Page 42 of March

You can skip the flowers. I’m allergic to most of them anyway, and I don’t want to sneeze when I first see you. I’ll email you my confirmation info, so you’ll have all the details. It’s during the day, so I don’t know if you can get away from work or not, but I’ll take you in that sexy blazer and the sign with my name on it any day.

Your Bryce

Minutes later, she had another response.

My Bryce,

I just got the confirmation. You had to book a flight for the one time I cannot get away from the office? I can’t even call in sick. We have this lame daylong company meeting thing that we are all required to be at. Someone called in sick last year, and a month later, he got demoted. The rumor mill said it wasbecause he skipped this stupid meeting. I’m so close to getting out of this place, but I can’t be sure of the job with Arnette yet, so I have to go. God, I hate my job right now. Do you hate me?

Your Sophie

Bryce would miss being picked up at the airport, but she supposed it was better that way. She would have time to pull herself together at the hotel she’d booked; maybe even take a shower and dress up before they met in person for the first time in over a year. Yes, she wanted that.

My Sophie,

I understand. And don’t worry about it. Honestly, I’m going to be so nervous; it’s probably better that I check into my hotel and try to compose myself before I get to finally see those eyes again.

Your Bryce

CHAPTER 15

My Bryce,

I wish you were here already. They’re talking about the meeting in the cubes around my own, and I just want them to cancel or at least postpone it because I’m so ready to see you again. I’m nervous. I’m really, really, really nervous. There might have been more reallys in there that I deleted because I don’t want you to think I’m weird, but that’s not the point. I want to see you like crazy, but what if it’s not the same? What if we’ve built it up in our minds this past year, and everyone was right that it was just meant to be one night that affected us, but that was all? Do you ever think of that? My friends are kind, patient people, but they’ve made comments that had me thinking I needed to go to therapy for a while because none of them understood. Melinda and Kyle met on one of Melinda’s tours, and it wasn’t exactly love at first sight, but it was pretty close. Bridgette and Monica’s situation was more enemies-to-friends and then girlfriends, but it happened so quickly, that transition. Why is it that people think something can apply to them but not to me? Why is it that some people think something doesn’t apply to them but applies to everyone else? Where does that come from? Don’t mind me. Just rambling now because I’m avoiding actual work.

Anyway, maybe we could talk before you get here? Do you think we could move beyond email and slide into text messaging, at least? That would be a lot easier. I can even assign you a specific tone so that I know it’s you messaging me and not someone else. It’ll make me smile every time I hear it.

Your Sophie

Sophie hit send and opened her work email account, focusing on the agenda for the all-day meeting, hating every minute of it. There was a required breakfast, which would be in the conference room and would consist of coffee from their regular coffee machine, that they would all have to make themselves, and some gas station donuts and grocery store muffins, if they were lucky. They’d hand out awards for the year, which would be certificates, not plaques; no cash prizes or any other impact on the person who won them.

After that, it would be time for the first meeting of the day, during which they’d tell everyone where they were with sales. There would be a break after two hours, where they’d all try to run to the restroom to be first before the line got too long, and then back into the room for a marketing meeting about the efforts of that two-person team. Lunch would be brought in for once, but it would be sandwiches, and they’d be pre-made, which would mean Sophie would need to bring her own lunch.

Every sandwich the previous year had had mayonnaise and mustard on it. Every single one. She hated that combination, and it wasn’t something she could just scrape off. Every sandwich also had Swiss or cheddar cheese on it, but while she could pull that off, it wasn’t worth the effort to her. She could make her own sandwich and bring snacks she actually wanted to eat.

Right around the time Bryce’s flight would be landing, Sophie would be in a meeting about operations. The topic of theday was inventory, and they would be training everyone on how to use the system,again, because no one but Sophie and the operations manager understood how it worked.

When Bryce would probably be checking into her hotel, Sophie would be in an HR meeting, where they’d talk about changes to their benefits plan for the following year. Those changes would somehow make more money come out of her paycheck every couple of weeks, like they did every year.

By the time Bryce’s response had come in, Sophie was leaving for the day. She climbed into her car and opened the email app.

My Sophie,

You said you wanted a text tone for me so that you know it wasn’t someone else. Should I be worried about this someone else? Did you meet another woman in a bar about a year ago, and she’s texting you now, too? I would love to text back and forth with you, annoying everyone around us with the pings and beeps from our phones and our smiles when the messages come in. My number is at the bottom of this email.

And I’m also nervous. I’m very, very, very nervous. I deleted a lot of verys in there, too. Is ‘verys’ even a word? Probably not. I don’t think ‘reallys’ is a word, either, though, so we’re even.

I don’t know what’s going to happen, Soph. Can I call you Soph? Sophie is already a shortened version of Sophia, so maybe you don’t like Soph. Let me know if so. I don’t want to call you something you don’t like. Anyway, I don’t know what’s going to happen. I just know I need it to happen. Does that make sense? It doesn’t to anyone else, but I’m betting it makes sense to you.

I just need to know. If we meet, and it’s gone, whatever was there before, at least we’ll both know, and we can walk away. Ifit’s still there, though, we’ll feel it, and we can explore it, Sophie. I want that. I hope you do, too.

615-555-3233

Your Bryce

Sophie had Bryce’s number. She had her phone number. There were ten long-awaited digits in that email, which meant she could talk to her now. She could save those digits on her phone, and she’d always have it there from now on. She’d be able to reach out to Bryce whenever she wanted. Sophie quickly tapped on the number to add Bryce Wilburn to her contacts, with an embarrassing heart next to her name. Yes, she wasthatperson now. Her friends would make fun of her if they saw it, but she didn’t care. Before saving the new contact, she also added Bryce’s email address for good measure. Then, she pressed the message icon.

Sophie Santiago: I’d like it if you call me Soph.

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