CHAPTER 9
“Yeah, I’ve got it,” Arlowe said.
“Hiring cheap movers was a mistake,” Gabi stated as they lugged the mattress through the front door together.
“What’s going on?” Sarai asked, watching the whole thing from the doorway to the kitchen while eating one of Enya’s cookies that she’d baked earlier that morning.
“I only booked the movers for two hours because I didn’t think it would take more than that to get everything over here and moved in, but they were cheap, and I should’ve known better.
They had to go work another job, so my stuff is in the front yard and driveway because they had to take the truck with them. ”
“And I just got back from getting coffee and saw it all go down,” Arlowe added, grunting. “I’m helping. You can, too.”
“I’ll take the hint,” Sarai said.
“Wasn’t a hint. Go. Help,” Arlowe stated.
Sarai went into the garage, where she found Enya.
“Hey, slight moving crisis. Can you help?”
“Sure,” Enya replied without asking questions.
They walked out front, and Sarai was surprised to see boxes all over the yard and a floor lamp and a couple of small bedside tables in the driveway.
She grabbed the lamp and carried it in, walking down the hall toward Gabi’s new room, where she found Arlowe and Gabi lying on the mattress on top of the bedframe.
Sarai wasn’t sure when that had been put together because it hadn’t been there last night when they’d hung out in Gabi’s room and she’d helped Gabi hang up her clothes and unpack a couple of boxes.
“When did you get the bed frame put together?”
“Arlowe saw the box in here and did it for me this morning,” Gabi replied. “Nice of her, huh?”
“Very nice, yes,” Sarai stated through her gritted teeth. “From the woman who has no problems leaving dishes in the sink.”
“It took ten minutes. And I figured someone should do it since she would be bringing the mattress over today, and it would be easier if the frame was already under it. You only carried a lamp?” Arlowe asked.
“It’s heavy and awkward. Where do you want this?”
“Anywhere for now,” Gabi replied. “And thank you. I really thought two hours was enough time, but they were so slow over at the storage unit. They’d pick something up, carry it to the truck, kind of contemplate where and how to put it in, and, like, five minutes later, a box would be set down where it should not have been set down. I will be reviewing them later.”
“Are you one of those people? I am, too,” Arlowe said, standing up.
“A reviewer?”
“For the shitty service, yeah.”
“I do sometimes,” Gabi replied before getting up and following Arlowe out of the room.
“I brought a table,” Enya said, walking in after they’d just left. “Where does it go?”
“Probably next to the bed Arlowe and Gabi were just lying on,” Sarai grumbled and went back outside herself.
She knew she was being ridiculous, but walking into a room and seeing Arlowe and Gabi on a bed together, talking and laughing, after the fun night that she and Gabi had had last night, had been a bit jarring.
Arlowe had come back from the bar long after Gabi had left for her final night in that hotel, and she’d woken early that morning, which wasn’t really like Arlowe, to go get them all coffee.
“What are you doing?” she asked Arlowe while the two of them were carrying a box inside together since it was too heavy for one person, and Gabi and Enya were outside, so they had a moment alone.
“Carrying a box. What does it look like I’m doing?”
“Arlowe, with Gabi. What are you doing with Gabi?”
“Helping her move?”
“You went to bed at, like, two and woke up at seven on a weekend. That’s not like you unless Violet makes you wake up that early. You put together her bed frame.”
“It was just sitting there in the box and was easy. What is your deal?”
They turned into Gabi’s bedroom and placed the box on top of another one.
“You said you only wanted her rent money.”
“Oh, that’s what this is about. I told you, I don’t want to sleep with our new roommate, Sarai. I’m just trying to be helpful.”
“You’re never this helpful. You’re usually glued to your computer.”
“If you must know, I never went to sleep, all right?” Arlowe crossed her arms over her chest. “I stayed at the bar until closing before I came home, but I didn’t fall asleep.”
