said.
Lucas ran a finger along the edge and examined the indentations, hiding a smile. Match-making again. Would she ever stop?
*
Natalie tugged her sleeves down a little further. She’d overslept and had to rush to get ready for work, so she’d pulled an old shirt from the closet—one she never wore because the sleeves were now too short. They barely came to her wrist. And as if that wasn’t bad enough, she picked up a voicemail from her specialist, rescheduling her for this afternoon. Another wasted half day.
The sun beat through the windows of her office, and she had another oh-crap moment. The air conditioning was off, for emergency maintenance. Everyone else removed jackets, peeled back sleeves, and hung around the water cooler, bitching about the heat, while Natalie tried to pretend she didn’t notice. Her ankle-length skirt and her boots might have looked smart, but she was melting, especially with having to keep her jacket on.
The only bright spot in her morning—in her day—came in the form of an e-mail from Lucas.
Morning. Thought you might like this. Molly had a blast. Thanks again.
Natalie examined the attached image in delight. The golden Labrador lay in the middle of a dusty patch of dry grass, the Frisbee wedged between her front paws. A large pink tongue lolled from her open mouth, and she appeared to be smiling up at the camera. She looked adorable, and Natalie remembered what fun it was to play ‘fetch’ with a friendly dog on a sunny afternoon. Maybe one day.
Eager to respond to Lucas, she logged into Messenger.
Natalie: Great picture. Thanks, Lucas :) Did you have fun?
He responded immediately.
Lucas: Yep. She was tired out last night. Kept me awake with her snoring, LOL.
Natalie: Hahaha. I exhausted your dog
Lucas: Did you do anything nice last night?
Natalie hesitated before replying.
Natalie: Not much. Watched some TV, read a little. Same as most people.
There was a long silence, and her heart sank. She was obviously boring. Why hadn’t she invented something exotic? Pole dancing, perhaps? The idea made her smile. She would as easily fly to the moon. With a sense of resignation, she logged into the customer systems and began to scan her open orders. She had a meeting in half an hour, and then she had to go through her accounts, and then she had to leave for the hospital.
What if Lucas came back to chat, and she wasn’t there? Would he think she was being rude? How was it that she could talk confidently to her customers and suppliers, but a non-work conversation with Lucas tied her in knots? In an agony of indecision, she rapidly tapped out a further message.
Natalie: I’m not in this afternoon. Have a good day :)
Chapter Four
Lucas felt like a jerk. It wasn’t Natalie’s fault that she’d innocently pushed one of his very sensitive triggers. Watching TV, reading the paper, and browsing through the bookstore were now things of the past for him, along with the big items like driving, cycling and sightseeing. Travelling no longer held any appeal, since the view was the same for him anywhere. A blurred thin strip of vision. Then there were the smaller, equally missed activities—gazing up at the night sky and picking out the constellations; playing poker; watching any sport at all; admiring the view from his apartment.
As his vision deteriorated, so did his life. Soon all he had left would be lying in bed, listening to the radio. He could still work at the moment, thanks to modified screen technology that allowed him to massively magnify small sections of the screen at once. In a few years though, even that would be lost.
Bile rose in his throat. He shoved his chair back and stumbled for the bathroom, nearly tripping over the sleeping Molly as he went. By the time he came back to his desk, Natalie had signed out of the conversation. No matter. She was probably out with a customer, busy with her life. He scrubbed his hands over his face. Jesus . When did he turn
Lucas ran a finger along the edge and examined the indentations, hiding a smile. Match-making again. Would she ever stop?
*
Natalie tugged her sleeves down a little further. She’d overslept and had to rush to get ready for work, so she’d pulled an old shirt from the closet—one she never wore because the sleeves were now too short. They barely came to her wrist. And as if that wasn’t bad enough, she picked up a voicemail from her specialist, rescheduling her for this afternoon. Another wasted half day.
The sun beat through the windows of her office, and she had another oh-crap moment. The air conditioning was off, for emergency maintenance. Everyone else removed jackets, peeled back sleeves, and hung around the water cooler, bitching about the heat, while Natalie tried to pretend she didn’t notice. Her ankle-length skirt and her boots might have looked smart, but she was melting, especially with having to keep her jacket on.
The only bright spot in her morning—in her day—came in the form of an e-mail from Lucas.
Morning. Thought you might like this. Molly had a blast. Thanks again.
Natalie examined the attached image in delight. The golden Labrador lay in the middle of a dusty patch of dry grass, the Frisbee wedged between her front paws. A large pink tongue lolled from her open mouth, and she appeared to be smiling up at the camera. She looked adorable, and Natalie remembered what fun it was to play ‘fetch’ with a friendly dog on a sunny afternoon. Maybe one day.
Eager to respond to Lucas, she logged into Messenger.
Natalie: Great picture. Thanks, Lucas :) Did you have fun?
He responded immediately.
Lucas: Yep. She was tired out last night. Kept me awake with her snoring, LOL.
Natalie: Hahaha. I exhausted your dog
Lucas: Did you do anything nice last night?
Natalie hesitated before replying.
Natalie: Not much. Watched some TV, read a little. Same as most people.
There was a long silence, and her heart sank. She was obviously boring. Why hadn’t she invented something exotic? Pole dancing, perhaps? The idea made her smile. She would as easily fly to the moon. With a sense of resignation, she logged into the customer systems and began to scan her open orders. She had a meeting in half an hour, and then she had to go through her accounts, and then she had to leave for the hospital.
What if Lucas came back to chat, and she wasn’t there? Would he think she was being rude? How was it that she could talk confidently to her customers and suppliers, but a non-work conversation with Lucas tied her in knots? In an agony of indecision, she rapidly tapped out a further message.
Natalie: I’m not in this afternoon. Have a good day :)
Chapter Four
Lucas felt like a jerk. It wasn’t Natalie’s fault that she’d innocently pushed one of his very sensitive triggers. Watching TV, reading the paper, and browsing through the bookstore were now things of the past for him, along with the big items like driving, cycling and sightseeing. Travelling no longer held any appeal, since the view was the same for him anywhere. A blurred thin strip of vision. Then there were the smaller, equally missed activities—gazing up at the night sky and picking out the constellations; playing poker; watching any sport at all; admiring the view from his apartment.
As his vision deteriorated, so did his life. Soon all he had left would be lying in bed, listening to the radio. He could still work at the moment, thanks to modified screen technology that allowed him to massively magnify small sections of the screen at once. In a few years though, even that would be lost.
Bile rose in his throat. He shoved his chair back and stumbled for the bathroom, nearly tripping over the sleeping Molly as he went. By the time he came back to his desk, Natalie had signed out of the conversation. No matter. She was probably out with a customer, busy with her life. He scrubbed his hands over his face. Jesus . When did he turn
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