Page 5 of I Love You, I Hate You

It’s the chronic vitamin D deficiencies, I’m pretty sure

How’s work today?

@Noraephronwasagenius

Same as always, although I found out I’m going to be dealing with Nemesis again.

@Lukethebarnyardcat

Just say the word and I’ll make him disappear

The ellipsis indicating an imminent reply hovered and he bit back a smile. He straightened the stack of files next to his computer while he waited, but it was generally a lost cause. His house could charitably be called cluttered, but more accurately should be considered a disaster zone. He had food for Luke stacked near the door, along with the bike he kept meaning to fix and boots left out from the last time it snowed, which was a solid four months ago at this point. Books and papers littered every elevated flat surface, and Luke’s multitude of toys were scattered all over the ground. Growing up, there had always been a housekeeper to tidy things for him, and when he moved out he’d never quite gotten the hang of picking up after himself and instead just got used to the mess. It was the one place where Victoria’s sneers about him being a spoiled little rich boy were entirely too accurate.

He glanced at his computer, waiting eagerly for Nora’s reply. He suspected Nemesis was intimidated by her competence, because Nora was nothing if not adroit. He’d admired her coolness under fire from afar for months on Twitter before engaging with her. She was witty and composed and capable of delivering devastating eviscerations to those who tried to tear her down. Her first DM to him had sent a spike of adrenaline skittering through him.Westworld isn’t nearly as smart as it thinks it is.That was all she said, but with those ten words, he tripped into something strangely intimate and tender. Over the course of their friendship he had come to see her side of things: the anonymity of their relationship made it possible for him to be vulnerable with her in a way he never was with anyone else.

A new message appeared, and he stopped pretending to tidy up.

@Noraephronwasagenius

What about you? You were working on a project with the Ice Princess soon, weren’t you?

Ice Princesswas his nickname for Victoria. He thought about going withQueen Victoriainitially, but some instinct made him hold off, if only because that felt vaguely unfair to Victoria to use her real name. There weren’t too many striking brunettes in their late twenties named Victoria in general, and within the midwestern legal community there were even fewer. Just on the off chance Nora knew people in Minnesota, he erred on the side of caution and had gone with something that still applied to Victoria, Queen of the Heartless Robots, but somewhat preserved her anonymity.

@Lukethebarnyardcat

Not really working with her. More like against her. But yeah, that’s going to be sooner than I’d like

Victoria would have received notice this morning that he was joining the case, taking over for a firm that wanted to drop the nonprofit after two years of drawn out mediation. He was asking for a new deposition of the hiring manager for one of the complainants, which would mean sitting down across a table from the Ice Princess herself just as soon as it was scheduled.

To be perfectly frank, Owen was just the tiniest bit aroused and terrified of that possibility. He’d never forget the first time they’d gone toe to toe. When Victoria swanned through the doors like royalty, he couldn’t help but notice her. Everyone did, of course—between her height and long dark hair and movie star good looks, she tended to turn heads wherever she went—but for Owen that day, time stopped. There was no hint of the woman he’d had in his bed the other night; just cool, ruthless efficiency in a perfectly tailored outfit.

He could have fallen for Victoria right then, but the moment proceedings began that went out the window. That had been the end of that, at least until last week when he let his dick do the thinking.

@Noraephronwasagenius

Are you going to be okay with that? I know last time she really got under your skin.

@Lukethebarnyardcat

I’ll be fine. Spoiled rich kids just bug me like none other

@Noraephronwasagenius

You’re not one of them, if that’s what you’re worried about.

Nora always knew what to say. Owen hated rich kids because for a long time, hewasone of them. He didn’t have to care about anyone or anything, and his dad’s money fixed any mistake he made. Hell, he had only started Pohl Law Office because it would piss his dad off, and it wasn’t until after he started working that he realized just how tilted the scales of justice really were. Now he was committed to righting whatever wrongs he could, and took on the sort of cases that other lawyers passed on because they were hopeless. He had the privilege of not worrying too much about money, and this was how he was going to use it.

He only wished Victoria Clemenceaux felt the same.

Direct Messages: Nora @Noraephronwasagenius

@Lukethebarnyardcat

Okay, your turn. Most embarrassing moment: go

@Noraephronwasagenius

Straight up thought Martha’s Vineyard was a winery owned by Martha Stewart.