Caterina


    As I drive downtown to meet with my new boss for humch, where I finalize my contract and HR paperwork before starting my new jobs on Monday, I should be feeling excited. I was thrilled when they offered me the position infially. It represented my hard work paying off. While some ssmates are still job–hunting I’ve managed to secure a role right out of graduation, always the diligent student who follows the miles.


    I should be feeling grateful and content with how things are progressing in my life. Instead, I’m preupied with thoughts of Gianni, questioning whether what happenedst night was wrong and worrying about Tatiana finding out and potentially hating me. Luciaiso is a distant thought now, but Tatiana’s possible disapproval would be a heartbreak I might never recover from. She’s like the sister I never had. Is it worth risking that for someone as extraordinary as her father?


    Incredible, attractive, and so adept at igniting my desires. Even hours <b>after </b>leaving his bed, I can still feel the effects ofst night. I waspletely at his mercy, overwhelmed by the emotions be stirred in me. In his presence, I felt warmth and joy that I hadn’t known before.


    My desire for him was strong before, but knowing he feels the same way makes him nearly impossible to get out of my mind. I even hesitated to shower this moming, not wanting to lose his scat from my skin. It’s consuming me, and I can’t help but nevel in it. Why didn’t feel this way with Luciano?


    That’s a pointless question. Everything was <b>always </b>centered around him.


    I pull into an empty parking <b>spot </b>in the garage and let out a sigh. How can I be so happy about Gianni when everything else feels like it’s falling apart? I was already dissatisfied, and now it’s harder <b>than </b>ever to hide it. I have no choice but to shake off these thoughts quickly. Skipping the meeting or turning down the job would be career suicide, leaving me broke and asking my dad for a ce to stay. The thought of disappointing him is unbearable.


    My phone rings suddenly, startling me. I nce at the screen and see “DAD” shing.


    I were superstitious, I’d think he could read my mind. He always seemed to know what I was thinking, especially after we lost Mom. He had a knack for being in tune with my thoughts, anticipaong my needs before I even expressed them.


    He lost his wife and couldn’t handle the idea of losing someone else again. My face goes hot, and my stomach drops like on the way down the first hill on a roller <b>coaster</b>.


    He can’t know about <b>Gianni </b>and me. There is literally no way he knows about it. And somehow, my hackles have risen. I need to get a grip before answering, or else I’ll end up making him suspicious. I’ve never been a good liar, and he’s a detective for a


    reason.


    ruse to get off the phone quickly.


    At least I have an excuse to


    “Hey, Dad,” I <b>say </b>after epting the call and turning on the speakerphone. “You caught me on my way in to sign thest of the paperwork at the firm.”


    “Don’t let me keep you.” Pride resonates in his voice and echoes through the car. “I only wanted to check in and see how you’re doing and if you’re excited about the new job?”


    “Ready as I’ll ever be.” And why not? I’ve spent the past four years preparing for this next step in my career.


    “Your mom would be so proud of you,‘


    ?” be murmurs.


    The man has a talent for knowing just what to say to make me feel like aplete piece of shit. Even if he doesn’t mean to or


    realize it


    “I hope she would be,<b>” </b>I whisper, closing my eyes before touching the back of my head to the seat. Of all times, the memory of being tied to Gianni’s bed pops up.


    <b>She </b>wouldn’t be so proud if she knew about that


    “Is everything okay with you? Because <b>I </b><b>need </b>to change the subject. It’s already tough enough to be the single shining star in


    my father’s life, feeling like there’s a spotlight on me at all times know I’m lucky–some people don’t have any sort of rtionship with their parents, much <b>less </b><b>a </b>loving one. It’s just that there have been more times than I can count when his love has felt more like smothering


    “Just fine.” I can almost see him at his desk, which I’d bet anything is covered in used coffee cups from the truck down th street from the station. He lives on caffeine, especially when he’s deep in the middle of a case. That would exin how tight his


    <b>voice </b>sounds


    He’s not much better at lying than I am.


    “It doesn’t sound so fine. You sound tired and stressed.”


    An irritable sigh tells me I’m right. “Eh, you know how it is. Sometimes you spend weeks or months on a case and get nowhere, then something breaks, and you’re fighting to keep your head above water when all the new informationes pouring in.


    “<b>That </b>sounds like a good problem. It means you’re on the right track.”


    “Yes. Yes, it does, and I think I am.”


    11


    “Don’t let me keep you from it,” 1 joke, eyeing the door leading from the garage into the building “I’d betterget moving. Can’t bete before I’ve even started the job.”


