This is my sanctuary. I return here in sickness and health.
The lights turn on as soon as I walk into the bathroom.
“On,” I say, and the audio system starts up. A playlist of nature sounds I’ve curated to switch my mind and body into gear every morning.
I abhor the onslaught of TVs at Ash Industries’ gym that Kaine had built for his employees. Kaine insists on having all news channels up at once in the morning, so he can absorb everything.
My morning ritual requires serenity before the inevitable chaos of my work day.
I make sure the small screen in my shower is hooked up to my phone’s Bluetooth and I press the button on the touch pad to turn the water on to my morning shower program. The jets scald my back for 30 seconds before it switches to ice cold, shocking my body awake.
There’s a beep and a glance at the screen tells me Malynda’s replied.
I don’t bother to stop the instant grin spreading across my face, completely resigned to the fact that she has turned me into a giggling school boy. I haven’t felt like this in years. Twelve, to be exact.
“What time?”
“Quippy!”
“What time, Xavier?”
“12? For lunch?”
“2. AFTER lunch.”
“Fine. Make me eat my PB&J by myself.”
“2 it is. I’ll send you the address later.”
“Okay, I’ll be the one looking sad and hungry.”
The emoji I get back is ruder than I expected and the echo of my laughter in the shower cubicle lasts long after her message is sent.
Then I lean back, my hand reaching for hardness, trying to think of her in all the ways I’ve missed her.
***
“Holy shit. I want that one!”
“No.” She grabs the front of my shirt and pulls me past the race car bed display and down toward the back of the store. “And anyway, I don’t remember you liking Ferrari’s.”
“Maybe I’ve changed. Maybe I like fast cars now. And anyway, I’m pretty sure you’re supposed to listen to my ideas.”
“You didn’t pay all that money for us to be listening to your ideas. You paid for me, so you’re going to get me.”
I stop and look at her, one eyebrow raising.
Her brow furrows for a moment and then her eyes roll.
“You know what I mean. You paid for my services.”
Now I feel my other eyebrow raise as well.
“Oh shush, come on. I have other clients to meet. You’re not my only appointment today.”
“Oh, so we’re really not having lunch together.”
“I already had lunch.”
“Oh? With whom?”
“Cameron.”
It’s like a splash of ice water over me, and it takes me a few seconds to recover before I shake myself out of it.
“What do you think about that?” She points to a bed.
It’s fine. I don’t care. I tell her so.
“You’re supposed to care. It’s your home.”
I shrug. “Have you seen my home? Does it look like I care?”
“Then why am I here, Xavier?”
My eyes wander for a moment over her face before resting on her eyes. “You know why.”
She takes a moment and then looks down at the list in her hand, clearing her throat.
“Fine, that bed it is. You’ll like it. It won’t take too much away from your minimalist aesthetic. I’ll have it delivered by the end of the week.”
She gives me a look and starts to walk away.
“Wait,” I grab her by the wrist before she can get too far. She stops, and I drop her hand. “My one question.”
Her shoulders lift as she takes a deep breath, bracing herself.
“OK. What is it?”
“The letter you sent me. You… you said you’d met someone else. Was that true?”
“Xavier. What’s the point of all this? It’s not going to change anything. Let’s leave it in the past and move on…” She meets my eyes, and they tell her that there’s no moving on. Not for me. Not without knowing. “No. It’s not true.”
“Oh my god, Malynda, then what happened?”
She holds up her hand, stopping me. I can’t see her face.
“No more questions, Xavier. This was a mistake. I knew we couldn’t do this.”
I block her as she moves to run past me, and I know the only thing stopping her is the look in my eyes.
“I need to know what happened, Malynda. If you didn’t meet someone else, then why did you stop me coming to New York? We had our whole lives together, a future ahead of us. It was all planned!”
“Sometimes things just don’t go to plan, Xavier. Sometimes, they just don’t.”
Her
“Another drink?”
“I think the one martini that’s already gone to my head is plenty, thanks, Jade,” I say, shaking my head.
“It’s on Ash Industries, we could have ten bottles of Dom and they wouldn’t notice.”
“I’m pretty sure they’d notice us showing up singing Broadway musical numbers in the lobby. Again.” Harriet, Jade’s best friend and assistant, laughs.
I can’t help but laugh along. The two ladies have a hilarious rapport and have had me in stitches all afternoon. They have that gift of showing their closeness without ever making me feel left out. I can’t remember the last time I had such an enjoyable meal.
“Just a sparkling water for me,” I tell the waiter still standing by our table. He nods and carries my empty salad plate away with him.
“Anyway, back to the plans, Isabella, these are just amazing. And you really think it can be done with the budget we set?”
“Yes, in fact, probably a little less. I mean, see the way I’ve used these boards here? That’ll cut down on some of the cost, but still look good. And be sturdy enough for whatever you’ve got planned for the center.”
“The sturdier the better!” Jade laughs.
“Got it.”
“Well, I’ll run these by Kaine and the committee, and we’ll go from there.”
“Sounds great.” I’m pretty sure I’m beaming, and not just from the martini. I’m thrilled that she’s happy with what I’ve presented to her so far. I’m fast becoming attached to this project.
“Did I just hear my name taken in vain?”