I type back quickly, explaining that the tattoo classification triggers a secondary health department review that adds three weeks to the timeline. I drop in a final note about the fast-track filing window and hit send.
Three weeks,he writes back instantly.Of course it does. Re: Bureaucracy, A Love Story.
I laugh out loud in the empty kitchen, glancing over my shoulder like someone might have caught me.
Another email pops up a second later.
How do you know all this off the top of your head?
I stare at the question. My fingers rest on the keys.
I looked it up when Wren mentioned the shop,I type back.On the train.
Four long minutes of quiet pass. Then his reply pops up. Just two lines.
You looked it up on the train?
Sam. Thank you
The takeout arrives, but I don't bother getting a plate. I eat it standing at the counter, a fork in one hand and my phone in the other, ignoring the pad thai going lukewarm.
I spend forty-five seconds agonizing over the right GIF to send back. I skip the obvious ones, finally settling on a small, exhausted figure pushing an enormous boulder uphill. I hit send, acutely aware that I just spent more time curating a GIF than I did on any of the actual permit data.
His reply lands two minutes later:accurate. see you at 10. don't be late??
I stare at the deadpan emoji. On him, it is somehow funnier than actual words.
I set my phone down on the counter, let go of it for exactly one second, and pick it back up. Tapping my laptop awake, I switch over to the Board presentation tab. I read two slides before clicking to the unfinished connectivity section. It stares at me. I stare back.
Conceding defeat, I close the tab entirely. I'll open it in the morning. A full day of prep tomorrow is plenty of time. I know I promised myself I'd work an hour ago, but I mean it this time.
I check my phone. His last message hasn't changed. Telling myself I'm just checking for new work emails, I wait four minutes and check again. Still nothing. Forcing myself to put the phone face-down on the counter, I pace into the living room, instantly pivot, and march right back to pick it up. The zoning research doesn't require real-time updates. I am actively waiting for his replies, and I know it.
Surrendering, I open the Boss Babes thread.
Sorry didn't respond. Was emailing Tom.
Priya
You're texting him off-hours now?
Emailing. There's a difference.
Priya
Oh that makes ALL the difference.
Huge difference.
Completely different thing.
Liv:
It's about the project, right
It's about permits.
Liv:
