Page 58 of One More Weekend

Packing my bag for the day, I said goodbye to Jenna and headed out the front door. I stood on the landing at the top of the stairs, trying to will myself to walk down them.

The time on my phone was enough to force me to move. I couldn’t be late, no matter how badly I wanted to turn around and curl up in bed with Jenna and hide from it all.

Time was melding together.I hardly remembered the walk to work, or the first half of my shift at the coffee shop. I’d confirmed an apartment to see after work, trying to stack in as much apartment hunting as I could in these last few days.

I didn’t come to until Angel’s familiar voice sounded from the register. “Sy, what’s up, bro?”

“Hey.” I cleared my throat, hoping I could sound more okay than I was. “What can I get for you?”

Angel raised an eyebrow and scoffed. “A better attitude for one. What’s going on?”

Shrugging, I took her order and then got to talking. “Jenna’s actually moving. Like at the end of the week.”

“Well, fuck. Did you tell her how you felt?” Angel leaned on the counter, sipping the hot coffee.

“I mean we’ve been seeing each other for a few weeks. But we called it off this morning, it’s going to hurt too much to lose the friendship and the relationship.” Resting my elbows on the counter, I avoided looking into her eyes.

“That blows.”

“Yep.” I grabbed the cleaning rag from the counter and gave it a half-hearted wipe.

Angel pursed her lips while she watched me.

“What?” I knew pushing was a risk, but I wanted her thoughts.

With a shrug, Angel raised her hands in surrender. “Well, what if you don’t lose either? Maybe you need to fight harder. Feels like she’s getting away with ditching this.”

It was a harsher read than I had. But it was how I felt deep down, a part of my chest burning at the feeling being recognized.

Angel left soon after, leaving the thought in my hands.

I knew I would always show up to fight for my friendship. But maybe I hadn’t ever fought hard enough for a romantic relationship. Maybe it was time to try.

38

JENNA

I’d takena hightop table in the backyard of the downtown bar, holding a stool for Tommy while I ordered happy hour drinks. The good thing having been her assistant was that I knew exactly what her favorite drink was.

“Sorry, I’m late.” Tommy burst through the patio door and threw herself down in the chair. It was rare to see her so disheveled. I’d only ever known her to be put together and tough as nails, ready for anything the world might throw at her.

“Partners kept you late?” I teased, knowing that Tommy often had ridiculous meetings at the end of the day.

Rolling her eyes, Tommy took a sip of the elderberry cocktail I’d ordered for her. “Oh fuck, that’s good.” She blew out some hot air as she caught her breath. “The firm has gotten so pushy about our client lists, it’s driving me crazy.”

It was a familiar complaint, something Tommy warned me was starting to happen at SDO when I'd started but had gotten progressively worse over the course of my internship.

“That’s a real shame.” I shook my head, knowing how hard it was to manage creative clients with someone else’s vision hanging over everything she did.

Clapping her hands together, Tommy sat up. “So, tell me about you. How has your job hunt been going?”

My shoulders dropped immediately, a bit of shame creeping up my spine. “Well, I’m moving back west on Friday, so not great.”

“Shit. Really? Man, I’m really sorry. I really thought the one I got a call about was going to be it for you.” Tommy took another swig.

With a shrug, I twirled the stray in my cup. “Yeah, it’s a shame but I’ll work at my parents’ firm for a while and build up some savings. Hopefully, something will open up over there.”

Lifting her eyebrows, Tommy sighed. “Can I still put you in for East Coast jobs? Selfishly, I really want you to stay. You’re the best intern I’ve ever had.”

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