A Disease of Magic

I thought that I would have a nice, relaxing day at home with my books and my cat to take full advantage of what little PTO I had left to use. I’d hoarded it just for this purpose, and I was immensely glad I did. I felt well-rested and was confident I’d have no problem going back to work next week.

Leo was working on our stats again, running some program he came up with to see if there was anything that we had missed. I’d opted to stay in my room, out of his way, in part for his own sanity, and in part to save me from the tirades he occasionally went on.

But then I got an email.

I didn’t usually notice my email. A few years ago I had finally gotten fed up enough with all the marketing and spam emails that I set up my inbox to automatically sort through things. I’d set up a folder and a filter for each store or company so that when I wanted, or more accurately needed, to go shopping, it was easy for me to find a coupon or five. But that was for my primary account, the one I gave out to stores, free trials of things, social media accounts, and the like.

However, I had a separate email that I considered my “professional” one, even though I didn’t really consider myself a professional. This one was reserved for job applications, work communications, and anything relating to government or banking accounts. And it was that one that pinged with a message.

It took opening the email and reading the first several lines for me to remember that I had signed up for the LaShoul’s study with the company Alex worked for. I scanned through the email, noting their acceptance of my application, some brief explanations and summaries of what I could expect, and a separate link at the bottom to sign up for an orientation slot.

Before just going for it, I gave Alex a call. I couldn’t remember if he was working or not, but figured he wouldn’t answer if he was busy.

“Hey, Callie,” he greeted me after the third ring. “How are you?”

“Oh, you know,” I answered, waving a nonchalant hand in the air that he could absolutely not see. “The usual. How’re you? Up to anything exciting today?”

“Just work. So, no.”

“Sorry, I didn’t remember you worked today,” I apologized, preparing to hang up.

“It’s not a problem. I have a bit of down time right now while I wait for this diagnostic program to run. It can take a while, depending where the issue is. So, to what do I owe the pleasure of this call? Were you planning on asking me out on our next date?” He sounded hopeful, and I laughed.

“I wasn’t, but that’s actually not a bad idea. But hold onto that thought. I got the email from your company about the study. I was curious if you got an answer, too.”

“Let me check.” He took less than a minute to get back to me. “Yeah, they accepted me. Nice. That’ll be a good little bonus. You get accepted, too?”

“Mhmm. They have different orientation times. So, Alex, would you like to sign up for the same time as me?” I asked in a flirty tone, amused with myself. “We can make it a date.”

He laughed, the sound washing over me and sending a chill down my spine. He had a nice laugh. Warm, slightly rumbly.

Get your head out of the clouds, I chided myself.

“Sure, let’s take a look,” he suggested. I put him on speaker and switched back to the email, tapping on the link to pull up the sign-up sheet. The orientations were oddly soon, starting later today and going all week to accommodate everyone’s days off.

“Where is this place located?” I wondered aloud, noting the address but having no idea where exactly in the city it was.

“It’s actually the same building I work in.”

“There’s more than one?”

“Yeah, it’s a small campus of buildings,” he answered idly. “I can actually make the one tonight at seven, if you’re free.”

“Can’t wait to see me, huh?” I teased.

“Well, if I disagreed, I’d be lying,” he answered. I felt a flush creep up my cheeks and I was grateful he didn’t see. I was really starting to like Alex, definitely more than just a friend. Sure, he was easy to talk to and we had things in common like any good friendship, but it was more than that. And I was happy to have someone who I knew returned those same feelings and made a point to make me feel seen.

“Let’s do it. Seven. And then an actual date afterwards?” I suggested.

“Yes. Maybe I’ll show you around where I spend my days. Maybe then I can convince you to join me.”

I grinned, recalling his offer to get me a job there. “Perfect.”

“Wear layers,” he added. “It gets cold there to keep the machines from overheating.”

“Got it.”

“I’ll wait for you outside the building. Call me if you get lost; it can be tricky. Oh, and take the three train to twenty-fourth street. It’s actually closer than the four train on twentieth.”

That meant I’d have to transfer, since the three train didn’t stop nearby. But I’d figure it out. That’s what the internet was for.

“Any other helpful tips?”

“Wear comfy shoes.”

I laughed again. “Yes, mom.”

“You’ll thank me later,” he answered. I could hear the grin in his voice. “Ah, shit. I hoped it was literally any other problem.”

“Have fun at work.”

“Uh-huh,” he answered blandly. “At least I have something tonight to look forward to.”

“Me, too.”