Chapter 44 - Everybody Knows
Tuesday morning, Emma found her first reason to talk to Adrian at eight-forty-three.
I knew the exact time because I happened to look at the clock when she walked past my desk.
Not because I was watching her.
Obviously.
She had a folder in her hand.
Perfectly normal.
People carried folders around architecture firms every day.
She stopped outside Adrian's office, knocked, and disappeared inside.
I looked back at my screen.
None of my business.
I made it approximately forty seconds.
Then my eyes moved toward the glass wall.
Emma was standing in front of Adrian's desk.
Adrian was looking at whatever she'd brought him.
Normal.
Completely normal.
I returned to my drawing.
A minute later, I looked again.
She was still there.
Why was she still there?
"Careful."
I turned.
Maya was looking at her monitor.
"What?"
"Nothing."
"You said careful."
"Did I?"
"Yes."
"Hm."
I stared at her.
She continued working.
I looked back at my screen.
Approximately thirty seconds later, Emma came out of Adrian's office.
She looked-
Fine.
Why was I analyzing how she looked?
I went back to work.
At nine-twenty, she went back.
I looked at the clock again.
Accidentally.
This time she didn't have a folder.
Interesting.
No.
Not interesting.
Nothing about this was interesting.
I clicked into another drawing.
Through the glass, I could see Emma standing beside Adrian's desk.
She said something.
Adrian answered without looking up from his monitor.
She said something else.
He looked at her.
Answered.
Then looked back at his screen.
Emma stayed.
Adrian looked up again.
Even from here, I knew that expression.
Why are you still standing there?
I bit the inside of my cheek.
Emma finally walked out.
She passed my desk.
"Morning."
"Morning."
She smiled.
I smiled.
She kept walking.
I stared at my monitor.
"Don't."
Maya hadn't even said anything.
"I didn't."
"You were going to."
"I genuinely wasn't."
I turned toward her.
She was smiling.
"You're annoying."
"I've been told."
Before I could answer, someone dropped a small packet of MM's beside my keyboard.
I looked down.
Then up.
Ethan.
"Oh."
He looked offended.
"That's the welcome I get?"
"What are you doing here?"
"Good to see you too."
I picked up the MM's.
"Why are you giving me these?"
"You look like you need them."
"I look perfectly fine."
"Exactly. That's usually when you're most dangerous."
I smiled.
"Thank you."
"You're welcome."
He leaned one hand against the edge of my desk.
I hadn't seen him properly since yesterday morning. He'd come over, welcomed me back, insulted my relationship with coffee, and disappeared back to his own team.
Now apparently he had time.
"How was your mysterious week away?"
"Productive."
"That's a terrible answer."
"It's the answer you're getting."
"I heard you and Vale were both working remotely."
"We were."
"Together?"
I opened the MM's.
"You're becoming nosy."
"I'm making conversation."
"You're bad at it."
"I brought chocolate."
"That bought you approximately three minutes."
"Excellent."
He stole one from the packet.
I stared at him.
"You brought these for me."
"Yes."
"And then ate one."
"I never said the gift was unconditional."
I laughed.
Ethan smiled.
And because apparently the universe had developed a sense of humor, my eyes moved toward Adrian's office.
He was looking at us.
Not for long.
The second my eyes found his, his attention returned to his monitor.
I slowly ate an MM.
Interesting.
Maya made a tiny sound beside me.
I turned.
"What?"
"Nothing."
"Why does everyone keep saying nothing today?"
"Maybe nothing is happening."
I narrowed my eyes.
Ethan looked between us.
"I've missed something."
"You've missed many things," Maya said.
"Helpful."
"You're welcome."
Ethan looked at me.
"Lunch later?"
Before I could answer, someone behind him said-
"Angelica."
I knew the voice.
Of course I did.
Ethan turned.
Adrian was standing several feet away holding a set of drawings.
"Yes?"
"Do you have the revised Solara reflected ceiling plan?"
"On my computer."
"I need it."
"Right now?"
"Yes."
I looked at Ethan.
He raised both hands.
"Apparently my three minutes are over."
I smiled.
"Apparently."
"I'll come back."
"Okay."
Ethan walked away.
Adrian watched him go for approximately half a second.
Then looked at me.
"The plan."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
His eyes narrowed.
Maya immediately became extremely interested in her computer.
I opened the file.
Adrian came around the side of my desk.
I pulled up the revised plan and moved slightly so he could see.
His hand went to the back of my chair.
Not touching me.
Just resting there.
Normal.
At least apparently it was normal now.
Neither of us reacted.
I zoomed into the ceiling layout.
"I moved the linear lights here because your original alignment was stupid."
"It wasn't stupid."
"It fought the ceiling grid."
"It followed the circulation."