    “Get in there and show them what you’re made of.”


    “I’m signing papers, Dad. Not actually starting.


    Then use good penmanship<b>.</b>”


    I’mughing as I <b>end </b>the call, and even though my stomach sank at first, I’m d his timing worked out like it did. Before I pulled into the garage, I <b>was </b>feeling lower than I realized. And I don’t know why. I have everything to feel <b>happy </b>and hopeful about.


    <b>Even </b>the breakup, which I now realize <b>I </b><b>didn’t </b>confess to Dad Great He’s going to take it the wrong way when he finds out it took days to tell him my longtime rtionship ended.


    Note to self: find <b>a </b>new apartment ASAP. When I tell him, it’ll go sier if I already have a ce to live. Less chance of him trying to move me into my old bedroom.


    He would never understand this temporary arrangement, so it’s best if I don’t try to exin it to him. It won’t matter to him that I live in an entirely different wing of the house. I’m <b>staying </b>under the roof of <b>a </b>man closer to his age than <b>mine</b><b>, </b>and Tatiana’s in Europe, so we don’t have a chaperone or whatever. His brain might explode it he finds out


    So he can’t. Ever.


    151


    The clock is ticking, sorry out of the car and into the building, rep–talking myself the entire time, Out of the elevator pours a group of people around my age, probably on their way to lunch at one of the cafes peppering the business district.


    I’ll be one of them soon.


    I feel nothing but boredom at the idea. No exhration, no eagerness to get started. Shake it off, damn it,


    Once I reach the tenth floor, I step up to the desk across from the elevator doors. “I’m here to see Eric Adams. We have a twelve- thirty appointment ”


    Once the perky girl behind the desk annonces me through her headset and offers me a seat while I wait, I take a slow look around the open, sumny reception <b>area</b><b>. </b>People walk past, carrying folders and tablets. A couple of guys discussst night’s baseball game while they wait for the elevator.


    They’ll be my coworkers <b>in </b>a few days. I wonder if they ever question their choices. Everybody does, I guess, but we get through it. We honor our choices, and this was my choice. I need to follow through with it


    Twenty minutester, sitting in Eric Adams‘ office–thergester office on the floor, even nicer than Gianni’s office at home I have to grind my teeth together to smile through the anecdotes about recent studies and reports by the firm’s managerial team.


    “You need to have <b>a </b><b>sharp </b>eye and a quick mind,” he points out over his loaded sd. “But you’ve proven you possess both. I truly think you’re going to do great things here. And certainly, you’ll have all the support you need to fulfill your potential. <b>That’s </b>one thing we pride ourselves on


    It’s when he <b>slides </b><b>a </b>thick folder full of benefits details my way that I see he’s not kidding around. I already knew the firm had a great benefits package, or else I wouldn’t have epted the job. That was another reason I knew I’d <b>be </b>an idiot not to snap up the chance


    Now, with everything in front of me in ck and white, I could kick myself for the vague sense of disappointment still clinging like a cheap perfume.


    “As you can see, we offer four weeks paid vacation, a minimum <b>of </b>one week of sick time <b>with </b><b>an </b>additional day for every six months employment. Your medical insurance is fully covered from day one. We offer 401K matching, as well as a profit–sharing program once you’ve reached three years with us.”


    “This is really impressive “I flip through, scanning the pages, beforeing to the section on maternity leave.


    He notices and clears his throat. “Somewhere down the line, that might be of interest to you. Then again, what do I know?” His Jaughter is friendly, it awkward, as he pushes his sses up the bridge of his nose. He seems like a nice, middle–aged man, if socially clueless. But it’s <b>not </b>like we have to be best friends or anything like that.


    “six months paid leave?” It sounds <b>too </b><b>good </b>to be true.


    And you can use your vacation time along with that to extend it.” He shrugs at my surprise. “We offer onsite daycare, too. We have a tuition reimbursement program if you want to continue your education. The sky’s the limit. We believe in taking care of our people.”


    I’m too overwhelmed to do much more than <bugh</b>. “I can <b>see </b>that


    And I’m aplete moron. I’m sitting here with a job most people would kill for. I won’t have to worry about anything. The pay is <b>great</b>. I could get my master’s on their dime. And when the timees to start a family<b>, </b>I’ll have their support.


    Do I want to sign the contract? Not really


    I’m supposed to be mature and always level–headed. But the stories he tells about analyzing numbers on a spreadsheet bore the hell out of me. If he didn’t seem so excited by them, I might not care as much. There must be something wrong with me if I can’t see what makes this job so interesting


    Maybe there’s something I’m not getting yet. Maybe I need to get started before seeing what makes it special<b>. </b>It not, it’ll be a


    matter of adjusting my attitude.


