by Emily Mayer
“I’ll have the salmon, but with extra vegetables instead of the risotto, please. And no butter on the vegetables,” Sebastian said, handing Ian his menu.
“And for you, miss?” Ian turned to me.
“I’ll have the filet, medium, please. And instead of the asparagus may I have the gouda mac and cheese? It sounds pretty amazing.”
Ian smiled conspiratorially. “Good choice. It’s my favorite thing on the menu. I’ll put these in for you. Is there anything else I can get for you?”
We both shook our heads and Ian disappeared, leaving us alone again.
“Mashed potatoes and mac and cheese?” Sebastian asked. “Are you carb-loading for something or just opposed to vegetables?”
“I prefer to avoid vegetables, and let’s be honest, who’s going to choose asparagus over gouda mac and cheese?” I was practically drooling at this point, visions of cheesy noodles dancing through my head.
“People who are concerned for their health?” he fired back, looking way too pleased with his response.
“I ate really healthy as a kid, so I got it all out of the way when I was young.”
Sebastian was clearly skeptical. “I’m pretty sure that’s not how it works.”
“Eh,” I responded, waving a hand. “Who’s to say?”
“Oh, I don’t know, anyone in absolutely any of the health fields. Doctors, dieticians, nurses—”
“And all of those people would be crying over their asparagus watching me eat gouda mac and cheese,” I interrupted. “If you stop now, I might let you have a bite. But just one bite.”
“Very generous of you,” he responded, taking a sip of his whiskey.
I was momentarily mesmerized watching the muscles of his neck work as he swallowed.
“Thank you, I thought so,” I finally managed, my voice sounding slightly thin even to my own ears. I took a sip of wine. It was crisp and buttery all at the same time, and I couldn’t remember ever having such a delicious wine. In all honesty, I usually couldn’t tell the difference between a five-dollar glass of wine and a fifty-dollar glass of wine, so I usually just went with whatever was on sale at the grocery store. This wine might just make me a believer.
“Tell me about your day,” Sebastian said. His fingers were lightly tracing the rim of his glass, but his eyes were focused intently on my face. A little too focused for my emotional well-being and ability to form coherent thoughts.
“Well,” I said, training my eyes on his hand, “it was long. We’re having a problem with our first-stage engines. They’re designed to operate at full throttle during certain phases of the mission, like liftoff, but then throttle down after, until separation when…”
I glanced up at his face, afraid I was boring him. He was probably looking for superficial details, not a full dissertation on engines.
“When…?” He nodded his head, encouraging me to continue.
I let out a little sigh—part frustration, part relief. “After separation, the center engine should throttle back up to full thrust, but it’s not. We’ve been trying to figure out what’s causing the malfunction in the center engine, and… nada. I was in meetings all afternoon, which consisted mainly of people pointing out what we already know.”
“I think it’s safe to assume that you are an incredibly intelligent woman, Lennon. I have complete faith in your ability to solve the problem.”
My chest swelled with pride even though I knew he was just trying to be comforting. “That’s a very nice thing to say. Spatium is filled with people a lot smarter than me, though.”
“I find that hard to believe. Explain these engines to me, but like I’m a football player who barely passed algebra.”
We spent the rest of the dinner discussing engines and soccer. I did, in fact, let Sebastian have a bite of my mac and cheese, and because I was feeling very generous, I even let him have a second bite. Also because he moaned his appreciation the first time and I definitely wanted to hear that sound again.
Sebastian offered to drive me to my car after dinner when I explained that I didn’t use the valet service. I had attempted to sneak away while he was handing his ticket to the valet, but I should have known better. I was not fast enough to sneak away from him unobserved, especially after a large meal and wine.
By the time we reached my parking spot, I was scrambling for ideas to keep the night from ending, because I was actually enjoying this thing that I had spent so much of the day dreading. In the end, I settled for a “goodnight” and a promise that we would have dinner again soon.
17.
