Page 99 of Finance Bros

I let the subscribers know we’re working at the same investment company, and now they want content with the two of us.

It’s the one thing I need to bring up in case Bailey somehow missed it, and given the piles of other stuff she’s been doing, I’m assuming she hasn’t been able to keep up with the chat.Ican barely keep up with the chat, but it’s the one thing keeping me sane. Talking with online strangers has been the only thing to look forward to because they’ll respond when I talk to them. They’re even excited to hear from me.

Granted, I stopped trying to talk to Ryan after he never responded to the message I sent after leaving Andrea’s office, but he’s still ghosting me in plain sight. If this is meant to be a taste of my own medicine, I guess I have ten more years of it to look forward to—that would make us even. At least I’m not in high school. I would not have survived what I did to him. One more way he’s always been the strong one.

“So, we have about ten grand on hand,” Bailey’s saying. “What would you guys think about paying a PR consultant seven hundred bucks or so to give us some ideas for branding and merch?”

“Fine by me,” Ryan says.

I grunt and nod.

“I talked to my mentor about using the offices for a podcast, and she showed me a smaller conference room on the ninth floor with a nice set up for video calls. There’s a mounted ring light and a mic. She said we could use it on weekends. It’s not ideal, but it’s a starting point.”

“What’s not ideal about it?” Ryan asks.

“I mean—it’s a boring conference room. I want the aesthetic to be a little friendlier, I guess.”

“I assumed it’d be audio,” I say.

“Well…no—I mean, the podcast would be, but it’d be recorded from the YouTube Video.”

“Oh.” How’d I forget about the YouTube part?

Easy—because all you’ve been thinking about is having Ryan’s giant cock in your ass.

“Can I get another one of these?” I ask.

“Help yourself. They’re not very strong.”

In that case, I’ll take a double. I get up and shuffle into the kitchen, scratching at the itchy scruff on my face. While I’m pouring, I accidentally glance at Ryan and catch him looking at me. Pain zaps me directly in the chest. I look away first.

If it’s gonna be like this the rest of the summer, I need to start looking for a different job.

Bailey has a lot to talk about, and I finally start taking notes because there’s no way I’m gonna remember any of this. It helps me concentrate to write it down, even if it’s just in my notes app with a ton of autocorrections that won’t make any sense later.

She’s still talking after my second margarita, and while she was right—they’re not all that strong—I’m ready for a nap.

“Look,” I interrupt her mid-sentence. “I gotta go. Stephanie needs to eat and I…whatever. Oh, also, the Discord group wants content of me and Ryan together since they know we know each other now.”

“What?” Bailey looks at Ryan who looks as confused as she does.

“Yeah, so, figure out how you wanna do that and let me know. I haven’t changed my number or anything, so anyway…thanks for the drinks.”

“Seriously, are you all right?” she asks, standing when I do.

“I’m awesome. Your ideas are all good. We’re definitely gonna win.”

“Okay, Captain Monotone. Do I need to call you a ride?”

“No thanks. This one’s on me.”

Surprising the shit out of me, she gives me a tight hug. “I know it’s a lot,” she says, “But you’re doing great.”

“Thank you,” I say out of a genuine sense of gratitude. She smells like watermelon and mint. A hint of vanilla from her curly hair. It makes me feel disgusting for not showering today. “Sorry if I smell.”

She laughs. “You don’t.”

I glance at Ryan, and he’s standing, too, looking at me.

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