Page 32 of The Roommate Experiment

I half-listen to her reply, every word from the conversation next door echoing louder in my brain than anything my girlfriend is saying.

“Engineering consulting is interesting, yeah. It’s all about problem-solving,” Hunter explains, to stay upbeat, but I know that tone. She’s fighting to keep the conversation polite.

“Dylan?” Olivia’s voice pulls me back, and I realize she’s been talking this whole time.

“Sorry, what did you say?” I force myself to meet her eyes.

“I asked if you wanted to start with wine or cocktails.”

“Wine’s good. Did you find a Bourgogne you’d like to try?” I ask as Lucas’s voice floats over again.

“Right, problem-solving.” He chuckles dismissively. “Many people don’t get what engineering consulting is. It’s not real engineering, is it? More like overseeing projects and making sure the actual engineers know what they’re doing, right?”

He talks as if Hunter’s work is a joke when her job is every bit as demanding as his. I grit my teeth, fighting the urge to turn and correct him even as an angry retort burns at the back of my throat. But Hunter can handle herself. She doesn’t need me butting in.

“I was thinking the Chablis,” Olivia says. “If it’s not too expensive.”

“No, we’re good, whatever you want.”

“Are you sure you don’t even want to have a look at the list?”

“No.” It’d be probably as useless as the menu. “Surprise me.” I turn slightly to gauge Hunter’s reaction to Lucas’s last comment.

She’s forcing a smile, but her eyes are narrowing. “We do a bit of everything, yes. Design, project management, troubleshooting. It’s all hands-on.”

Before Lucas can respond, a server appears at their table with a practiced smile. “Are we ready to order?”

Hunter’s shoulders relax a little as if she was relieved by the interruption. I tear my eyes away, forcing myself to focus back on Olivia, who’s been perusing the menu in silence, presumably waiting for me to engage. I realize I haven’t started a single conversation.

“What looks good to you?” A weak opener, but it’s all I’ve got right now.

Olivia glances up from the menu, her eyes flicking between me and the table beside us. I can’t tell if she’s suspicious. “I was thinking about the duck confit.”

“Yeah, that sounds… yummy.” I’m not sure what a confit is; my culinary expertise stops at baked goods.

In my peripheral, I trace the server leaving Hunter’s table.Don’t look, Dylan. I sustain Olivia’s gaze, willing myself to stay present.

“I’m going for the filet.” If they were handing out Oscars for the most painful small talk, I’d be the winner.

Mercifully, that’s when the same server who interrupted Hunter and Lucas appears at our table.

She rattles off the specials in a rehearsed cadence, but I don’t pay attention—half the words are obscure French culinary terms, anyway. Why did I ever pick this stupid restaurant? It seemed the kind of place Olivia would approve of. Hunter, too, apparently. Unless her date suggested it.

I order the filet, and Olivia takes the duck whatever.

“Anything to drink?” the server asks.

“We’ll take the Chablis.” Olivia folds the menu, handing it over. “And we’d like to start with theescargot, please.”

See? Another word I ignore the meaning of.

The server nods, scribbling down the order before disappearing again. The beat of silence that follows is filled by Lucas’s dick talking.

“Hmm. Anyway, what you do is cute. I always pictured engineering as more… I don’t know… men’s work. Lots of tools and blueprints. But I’m sure what you do is important too, in its own way. You must be good with people.”

I glance toward their table, catching Hunter’s posture stiffening as she takes a sip of water. She’s not smiling anymore.

“You’d be surprised how much technical work goes into it.” Her voice is taut, but controlled. “But yeah, we deal with people, too. And deadlines. And budgets.”

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