As it turned out, dinner with Sebastian would end up being the highlight of my week. The issue with the engines was becoming a dark specter hanging ominously over the rest of my life and sucking the joy out of everything. I had reached the level of stress where I was beginning to lose sleep. I was already planning to call Harrison to let him know I wouldn’t be pulling my usual Friday night shift when I received a delivery confirmation notice. I leapt out of my chair with a burst of energy that I wouldn’t have thought I was capable of a minute ago, and jogged to Janie’s office.
I knocked once, swinging the door open before she had a chance to reply.
“It’s here! It’s here!” I squealed, bouncing on the balls of my feet with excitement.
Janie looked up from her computer. “What are you talking about, crazy lady?”
“The LEGO Hogwarts Castle was just delivered! It’s finally here! All 6020 pieces of it!” I was smiling so wide my face hurt. This bad boy had been on back order for months and it was finally here. Thank Dumbledore, Paige was home to sign for it!
Janie spun around in her chair yelling “Yes!” like a maniac, finally at the appropriate level of enthusiasm the situation demanded. She stopped spinning to face me with an equally wide smile of her own.
“Are you thinking what I am thinking?”
I nodded my head and we shouted in unison, “LEGO NIGHT!”
Someone in the hall shushed us so I stepped into her office, closing the door behind me.
“My place at seven? We can order pizza and play the HP soundtrack while we build it. Or we can start an HP movie marathon!”
“This is going to be epic,” Janie said, rubbing her hands together. “I’ll stop at the store and pick up snacks. Snacks and energy drinks. We’re going to need caffeine for sure.”
“Perfect!” I exclaimed, checking my watch to see what time it was. “I’ll see you in three and a half hours.”
Walking back to my office, I couldn’t help but think about what a weird week it had turned into. It was like two fun bookends with lots of crummy books in between them. It had started Monday when I had dinner with Sebastian, and now I was looking forward to a night of LEGOs with Janie for a pretty great Friday night.
I sat down in my chair with a renewed sense of determination. I pulled up a blueprint I had been staring at diligently for the past hour, but I was distracted when the screen of my phone lit up. Thinking it was a message from Janie about our plans for the evening, I grabbed my phone, but was surprised to find a notification that I had a new message from Patrick on PairBond.
Lennon:
Sorry for the delayed response. The project I’m assigned to at work has turned into one unexpected problem after the next. I was really glad to get your message. I specialize in biomedical electronics but have been known to dabble in biomaterials. We’re working on developing a chip that can send signals from your spine to your prosthetic limb. I’m one of those lucky people who really love their jobs. Well, most days.
I hope you’re not the judgmental type, because I have to confess that I once got way too involved in World of Warcraft. I went a week without showering and knew it was time to go cold turkey. My college roommates were really big into it too, so there was no hope of an intervention. I probably would have failed out of college if I didn’t smell so bad. I got a good whiff of myself one day and knew it was time to quit. Thank goodness for olfactory senses! What do you lik
e to do now that you have kicked the gaming habit?
An aerospace engineer is pretty impressive! What kind of work do you do? I generally think of NASA when I hear anything with the word space in it, but I realize there are lots of commercial possibilities for an aerospace engineer. Although, it would be really awesome if you worked for NASA.
Patrick
I read his message twice, a goofy smile on my face both times. Patrick seemed like someone I could potentially date. We had a lot of similar interests; we were both engineers. He seemed to have a sense of humor, which was definitely a bonus. On paper, we were a great match. I pulled up his profile and clicked on his pictures. I fought down a wave of disappointment when his pictures didn’t make my heart feel like it was fluttering around in my chest like Sebastian’s did. There was absolutely no reason why I should be comparing the two men. It was completely ridiculous and illogical. Patrick was attractive in his own right with his thick, wavy blond hair and horn-rimmed glasses partially obscuring brown eyes. Maybe Janie and Paige were right about this whole online dating thing?
