Page 94 of Yours, Finally

We went to sleep late, for reasons I would flashback to for the rest of the day, I was sure. Better to think of what we did in the privacy of Jake's bedroom, than the adventure in his office. It had been amazing, but almost getting caught brought a sober feeling to it. I wouldn't have been able to look Ryan in the eye if he'd gotten a look at the spectacle of my own making.

But we hadn't been caught, and we were running late for work. Jake took a shower while I finished my makeup on the bathroom mirror. After checking my reflection one last time, I left my mascara tube next to the toothbrushes. A small sign of my presence in Jake's condo, and the kind of thing that made me feel like his girlfriend.

The idea put a big smile on my face.

"I'm going now!" I approached the glass shower and opened the door. "See you later in the office."

His hair stood on spikes from him rinsing it off, a darker shade than usual. He leaned down and gave me a wet kiss. "Maybe we'll meet at one of the flex offices later?"

"It might be risky. We'll text, okay?"

He nodded and closed the shower door. With no notice, his voice filled the bathroom.

My dear Vi

You want my D

The ending notes for each verse were long and dramatic, echoing off the walls as if sung by an opera singer at a large stage.

I laughed and left him to his dramatics. Soon, purse and briefcase in my hand, I made it out of the condo.

I didn't bother locking the door. No one could access the floor without a fob or a code, and Jake would use his keys on the way out. I let it close behind me, and I marched into the hall and toward the elevator. Except Gabe's condo door opened in a fast swing, and I froze midway.

Lina came out of the condo with her purse hanging from her elbow. She startled when she saw me, her free hand flying to her heart.

"Vi! What?" Lina shook her head in confusion. "I didn't expect—"

Still frozen, I watched her connect the dots, her thoughts evident in a series of micro gestures— a fleeting frown, an eyebrow twitch. A measured blink.

She glanced at Jake's closed door behind me, then back at me. A slow grin took over her mouth.

"You're sleeping together!" Now both of her hands clutched together at her chest, and she did a small happy jump in place in her excitement.

A tiny spark of celebration flickered behind my breastbone, but I ignored it.

"Uhm… that's not…" My voice came out thin and I cleared my throat. "Funny story, what really happened is…"

"How long has this been going on? Violeta! This is amazing! How come I didn't know? Gabe didn't say anything!"

"I was just… A meeting…" I tried, the words still high-pitched. "What are you doing here, anyway? I thought you were with Gabe!"

I stared at the elevator and willed it to come and opened its doors for us. Maybe if I pretended there was nothing of the matter…

Yeah, no. Lina was too smart for that, and I was too bad of a liar.

Lina gave me an incredulous look. "You're not pretending that coming out of Jake's condo first thing in the morning means nothing, are you?"

I let out a long-suffering sigh. "I'm not. Shall we talk on the way to the car?"

Lina locked the door to Gabe's condo. "I was happy to come stay here even when Gabe is away but, right now? I'm downright thrilled."

"You can't tell him about this."

She spinned to face me. "What? He doesn't know?"

I smirked. "You're the only one who knows."

Her mouth went slack. I laughed and looped my arm around hers.