    +25 <b>BONUS </b>


    Oh, no My heart sinks when the truth hits me in the middle of andther baring anecdate. It’s like Luciano all over again. I’m talking myself into it.


    But this isn’t the same <b>as </b>convincing myself to stay with a boyfriend who doesn’t make me happy. How many people are actually happy with their work? That’s why it’s called work and not y.


    It’s childish of me to think I’m special.


    When he slides the contract my way, Epick up the pen and sign my name before doubt can stop me. This is for the best Feeling bored but secure is better than being unemployed and too stressed to enjoy my life. That’s what I need to keep in mind, and it’s what helps me smile genuinely when I stand and shake his hand is a lot easier to be happy when you’ve got money in the bank, and you know you won’t lose your job if you pet sick.


    This is real life, not some fantasy world where everybody gets what they want.


    Though I did get Gianni, didn’t I? Even though it won’t <bst</b>, at least one secret dream came true. I guess good things don’t have tost forever to matter. Is this a life lesson or something?


    For the second time today, my phone rings at exactly the wrong time. In this case, I’m heading back to my car, goosebumps beginning to cover my arms and legs when I think about getting back to the house, back to Gianni. I know he’ll be busy, but what happens tonight, when it’s just the two of us alone in that big house?


    Looking at my phone, I realize it isn’t Dad calling to make sure I remembered how to spell my name when the time came. The guilt rises when I discover Tatiana’s name on the screen. I should be happy to hear from her. It’s the first time she’s called since she left for France, even so, I’m afraid the slightest tremble in my voice will give me away. Who could have imagined how much would change over the course of a handful of days?


    Ican’t think about that now


    “Bonjour!” Ichirp, forcing myself to forget my guilt for her sake. “How many pastries have you eaten so far?”


    <b>Too </b>many,


    “she confesses. “I’m going to need a juice cleanse when I get back.”


    <b>I </b>can hardly believe how d I am to hear her voice, even if she sends distracted. “That sounds like a wonderful trip to me.”


    Once I slide into the car, I set the phone down and turn on the speaker before starting the engine. “How is everything? You haven’t sent me any pictures. You haven’t even updated your 1***.” I thought for sure she’d be posting nonstop, but thest images date <b>back </b>to her sitting in the jet


    “Are you stalking me?” ugh meets my ears, but I don’t buy it could be paran, assuming everybody has a secret to hide since my secret is hig enough to consume my every thought. But I’ve known Tatiana long enough to hear the difference in her voice. There’s a distinction between when she’s happy and when she’s pretending to be happy.


    All I can remember is how upset she was when she got to the club after the fight with Christopher. Maybe I’m being overly concerned


    “How am I supposed to survive if I <b>can’t </b>live vicariously through you from pictures on Social media?


    “I’ve been too busy to even think about it.”


    Lie. It’s a lie. I know it, and she knows it. I don’t want to get into a fight, so I won’t challenge her.


    <b>“</b><b>Well</b>, stop being so busy. I’ve been dying to get a tour of your rental. Anyway, is everything else okay? I want something pretty to look at when I start the cubicle phase of my l


    “shit, you were supposed to go in today, weren’t you? I forgot all about it ”


    “You’re on vacation—that could <b>have </b>something to do with it, and I’ll save <b>you </b>the boring stuff. Everything went <i>well</i>.* Even if ! already regret signing on the dotted line. She doesn’t need to know that, along with a lot of other things.


    +25 BAS


    “Outside of your boring job starting soon, how are you? hope mydiant bothering you to


    m


    A fist squeezes my heart until I’m sure it will tearst I don’t know how much more galt inde “Erying’s end.”


    I woke up in his bed this moming Last night, I fell asleep in his arts. I swallowed his cum But yeah, everything party


    Christ, how am I supposed to live with this?


    There’s noise in the background Christopher’s voice. It gets motted she most put her hand over the phone can ar the tension. He’s being pissy as usual. Even on another continent, he’s acting like a whiny buty


    And he’s the reason she sounds so weird. I feel it in my bones.


    “I need to go,” she says in a rush. “I’ll call you soon.”


    She hangs up before I can say goodbye. It might be for the best sing I’m afraid 1’il end up saying something she doesn’t need to know. Let something stupid slip She’s too smart to miss it. So, it setter if we don’t talk right


    need my best friend, and it sounds like she needs me too.