“You brought a woman home? I didn’t hear–”
“No, I was alone. I had the chance to do that, though. We were making out, and it was great. She asked to go back to my place because she has roommates, too, and I said yes, but when we got into my car – and don’t worry, I’d stopped drinking long before that, so I was sober – something came over me, and I decided against bringing her here. ”
“You decided against sex?”
“I don’t have that much sex. I swear, you all assume I’m getting some every night, but I’m not. I go months without it, and I just… I couldn’t last night. When I got home, I watched TV, thinking it would help me fall asleep, but it didn’t. I just kept thinking about my fucking life right now.”
“Your life?”
“Yeah. Don’t get me wrong, I like most of it, but there are parts I’d like to work on changing, okay?
I needed caffeine because I didn’t sleep, but I saw the bed frame when I was on my way out, and I put it together because it gave me something to do.
Then, I left to get said caffeine. That’s the whole story. ”
“Are you okay?” she asked, suddenly more concerned than frustrated.
“I’m fine. Just tired. But Gabi needs help, so I’m helping. I’m going to take a nap later.”
“I meant in general, Arlowe.”
“I’ve been better, but I’ll be okay. Let’s just go back out there and get this done so I can go to sleep.”
“Okay,” she agreed, still concerned for her friend.
◆◆◆
It was a couple of hours later that Sarai found herself in the kitchen with Enya and Arlowe.
Gabi was in her room, unpacking, but the three of them were eating lunch.
Arlowe looked like she could pass out at any minute, and Enya was staring at the plate of cookies in the middle of the table as she bit into a pickle.
“They have enough salt this time, Enya.”
“Huh?” Enya asked, looking up at her.
“Hey, can I talk to you two about something?” Sarai began.
“Is it urgent? I’m one potato chip away from finishing lunch and passing out at this table,” Arlowe told her.
“It’s not exactly urgent, but it could be important. I want to ask you two before I bring it up to Violet, and I’ve been putting it off.”
“What is it?” Enya asked.
“About a week ago, Gabi offered to help us with something work-related. I told her I’d have to check with everyone, but then I didn’t. She hasn’t brought it up since, so maybe she forgot, but I should at least ask you all about it.”
“Something work-related?” Arlowe asked.
“She went to school for hardware.”
“I know,” Arlowe replied.
Sarai bit her lower lip because, of course, Arlowe knew, and said, “Anyway, she’s interested in helping us design the wearable.”
“She is?” Enya asked.
“Yes.”
“We can’t afford her,” Arlowe said. “I don’t know what she’s making where she is, but I can guess, and it’s a lot.”
“She just wants to help out. It’s not a job,” Sarai replied and picked up a baby carrot.
“I don’t understand. She wants to volunteer for our company?” Enya asked.
“She said she would work on it in her free time. It’s like a hobby to her. I don’t even know what her credentials are, but she did go to MIT. Maybe I should ask to see some of her other work or something.”
“Does she have any experience in designing wearables?” Enya asked.
“Like I said, I have no idea. All I know is that she went to MIT for mechanical engineering, focused on products or something, and now, she works in software, which, I think, means that she can do both and probably well.”
“It does,” Arlowe said.
“Have you seen some of her stuff?” Sarai asked before adding, “Designs, I mean.”
“No, but MIT is no joke, so it wouldn’t surprise me if she’s really good.
The fact that she just wants to help out and not get paid is great, but I’m sure Violet is going to tell us that there’s paperwork or legal issues or something that we have to consider.
If she’s not an employee and designs something for us, it’s technically hers, which could be a problem later. ”
“Right. That makes sense. I guess I’d have to ask Gabi if she’d sign something for us.”
“She would be handing over her intellectual property to us, and for free,” Enya added. “Are you sure she really said that? I can’t imagine someone, even someone nice, wanting not to get paid for something like this.”
“That’s what she said. But maybe we can work out some kind of deal where if her design becomes reality, she gets paid then,” Sarai suggested. “That’s fair, right?”
“I don’t know. Violet would know better than me. You should talk to her,” Enya replied.
“Yeah, I will on Monday. I think she and Stella are out with Jen and Haley today, looking at furniture.”