Patrick:
Don’t worry, I can totally relate! I have spent all week trying to figure out what the issue is with one of our engines. The first stage engines don’t want to cooperate. I work at Spatium. It’s my dream job and I love it! I keep reminding myself how much I love this job when I have weeks like this one. We do have a contract with NASA though! It’s the project I’m working on actually. I am secretly hoping that I’ll get to meet an astronaut.
The project you are working on sounds so interesting and pretty exciting! I took a couple biomedical engineering courses in college and really enjoyed them. If I wasn’t so in love with aerospace engineering, I definitely could have been swayed. Also, the faculty member who headed the program was very intense and made me very anxious every time we interacted. I don’t know if I could have survived more than a semester under her supervision.
I don’t know that I have what would constitute hobbies. I like graphic novels and attend yoga once a week. My friend Paige is an instructor. I help my brother at his tattoo shop as well. Oh, and I recently acquired a cat! His name is Boomerang, but I call him Boomer unless he’s in trouble—which, as it would happen, is most of the time. I adopted him from a shelter and he is of indeterminate breed. He also appears to have engaged in and lost multiple street fights. What do you enjoy now that you are showering regularly?
Lennon
I read the message twice before hitting send, trying to catch anything that would make Paige or Janie cringe. Another good thing about online dating was the anonymity. If I completely embarrassed myself, I would never have to look the other person in the eye again.
I made a mental note to call Harrison so he would know not to expect me tonight, and I sent Sebastian a text wishing him good luck at his game. I might be in charge of an engine that spontaneously shut off, sending a multi-billion-dollar rocket plummeting back to Earth, but things were looking up!
18.
I had a little pep in my step as I climbed the stairs and made my way to Paige’s door. I didn’t even contemplate what I would do if she wasn’t home. I’d probably call maintenance and tell them I smelled smoke coming from her apartment. I knocked on her door, straining to hear any signs of life inside. I heard footsteps and breathed a sigh of relief.
“Hey girlie, what’s up?” Paige greeted me cheerfully.
“Hi Paige, I’m here to pick up my package. Thank you so much for signing for me!” The words came out in an excited rush. I was trying not to be rude, fighting the impulse to grab the box and run back to my apartment chanting, “My precious.”
“Oh duh! I forgot about your package. Sorry, it was long day.” She turned to retrieve a brown box from her table.
Do the right thing, Lennon, ask her why her day was so long. I took the box from her hands and paused to really look at her. She seemed uncharacteristically deflated. Paige wasn’t shallow. She felt the full range of human emotion, I knew that. It was just that she always seemed to face the world with a smile. It was one of the things I envied and admired about her. I felt more like the little black rain cloud that followed Winnie the Pooh around. Sometimes I forgot that Paige was susceptible to melancholy too.
I clutched the box and prepared to be a good friend. “Why was your day so long?”
Paige looked down at her feet and let out a breath that sounded frustrated, and suspiciously watery. “Nothing. Well, not nothing. I got in a fight with my mom, but I don’t really want to talk about it right now, if that’s okay? I really appreciate you asking, though.”
I glanced down at the box in my arms and then back at Paige. “Umm… did… would you like a hug?”
Paige’s head shot up and she nodded. “Yeah, a hug would be really great, actually.”
I set the box down and wrapped my arms around Paige. She squeezed back, resting her head on my shoulder. She let out another watery sigh before breaking out of my arms.
“Thanks, Lennon. I really needed that. What are you up to tonight?”
I motioned toward the box on the floor, keeping my arms available in case she needed another hug.
“Well, this box just so happens to contain the Hogwarts Castle LEGO set.” I paused, waiting for some sort of excited utterance from Paige, and plowed on when she didn’t make a peep. “It’s been on backorder forever and it’s finally here!”
“Uh, so you’re playing LEGOs tonight?” Paige asked, a quizzical expression on her face.
“It’s not playing. It’s putting together a complex model. Totally different.”
“Clearly,” she said with mock seriousness.
