.
"Perfect!" Gunnar told us as he paused to take a few pictures on his way out of the lobby. "Go team!"
"And of course they aren't paying us for helping," I muttered.
"Yes," Nina said, "but we had an awesome time shopping, and it was all on Jack's dime."
"I hope he has a heart attack when he sees the credit card bill," I told her.
"You're still crabby," my new friend said, putting her arm around me. "Come, I'll make us something good to eat."
"Sit," she ordered when we returned to the shared apartment. She started making a creamy pasta carbonara dish.
"You shouldn't eat that. It's bad for you," Hartleigh said from her spot on the living room couch. "I'm eating salad."
"You're eating lettuce leaves," Nina said. "Salad has dressing and cheese and artichokes."
Hartleigh picked up her bowl and went to her room in a huff.
"Maybe Ishouldeat a salad," I said, resting my head in my hands.
"I'll make you a nice creamy Caesar salad with croutons and fresh grated parmesan cheese tomorrow," Nina said. "But right now, you need carbs. You've had a rough day."
"I mean, I really shouldn't. I—" She stuffed a generous forkful of pasta into my mouth.
"That’s really good," I said around the mouthful of pasta. The little bits of pancetta were crispy and fatty, the sauce was rich, and the pasta was salty and flavorful. I grabbed the whole bowl.
"Hey, we have to share!" Nina exclaimed, gesturing with her fork.
We both ate out of the bowl then curled up on the couch while Nina searched for a movie to watch.
My Fitbit beeped, reminding me that I had had no exercise that day. I dragged myself upright, drunk on pasta.
"I’m going to take a walk," I said, standing up.
"It's dark out," Nina protested. "And cold, and we were going to watch a movie."
It did look cold outside, but Jack's words had cut more than I wanted to admit.
"I'll be fine. It's New York City. There are still people out on the streets at night," I said.