"The circulation doesn't need emotional support from the lighting."
Adrian leaned closer to the screen.
"Move this one back."
"No."
His eyes moved to me.
"Why?"
"Because I just fixed it."
"You moved it six inches."
"Correct."
"Move it back."
"No."
"Angelica."
"Adrian."
From somewhere behind us, Ben sighed happily.
"There they are."
I looked over my shoulder.
"What?"
"Nothing."
I stared at him.
He smiled at his screen.
What was wrong with everyone today?
Adrian tapped the drawing.
"Send me this version."
"You're keeping my change?"
"For now."
I looked up at him.
"For now?"
"Don't get attached."
"I'm already attached."
"To six inches of lighting?"
"To being right."
His mouth moved.
Barely.
Then he straightened.
"Send it."
"I will."
He walked back toward his office.
And that was when Emma appeared beside Nicole's desk.
Her eyes followed him.
I saw it.
Maya saw it.
Ben definitely saw it because his eyebrows went up.
Nicole glanced at Emma.
Then at me.
Oh, for God's sake.
I turned back to my monitor.
None.
Of.
My.
Business.
At ten-fifteen, Emma tried again.
This time, she caught Adrian outside his office.
I was standing at the printer with Nicole when I heard her.
"Adrian?"
He stopped.
Emma walked toward him.
"Do you have a second?"
"Yes."
She smiled.
"I wanted to ask if you had any recommendations for architecture events around Miami. Conferences, exhibitions, things like that. I'm still trying to get more involved locally."
That was-
Actually reasonable.
Annoyingly reasonable.
Adrian considered it.
"The AIA Miami calendar usually has most of them."
"Oh. Okay."
"You can also ask Claire. She keeps track of industry events."
"Right."
There was a pause.
That should've been the end of the conversation.
Apparently Emma disagreed.
"Do you go to many?"
"Some."
"What kind?"
"The relevant ones."
I lowered my head.
Nicole made a suspicious choking sound beside me.
I looked at her.
She suddenly became fascinated by the printer.
Emma laughed softly.
"I meant, is there anything coming up that you're planning to attend?"
Adrian looked at her.
"I haven't decided."
"Oh."
Silence.
Emma waited.
Adrian waited.
This was painful.
Not because he was being rude.
He wasn't.
He had answered every question she asked.
That was the problem.
He answered them.
And then stopped.
No question back.
No attempt to continue.
No opening.
Nothing.
Finally Emma smiled.
"Well, if you hear of anything good, let me know."
"I will."
"Thanks."
She walked away.
Adrian continued toward wherever he'd originally been going.
Nicole waited exactly three seconds.
Then-
"Oh, dear."
I looked at her.
"What?"
"Nothing."
"Stop saying that."
She smiled.
I took my papers from the printer.
"You people are weird."
"Us?"
"Yes."
Nicole looked toward Emma.
Then toward Adrian.
Then at me.
"Sure."
I walked away before she could say anything else.
By eleven, I had almost successfully stopped paying attention.
Almost.
Emma was working.
Adrian was working.
I was working.
Maya was working.
Ben was pretending to work.
Normal office.
Then Adrian came out of his office holding a drawing.
And walked directly toward my desk.
I watched him approach.
He stopped beside me and put the drawing down in front of me.
"I want to show you something."
I looked at the drawing.
Then at him.
"That sentence has never resulted in anything good."
His eyes narrowed slightly.
He pulled the drawing closer and opened it across my desk.
And that was when I realized something.
Emma had spent the entire morning finding reasons to talk to Adrian.
Adrian had just crossed the office because he wanted to talk to me.
I immediately hated that my brain had noticed the difference.
I looked down at the drawing.
The Solara entrance.
My stomach sank.
"What did you do?"
"I didn't do anything."
"Yet."
His eyes moved to mine.
I knew that look.
Oh, no.
"No."
"I haven't said anything."
"You have the face."
"What face?"
"The face you make before you ruin my day."
Behind us, Ben laughed.
Adrian ignored him.
I looked down at the drawing.
The Solara entrance.
The entrance we'd already revised.
Reviewed.
Coordinated.
And, most importantly-
finished.
Adrian placed one finger against the plan.
"I want to test another option."
I stared at his finger.
Then slowly looked up at him.
"No."
He hadn't even explained it yet.
I didn't care.
"No."
"Angelica."
"No."
"You don't know what I'm asking."
"You want to change something."
"I want to test something."
"Same disease. Different symptom."
Maya laughed beside me.
Adrian's eyes narrowed.
"Listen first."
I folded my arms.
"Fine."
He turned the drawing slightly toward me.
"I want to shift the arrival approach and rework the canopy geometry."
I stared at him.
Then at the plan.
Then back at him.
"No."
And this time-
I meant it.