“Anyway, Janie is going to come over and we’re going to get started building this model.” I paused to make sure she noted the extra emphasis. “We’re ordering pizza and Janie is stopping for snacks, which means we’re going to have a ridiculous amount of food. Hey! You should come! I mean, if you don’t have plans.”
“I don’t think I have ever play—built with LEGOs, but you know what? I’m in. I was just going to mope on my couch with a bottle of wine and that’s not really constructive. I mean understandable and maybe necessary, but not constructive.”
“Great! Not the moping with an alcoholic beverage part, but the joining our party is great. I’m going to get changed and clear off my coffee table, but you can come over whenever you want.” I thought for a moment and then added, “Just be careful when you open the door; Boomer’s fast.”
Paige laughed. “I still can’t believe you adopted that mess. Don’t get me wrong, I love my furry nephew, but that cat is a mess with a capital M.”
We said our goodbyes and I made my way back to my apartment to get set up. I inched open the door just wide enough to sneak through, keeping my eyes trained on the floor for any signs of Boomer attempting to dash through my legs. As much as I was just dying to recreate the scene from Wednesday where I’d chased him through the hallway in nothing but an oversized shirt and my underwear while praying no one came out and saw me, I didn’t have time for his antics tonight. I heard a meow from my bedroom and rushed in, quickly shutting the door behind me.
I greeted Boomer and threw on my Hufflepuff sweater and leggings. I even added my stripped Hufflepuff knee socks to complete the themed look, because what else do you wear when you’re building Hogwarts? I had just finished feeding Boomer when Paige walked through the door with two bottles of wine in her hand.
“I wasn’t sure if a LEGO party called for a red or white wine, but I do know that it calls for wine.” She waved the bottles back and forth. “Do you want a glass?”
“Yes, please,” I responded, picking up the remote and turning the television to the channel broadcasting Sebastian’s game. “White, preferably. Red makes my neck hot and itchy.”
“You know you’re probably allergic, right?” she asked, getting two wine glasses out of the cabinet.
“It’s a distinct possibility. You know, oral immunotherapy for peanut allergies
is showing some promise. It’s still in the clinical testing phase but it’s had a 60-80% desensitization rate in patients,” I said, clearing off the coffee table.
“Yeah, I don’t know what any of that means, but good for them. I don’t know if I could live without peanut butter.”
“It’s a procedure for people with severe allergies to peanuts where they slowly introduce small amounts of peanuts in a clinical setting. The goal is to increase the threshold that triggers an allergic reaction. So maybe if I slowly increase the amount of red wine I drink, I’ll gradually become less bothered by it,” I rambled on while unpacking the set from its box.
“Open up, nerd, I come with snacks!” Janie’s voice boomed from the other side of the door.
I got off the floor and rushed to open the door. Janie’s arms were loaded down with bags, but I could see she was decked out in Slytherin gear.
“Can I Slyther-in?” She wiggled her eyebrows. “These bags are getting heavy and I skipped arm day for the last, like… oh… twenty-five years straight.”
“Very punny,” I deadpanned, reaching to take some of the bags. “Hurry up and get in here before Boomer escapes.”
“I still can’t believe you adopted that mutant,” Janie said, kicking the door closed behind her.
“I know, right?” Paige chimed in from the kitchen. “That cat has been to hell and back.”
“Oh, hey, Paige! I didn’t know you were into LEGOs.”
Paige laughed, reaching for a third wine glass. “Yeah, that’s because I’m not. I’m here for the company and the snacks. I was told there would be pizza, too.”
“Pizza has chee—” I elbowed Janie in the ribs before she could finish saying ‘cheese.’ “Owww! What’s with the flying elbows there, Skeletor?”
I gave my head a tiny shake and then nodded toward Paige. “I already ordered the pizza. Paige had a rough day so she’s going to hang out with us instead of wallowing. Right, Paige?”
“Yep, hanging with friends is better for your emotional health than watching Bravo and drinking straight from the bottle while thinking about the Stepford wife who gave birth to you. Do you want red or white wine?”
