Page 36 of The Photograph

He hung up on me?

“I grew up in the Bronx. My grandparents were Irish immigrants. How does that make me privileged?” I say to the dead phone, the wall, and no one in particular.

He complained when we were using spreadsheets, and now he’s complaining and not working with the new system either.

This guy’s prejudices are a mile wide, and I don’t know where to start in tackling them, or if I even could. God, I’d love to get rid of him, but no one knows as much about the phone’s internal workings as he does and we’re short-staffed and now only four weeks away from our delivery deadline for the security update. I’m just going to have to suck this crap up for now.

I’m examining the photo Alex sent me this morning—a view of the buildings outside his train with his long straight nose and a halo of curls reflected in the glass—when a box drops down at the top of my phone from a WhatsApp group chat calledTheLadyboysofNewYork.

CRUSH!

George.

I groan then run my hands down my face before staring at the code on my computer and pressing my lips together.

“Problems?” James says, and I shake my head.

My phone vibrates again.

TONIGHT!

My finger hovers over the screen. Another night at Crush? But what with the crap with Rodrigo, the idea of another night of dancing actually sounds amazing. But I’ve never been in a situation where a guy I’m becoming increasingly attached to, who I’mdating,might have an opinion about me seeing an ex-boyfriend. There’s norealreason to say no, but it’s loaded, clearly. Things with George were very different from what’s happening with Alex. There was no taking it slow, but, more importantly, I nevertrustedGeorge. And it’s only now I’m with someone so straightforward that I’m realizing how different it feels. George’s hooking up ate away at me: I’m not constantly looking over my shoulder now.

Despite all that, I’d like to see George. He has his dramas but he’s a friend and we have fun together. The whole conversation with him and Alex about each other needs handling but … I love going out dancing. I glance over the rows of bent heads again, Cath chatting to Roy, who I like so much I want to promote him. It’s been a quiet day so far, but I’m not holding my breath. I text back:

Time?

George responds:

Cocktails first! Ho’s, 10 p.m.

Ho’s is a cocktail bar run by a gorgeous Chinese guy named Ho, who is renowned for the number of partners he’s had. It’s kind of the perfect name.

See you there at 10.

15

ALEX

Des’s phone rings and rings as I walk down the street away from the office. Then a female voice says in my ear, “Hey, you got Marla, Des’s sister.”

“Oh hey, Marla. It’s Alex here. I’m a …” God, what am I to Des? “… friend of Des’s. He mentioned you were staying with him.”

“He did? Sometimes I think he has no idea I’m here. I hardly ever see him,” she says.

I chuckle. “I get the impression he’s buried in work.”

She huffs on the other end of the phone. “Well, I’ve heard all about you.”

She has? But before I can say anything, she says, “Anyway, he’s just getting ready.”

Getting ready? Getting ready for what? There’s a long pause. “Oh yeah, great.” It’s all I can manage through the ice coating my lungs. But why am I surprised exactly? Last night he suggested me doing things to him and I said maybe, like I’m playing hard to get.Ugh. He probably goes out all the time. Just because we’re doing platonic evenings withKilling Evedoesn’t mean he’s not seeing other people. Probably hooking up, too. And the ice in mylungs transforms into a frozen glacier that takes over my whole chest.

“Why did you sound so surprised?” There’s another long silence. “He’s not meeting you tonight, is he? Crap. He must be meeting George.”

George? Who the hell is George?

“Oh, yeah. He mentioned something about that.” God, am I pulling this off? And ... didn’t the bouncer mention that name when we went to Crush?

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