Page 92 of The Friend Zone

Bay looks perfect no matter what she wears, but I prefer her just like this. Comfortable in a short denim skirt and an oversized Zeta Theta Beta sweater that falls off one smooth, white shoulder.

Her hair is loose in natural waves that tumble down her back like a golden curtain, rather than in her signature ponytail.

“Jagger? Is there anything I can help you with, or were you just saying hi?”

Oh, right. Fuck. I was so busy admiring her that I just stood there like a speechless idiot. “Hmm, yes. I mean, no. No, Iwanted to talk to you about something, and I was hoping I could come in for a second.”

Jeez. I’ve never been so tongue tied in front of a woman. The way my heart picks up its pace and this unusual lightheadedness takes me totally by surprise.

She hesitates. Not long enough to become embarrassing, but definitely enough that I notice.

The tension in her shoulders eases just a fraction when she makes up her mind. “I was studying for a midterm, but you can come in for a minute.”

I’ll take it.

It has been just a couple of weeks since I last was in this room, but I take in the subtle changes that Bay made to it since moving in.

She replaced the dark curtains and bedding Topher used to favor with pastel colors paired with gray and white. An area rug and a myriad of colorful cushions lend a pop of color to the otherwise austere room.

“How have you been?” I ask as my nerves kick up a few notches.

Bay’s eyes land on the laptop open on her desk. A blonde brow arched at my attempt at small talk. “I was practicing for the theory part of my Advanced Organic Chem class.”

The message is clear. She’s being nice by not turning me away, but she’s busy.

I inhale a fortifying breath, steadying myself to tell her what I came here to say. “Remember you told me how the insurance refused to pay the premium for the Zeta house and you had no luck looking for sponsors?”

Maybe this wasn’t the right way to start this conversation.

The tension in her shoulders is back, her jaw grinding at my words.

“How could I forget? I haven’t broken the news to my sisters yet, but I don’t know how long I can put it off. We’re totally out of options. I’d understand if they wanted to oust me as president once I tell them how completely I failed them.”

“I’m glad you didn’t talk to them yet,” I open the case of my tablet, bringing up the email I came here to show her. “I hope you don’t mind, Bay, but I took the liberty to talk to my dad about your predicament.”

Her shrug is cautious. “I can’t control what you say to whom. Soon enough, everyone on campus will know that the Star Cove Zeta Theta Beta chapter is going to close at the end of this academic year. Maybe sooner, the Dean has the power to shut us down any time if we don’t have a house on campus and there are no plans to rebuild.”

I nod, my eyes going to the king sized bed in the middle of the room. “Can we sit down? So I can show you this?”

Another bout of hesitation. “Sure.”

It’s impossible to miss the fact that she sits two feet away from me. Small steps, I guess. I should be happy she didn’t slam the door in my face.

“How much do you know about Connelly Tech?” I ask.

Bay relays information that’s easily available on the internet. “Your great grandfather started the company almost sixty years ago. They built computers when they were these huge things that took an entire room. The company grew steadily thanks to several government contracts until it branched out to personal computers at the end of the seventies and eighties. They still build computers, tablets and phones. They also have a robotic division that has produced cutting-edge technology for the medical and engineering fields. It looks like the software division is the driving force behind your family's company success.”

Hearing that from Bay’s lips should make me appreciate how fortunate I am to be born with this huge, exciting legacy. Why is it then that I’m not excited about hanging up my skates after graduation to fully embrace that legacy?

I push those thoughts out of my mind. I’m not here to discuss my career options and the family’s expectations that have been weighing on my shoulders since the day I was born.

“That’s correct,” I smile. “A very little known fact though is that Connelly Tech has an exciting new branch. It was born as a part of the robotic division, but it’s growing faster than ever in the last two years. The new branch will bring robotic intelligence and integrations into every aspect of our everyday lives. Think about the vacuum robots, lawn mowing robots, thermo-chef cookers and expand it to anything you can think about. Our new houses will be entirely automated, controlled by an app on your phone. A lot of appliances already offer these options, but this goes further.”

I show her the photo gallery Dad sent me last night. “Connelly Tech Houses will be built with that technology encompassing every aspect of them. We’ll go from the energy efficiency of modern homes to complete energetic autonomy. Every house will produce all the energy needed to keep it warm or cold, to provide power to every socket in the house. But it goes even farther. You’ll be able to tell your house to clean itself, to draw a bath for you at your desired temperature, ready to welcome you home from work. To cook nutritionally balanced meals for your entire family, to order your groceries and know when everything expires to minimize food waste.”

Despite my reluctance to work in the family business, there’s genuine excitement in my voice. My family will build homes that will surpass anything we’ve ever seen in science fiction.

Bay looks interested. “That’s amazing. But what does that have to do with me?”

---