Page 2 of My Fated Minotaur Hero

I shake my head. "Nothing yet. But I'm sure she's fine. Probably just needed a break after that meeting with Dan. Sorry, Dr. Patterson," I correct myself, even though our boss doesn't deserve the title in my opinion.

"Douchebag Dan works just fine," Amanda interjects. “This is a safe space,” she adds with a wink, as Mia laughs. “And yeah, "I'm sure Zoe's fine. Probably just blowing off some steam on an impromptu vacation like we said."

Mia nods sagely. "Totally. I bet she's on some tropical beach right now, sipping margaritas and flirting with cabana boys."

The image is so at odds with the Zoe I know that I can't help but laugh. "I highly doubt that. More likely she's holed up in some dusty archive, geeking out over ancient texts."

"Ooh, kinky," Mia winks, and I feel my face flush again.

"That's not what I— Oh, never mind." I busy myself straightening the papers on my desk, avoiding eye contact.

"Anyway," Mia continues, "I just stopped by to see if there was any news. But since our girl's still MIA, I'm off to my pottery class. You guys want to join? You can do just one class if you want, to try it out. We're making decorative flower pots this week!"

"Hard pass," Amanda says with a laugh. "If Olivia here won’t join me for a drink, thinking maybe I've got a hot date with my Netflix queue."

They both look at me expectantly. "Oh, um, no thanks," I stammer. "I've got some ... data to collate."

Mia raises an eyebrow. "On a Friday night? Girl, you need to get out more."

"I get out plenty," I protest weakly, even as I know it's a lie.

As if on cue, my bag chooses that moment to spill its contents across the floor.

Great. Just great.

"I've got it," I mutter, dropping to my knees to gather the scattered items. But Mia's quicker, scooping up a handful of cards before I can stop her.

This just keeps getting better.

How embarrassing.

"Ooh, what are these?" She flips through them, her eyes widening. "’Remember to laugh at jokes, even if you don't get them. If you don't know what to say, ask about their hobbies. Remember to occasionally break eye contact to avoid staring.’ Liv, are these... flash cards for socializing?"

I want to die.

“Maybe...”

What am I supposed to say? I don’t want to lie ... but talk about mortifying.

I shove the cards back into my bag, avoiding their eyes. "Sometimes it helps to have, like ideas, you know? To be prepared. Just in case."

Amanda fills the semi-awkward silence, “I get it. Hey, I use notecards whenever I have to do a new grant proposal orgive a talk,” She shrugs, “It’s not that weird. That is, it’s not weird at all. What I mean is it’s not that different.”

Mia pipes up too. “Sure, personally, I like to just wing things, but whatever, you know?"

I nod, not trusting myself to speak. They mean well, I know they do. But they’re also probably just being nice.

I should have stayed in the sub-basement.

As Amanda and Mia head out, I let out a long breath, my shoulders sagging with relief. Social interactions always leave me feeling drained. I slump into my chair, pulling out my trusty notebook.

"Okay, Liv," I mutter to myself, uncapping my pen as I feel a mild sense of overwhelm approaching. "Dump it all into a list Liv."

I start scribbling furiously:

Email Dr. Patterson about the display cases budget

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