“They have furniture,” Enya said.
“Well, Jen and Haley need some, too, I guess. I don’t know. Either way, they have other friends to hang out with, so the three of us just get the scraps of Violet’s time now,” Sarai replied.
“We need our own girlfriends to go buy furniture with,” Arlowe suggested.
“I agree,” Enya said.
“Yeah, me too,” Sarai added just as Gabi walked into the kitchen. “Uh… Hey.”
“Hey,” Gabi greeted.
“How’s it going in there?” Sarai asked.
“Fine. I’ve got things out of boxes, but now, the room is a disaster, so I still have to organize everything. At least, I’m making progress.”
“You said you weren’t hungry before, but are you sure? I haven’t put the sandwich stuff away yet,” Sarai said.
“I’m okay. I need to go back to the storage unit today.
My friend Chase is meeting me there to take what’s left off my hands, and then, I’m turning in the keys so that I don’t have to pay for another month.
I’ll grab something on the way back and also go shopping for some food of my own. Do you guys need anything?”
“I’m good,” Arlowe replied.
“I could use some more flour and sugar,” Enya said.
“Any particular kind?”
“No.”
“She’s still adjusting to no Violet,” Arlowe offered.
“I’m thinking about baking a cake tonight,” Enya said.
“Chocolate?” Arlowe asked, suddenly interested.
“Whatever kind you want,” Enya replied.
“Cool. I’m going to bed. I’ll wash my dish later, Sarai.”
“Thanks, Arlowe,” she replied, glaring playfully at her friend.
Arlowe rose and dropped her plate off in the sink. When Sarai turned to see what Enya was going to do, she was already gone.
“Garage. I’m starting to get used to how she just disappears like that,” Gabi said and sat down in Enya’s chair. “So, what are your plans for the rest of the day?”
“Probably just working.”
“It’s Saturday, Sarai.”
“I usually work at least a little on the weekend.”
“Or, you could try getting out of the house.”
“I do that sometimes, too,” she replied, smiling over at her. “Want a cookie? Enya made them this morning.”
“I’m okay.”
“You know it’s okay to eat our food, right? You haven’t really wanted to unless you were here for the parties that we, apparently, have now.”
“I feel bad. I want to contribute.”
“You will. We’ll steal your food, too.” Sarai winked.
Gabi chuckled and said, “Hey, I think I should be done with most of my unpacking by tonight because I need to be able to sleep on my bed.”
“That’s good,” Sarai replied.
“Yeah. I was going to maybe go out.”
“You don’t have to tell us when you go out, you know?”
“I mean that I was going to grab a drink.”
“With your friend, Chase?”
“No, he and his husband have other plans. It’s their date night. So, I was going to go to that bar again where you and I met… again. And I just said again twice, didn’t I?”
Sarai picked up a cookie and said, “Have fun, I guess.”
“Do you want to go with me?” Gabi asked.
“To the bar?”
“Yes, Sarai, to the bar, where we’d have drinks and maybe some food.”
Sarai wasn’t sure what was going on here.
Gabi was inviting her out on a Saturday night, but she hadn’t exactly said if it was a hangout or a date.
It was probably just a hangout because Gabi wouldn’t be asking her out on a date.
They lived together now. They were roommates and couldn’t – or, at least, shouldn’t – date each other, even if she was totally jealous of Arlowe and Gabi hanging out on Gabi’s bed earlier.
“Um… Yeah. Sure. Let me see what Enya is doing tonight. I might be able to catch Arlowe before she falls asleep and check with her, too, before you have to go. That way… you’d know if we’re in or not and can make other plans if you need to.”
“Oh,” Gabi uttered, looking a little confused, and Sarai didn’t know why. “I was… I thought it could just…”
“Just what?”
“Nothing,” Gabi said, shaking her head. “Never mind. I’m going to go grab my phone from my room. It’s charging. Feel free to check with them and let me know before I run out. If not, just text me. I’m down for whatever, I guess.”
Gabi stood up then and walked out of the kitchen, leaving Sarai alone with her thoughts.