I shrug my shoulders, perfectly content with being stood up. Fingers crossed British Boyfriend #3 does the same.
“One other thing I wanted to talk to you about,” Juliette then says, twisting back around from her computer and facing me sideways in her chair. “I couldn’t help but notice that you and Liam talked quite a bit yesterday, and I feel like I may have picked up on a little spark forming there.” I stay quiet, not really sure how to respond. “Anyways, I know I don’t have to tell you this, but I’d obviously be uncomfortable with anything starting up between you two.”
I nod my head, and my stomach plummets.
“It’s just that he’s my nephew, and you work for me, so crossing that line would probably be weird for everyone involved.”
I haven’t stopped nodding and now force myself to. “Right. No, yes, I completely agree.”
“Okay, great. I wasn’t even sure if I needed to say anything, but then I figured I should, just in case.”
“Absolutely. I totally get it.” Sweat pools behind my neck, and I have to physically keep my leg from bouncing. Juliette closes her laptop with a pop.
“Alright, well, I’m off to meet up with an old friend of mine before rehearsals begin tomorrow. What time do we have to be there?”
“Rehearsals start at eleven, but we should get there at least a half hour early to meet with the director.”
“And who is that again?”
“Eloise MacClare. She’s young but very up-and-coming. Her take on Chekhov’s work has been described as near genius.”
Juliette stands up and grabs her gray messenger bag from off the couch as she makes her way to the entryway. “Ah, to be young and revered. I can tell you from personal experience, it doesn’t last. Also, I took Ollie for a walk this morning, and he was pretty exhausted after. I ordered him a little bed with rush delivery to keep up here just in case, so if someone buzzes to drop it off, you can go ahead and let them up.”
“Will do. Thanks, Juliette.”
“No trouble at all,” she says, opening and closing the door behind her with a smile.
The silence that follows is almost deafening as I stand there alone in the expansive room. Luckily, Roshni comes out ten seconds later, holding the bouncing Ollie himself.
“Hey!” I say, snapping out of my stupor. “There you guys are.” She sets him on the floor, and he sprints over to me. I squat down to give him a nice long pet.
“Sorry, I only took him into my room so I could call Nick really quick.” Nick is Roshni’s boyfriend of over a year. I met him once when we got drinks after work, and the pair of them were so adorable, I nearly vomited from cuteness overload. I then attempted to drink my loneliness away and vomited for real.C’est la vie.I still killed it at karaoke that night.
“And Ollie was an angel, of course,” she goes on to say. “He really is so well-behaved.”
“That’s good to hear. Hopefully it holds since he and I have an appointment at the vet soon. Has he eaten?”
“Mmm-hmm. Just a few minutes ago. Homeboy really likes the new dog food, and I’ve been letting him snack on the chicken you made.”
“Perfect,” I say, sitting down on the floor so Ollie can snuggle into my lap. “I still can’t believe that Juliette’s so into the idea of him being up here.”
Roshni situates herself on the couch. “She definitely seems to be a huge admirer of his. They were more or less canoodling for a solid majority of the time. And speaking of Juliette, I couldn’t help but overhear the last bit of your conversation.”
“Oh yeah? Catch anything interesting?”
“Mainly just her saying that she didn’t want you to date Liam.”
Reality crashes over me again, and I concentrate on stroking Ollie’s coat rather than dwelling on my own conflicting emotions.
“Yes, well, she may have a point there,” I eventually say.
“Really? I thought she was way out of line, especially considering how she just asked you to go out with total strangers for the sole purpose of getting her material.”
“I know,” I murmur, “but still, why blur the professional boundaries even further?”
“How are you blurring boundaries by casually seeing the nephew she visits once in a blue moon? The same nephew who gave up his ticket last night because he knew you wanted me to go. Don’t lie, that was beyond sweet.”
“Yes, it was,” I admit.
