Page 55 of Back Up Plan

Tommy smacked her desk, sending a jolt of surprise through Ari.

“I knew it,” Tommy said with a smile.

Ari rolled her head back, “It’s not funny. Obviously, my work quality has diminished. I can’t keep this up forever. I can get away with it for a few more weeks but after that…”

Tommy nodded and weighed the options.

“Have you heard of a healthy work-life balance?” Tommy offered, the long-standing joke drawing a chuckle out of Ari.

When they had started as assistants together, Ari and Tommy would stay late at the office together – both of them sending texts to friends canceling plans.

They had taken a lot of comfort in knowing they were both making sacrifices, hoping that it would mean that one day they could actually have a life outside of their sterile workplace.

Of course, Ari loved her work. It was why she was willing to sacrifice so much when she was younger. But, she was yet to see that return on her investment. It had felt like year after year, promotion after promotion, she was always having to work harder. And a part of her wondered when she would have to stop giving so much.

Tommy added, “Do you think that Cass would be okay with like… not having constant affection from you?”

Ari shrugged, “I’m afraid to ask.”

Tommy laughed, knowing that either answer would break something in Ari. And Ari knew it too. Even though her last relationship ended for many reasons, one of them was Ari’s commitment to work. Her ex had sworn she was okay with it, but harbored resentment about the lack of focus for years.

“Maybe it’d be worth asking about,” Tommy said, “Just to know.”

Ari raised her eyebrows, “It’s not what she wants anyway. I think she’s still in love with her ex. They’ve only been broken up for like a few months and they’re already engaged to someone else.”

Tommy nodded, “Are you nervous?”

Ari shrugged, “I mean she’s just some punk. But, ultimately, I’m nervous. She’s got a pull on Cass that I don’t understand.”

“Maybe you could put this newfound confidence to work because she’s done a number on you,” Tommy said as she sipped her iced tea.

Maybe she could, maybe she could be more than just a cover for Cass. She could finally stop Elle from harassing Cass.

* * *

Emboldened by Tommy’s chat, Ari sped through the rest of her day. Once the clock hit five, she grabbed her laptop bag and headed out of her office.

“For you,” Jess said as Ari sped past her desk.

Ari stopped in her tracks and turned in one fluid motion, “Thank you so much, Jess. I appreciate the extra effort.”

As she turned back to leave, she stopped once more and added, “Could you check in on the ADR for Kylie’s project this weekend? I want to make sure Kylie was pleased with her last session.”

Jess nodded, thrilled to have a task. As Ari made her way out of the space, she looked around.

It was a Friday evening, and nearly every single assistant was still at their desk. A smattering of agents scattered across the place, looking like zombies. And of course, the three partners were in the conference room.

Sydney caught her eye just as she was turning back toward the elevator bank, raising a brow at her leaving so soon.

She couldn’t get the look out of her mind the whole way home. The more she thought about it, the more she realized the agents still at their desks were junior agents, much like herself.

… Maybe it was a mistake to leave so soon.

But, she owed Cass a prompt, energized, and hot date to Elle’s party.

Once she was upstairs in her kitchen, she threw on a new cup of coffee and had her surround system play her Liked Songs at full blast. She wandered around her space, a few new items throughout – a poster from the MET that she had bought at the guest shop with Cass, a new yellow armchair for the living room.

And her playlist was chocked full of new songs that Cass had sent her over the weeks. Apparently, Cass had been in a band a lifetime ago and had aspirations to be a musician.

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