Natalie goes to work

Natalie was up before Aiden. Having taken a quick shower, throwing her hair in a ponytail, and with a blazer over a simple top, she started to head out. Deciding she didn’t want to seem like she was still evading him, she left a note on the fridge at eye level - “Have an early meeting at work. Promise I’m not avoiding you.” - and headed out.

Work moved fast. There was an early morning check-in with the marketing team about some edits on a campaign brief that needed urgent attention. The rest of the morning consisted of vendor calls, and a spreadsheet that refused to cooperate. Around noon, Lisa texted

Lisa: Sorry I left without waking you yesterday. You okay

Natalie: All good, I’m not offended. Busy day though today.

Lisa sent back a heart and left it there.

Rush hour traffic on the way back gave her too much time to think. By the time she parked, she’d already ran through several different versions of what she might say tomorrow night, and none of it sounded right in her head.

Aiden was at the table with his laptop when she came in. He had earbuds in, watching what appeared to be a lecture, with a half-empty mug of something next to him.

“Hey,” she offered.

He tapped his spacebar, pulling one earbud free. “Hey. There’s still leftover quesadillas if you want it.”

“Thanks.” She warmed a piece, ate at the counter, then joined him with her own email open. They worked in quiet for a while, a small, workable peace.

Later, she changed into soft pants and a tee and put on a show for background noise while she folded and did some light cleaning in the living room. Aiden wandered through during an inning break, grabbed water, and paused.

“Do you need any help?” he asked.

“No, it’s alright. I’m actually just finishing up,” she answered, sitting down on the couch.

“Just let me know when you’re gonna clean,” he muttered, a hint of a smile. “I’m happy to help, I just don’t think about it.”

“I appreciate the offer,” she finished.

They watched ten minutes together without comment. At some point, he said he’d turn in early. She told him to sleep well. The doors closed, and Natalie stared at the TV, wondering if they needed to talk. With a sigh, she muttered to herself “No dodging.” Her words had set the expectation.

Natalie woke with that uncomfortable tug in her chest and the sense of a clock ticking. She dressed a little nicer than Monday with a simple dress, and flats. She got out the door, grateful for the drive.

Work was a blur, operating more on autopilot than anything else. Finalize copy. Approve a layout. Give notes on a landing page. A coworker asked if she wanted to join for lunch; she begged off and ate at her desk, jotting a few lines on a sticky note instead:

-“I saw you that night.”

-“I didn’t mean to.”

-“I don’t think less of you.”

-“We have to be careful.”

-“We can’t… but I think about you.”

The lines getting more carried away, the longer she went.

On the way home, she stopped to grab a pizza and a six-pack. In the car she practiced a sentence out loud, then laughed at herself. “I’m definitely going to need a drink for this,” she muttered, and tried again.

Back in the apartment, Aiden met her at the door and took the pizza from her. She lifted the six-pack with an awkward smile. “Figured I might need something other than wine tonight.”

“Then I better be allowed one too,” he said.

“Of course,” she answered, trying to sound casual.

They moved around each other grabbing plates, napkins, a bottle opener. She slid a bottle to him without comment and cracked one for herself. The TV stayed off. They ate at the table and let small talk carry them as best they could in broken conversation. How the lab write-ups came out, a group chat he’d gotten sucked into about a project he’d already finished, a new layout her boss really liked. He said the pizza place was solid. She told him he could pick the place next time. The whole evening was pregnant with the expectation of what was to come, but they managed.

When they finished, he stacked plates and carried them to the sink. “I’ll take care of these.”

“I’m gonna throw the box out,” she said, folding cardboard and wiping crumbs from the table.

At the edge of the living room, she looked at the couch and the two chairs around the coffee table. She nudged one chair an inch toward the other and set out two coasters. Aiden noticed, rubbed his palms on his jeans, and gave a small nod.

“Ten minutes?” she asked.

“Sure,” he said.

They split with her going to rinse her face and change out of her work clothes, and him saving what he was working on when she came in and shut down his laptop. The apartment settled into a hush, like it knew what was coming.

When she came back, Natalie picked one of the chairs, and dropped down into it, sitting with her legs crossed. Aiden took the seat across from hers. Both looked as though they were trying to figure out how to start.

“Okay,” she finally said, his eyes raising to meet hers. “Let’s talk.”

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