Page 7 of Fritillaria

Chapter 7

Matilda

A soft light fills my room, reaching me even behind my closed lids, the sound of distant birdsong filling my ears. I stretch and turn over in my bed, snuggling into a plushie and burrowing deeper as the birds get louder.

Oh, shit. My interview is today.

Anxiety fills my nervous system as I switch off my alarm. The sunrise alarm clock usually does the trick to soothe me awake, but my nerves are saying otherwise.

Slipping my robe on, my body is engulfed in fluffy heaven as I walk to the kitchen. I’m awake early enough to sit and have a relaxing cup of tea before I need to get ready, but the whole time my mind is racing.

Does my presentation need any further work? What if I added some more detail to the section on keywords? I resist the urge to take out my laptop and instead inhale a deep breath.

I haven’t even bothered to look at my phone yet, maybe some scrolling will help me out.

There’s a text from an unknown number.

Hey, Aspis here. Can we grab a coffee in the morning? Meet you at Rosie’s?

Holy shit.

I nearly drop my phone and spill my tea all over myself.

Aspis is texting me?!

Is he asking me out on a date?

No, surely not. My tea is forgotten as I pace the small bit of floor space between my kitchen and bed.

He was really nice to me the other day in the break room. But he’s alwaysniceto me! It’s never reallyflirting.

No, he probably just wants to hang out for some other reason. It could even be work related.

It’s a super last minute request though, and I have my interview today. There is no way I will be able to see him this morning.

Hi Aspis! I can’t do this morning, but coffee sounds great. Let’s take a rain check?

If I wait to see what he says, then I might get a better idea of what his intentions are.

OK, I need to focus on my interview now. No more thinking about sexy, unattainable males.

My clothes are laid out, a pleated midi skirt and a blouse. It’s warm out but I need to look professional, so light and airy fabrics are the way to go.

I’m slipping on my hoof covers when my phone dings with a text.

How about this afternoon? I really want to see you.

He really wants to see me? Why?

This doesn’t make any sense. And how did he get my number? Am I being pranked?

I’m taking a huge chunk of time out of my morning to do this interview, and I know the socials are going to be crazy after the party last night. There’s no way I’m going to have even a second for a break today. I’ll be lucky if I can eat while I’m working at my desk.

I pack my bag for the day and double check I have everything I need for the interview before I reply.

I am super busy today, I’m sorry. Tomorrow morning?

Chapter 8

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