Page 72

My heart pounded in my chest as I stormed down the street. Frankie pissed me off frequently, but even for me my defensiveness seemed at an all-time high. My thoughts said, How dare she even speak Clem's name? And ruminated on never allowing Clem near her. It felt possessive and strange, overbearingly protective and the impulse to check on her overcame me.

Hi, I texted, and nothing more.

Hi, she responded almost immediately.

Are you still working?

I am. Are you going to visit me? It's going to rain soon.

Huh?

Every time you visit me at work, you're damp from the rain. So, I'm beginning to expect you with the weather.

A laugh escaped me, and I lowered my phone as I looked up to the sky. Sure enough, cloud cover rolled in, shielding what little light the stars lent to the city. I returned to my texts then wrote, I was just checking in.

Boo.

Are you trying to scare me?

No. I'm expressing my deep-seated disappointment in your lack of visit.

Laughter bounced my gear belt around my middle, and I replied, I see. Booing me instead of a ghost boo.

Accurate, she said with a ghost emoji to follow.

Instead of replying, I pocketed my phone and picked up the pace as I jogged down the street. The air grew thick with humidity, and I knew I wouldn't beat the storm. It took me a solid fifteen minutes to reach Clementine's lab, and the security folks let me in with a simple flash of my badge now that they knew me. My visitor's pass got me through the endless doors. At this time of the evening, there wasn't much going on save for people leaving at the end of their shifts.

I made my way to Clem's office, this time without my Vans squeakily announcing my entrance. Through the lab where machines whirred in near-silence, I saw her seated in her office, pinching a pencil between her fingers. She hunched over a notebook on her desk and wrote quickly in a composition book. Today, she wore a pair of black and white saddle shoes that matched the rest of her outfit perfectly. Black slacks, a white button-down, and a pair of suspenders that nearly melted my insides. Her hair tumbled over her shoulder, touching her knee when she shifted her position only slightly. She didn't notice me at first or didn't seem to at least.

"I'm less disappointed now," she said, without looking up.

Didn't seem to, it is. "Just less?" I chuckled as I approached her.

"Correct. Less." She continued writing whatever it was, and I pushed myself up to sit on the desk beside her. "Your jeans are holey again."

"What can I say? I dress to impress."

A small giggle escaped her, and she finally glanced up at me. Her eyes shimmered with brightness that I began to wonder if she kept a cap on purposefully. The way she looked away quickly always gave me a moment to gather my bearings before we shared a longer look.

"Well, hello there," I said, folding my hands between my knees.

"Hello." Her smile broadened and she bit her lip.

We said nothing for a few moments, neither one of us particularly bothered by it, until she began writing something down again.

"Such a quiet Clementine today," I said, finally. "You okay?"

"I've spent all day alone and 'I'm less disappointed now' are the first words I've spoken aloud since yesterday." Her statement left her slightly robotically.

I tilted my head as I watched her. "Even with all the people that work here?"

"I came in early, and no one bothers me when I'm working unless I ask them too. If I'm needed, they'll email or message. The sound of my own voice is disturbing."

"I'm sorry. Is my voice okay?"

"Yes. Your voice is very welcomed," she said. "I like the way you look when you're wearing your work belt. Even though I don't fancy guns. You look really sexy like that, and it makes me pay attention to your waist."

Her words took me by surprise, and I nibbled the inside of my cheek to prevent myself from smiling too broadly. "Do you like paying attention to my waist?"