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Curtis's voice went soft.
"Maggie can't help it. She's fresh out of school, barely started working, and it's hard being out here on her own."
"You went through this stage too. You of all people should understand."
"She's a good kid. She doesn't really cause me any trouble. We get along fine."
I opened my mouth to say something.
His brow furrowed, like I'd disappointed him.
"Anna, when did you turn into this? You used to crouch over a stray dog on the side of the road and cry your eyes out, insist on bringing it home."
"Maggie's a living, breathing person, and you're keeping score against her?"
I stood there with nowhere to hide.
There was a time when we'd go out to eat and some girl would come over to add him on WeChat.
He'd turn her down flat.
Like he was announcing to the whole world that he was already taken.
But now he stood beside someone else and asked me why.
Maggie's voice came out soft and sweet.
"Oh, it's normal for her to be upset. She's still a maiden after all, untouched. Curtis, go easy on her."
"Let's go watch TV first and let her work through it on her own."
She turned and headed for the living room.
Maggie dug out a bag of potato chips like she owned the place.
She called Curtis over.
I watched the whole thing.
A variety show was playing on the TV, and Maggie was laughing so hard she kept tipping over, her whole body leaning into Curtis.
He tucked her hair behind her ear without thinking.
The gesture was so natural he didn't even notice he'd done it.
I walked toward the bedroom, and the laughter dropped by half.
I don't know how long I sat there.
The TV went quiet, and Maggie ran back and forth.
"Curtis, where's the hairdryer?"
"Second drawer on the left side of the vanity."
"Oh, found it. Night."
"Yeah, get some sleep."
Right after that, Curtis pushed the door open.
He saw me sitting there and paused.
"Why aren't you asleep? You've been on a plane all day. Get some rest."
I stopped him.
"How long is she going to stay here?"
"I have a friend with an apartment in Harborview, less than a ten-minute walk from your office, cheap rent too. Want me to reach out and have her move—"
"Anna."
Curtis turned around, his expression changed.
"I'm not some object in your life."
He said it slowly.
"Don't just arrange my business however you like. Maggie's my coworker. Am I supposed to throw her out without any regard for how she feels? How can you be so heartless?"
I pulled my hand back.
"Fine. I won't say anything about her."
I took a deep breath.
"I got promoted recently. My supervisor gave me a transfer request form. I could apply to move to the Harborview branch. If it goes smoothly, it might not take lon—"
He cut me off.
"What would you even come to Harborview for?"
Maybe he saw my face change, because his tone softened again.
"Annie, we're both grown up now. We're not kids."
He put his hand on my shoulder.
"Isn't it good for each of us to work hard in our own field? I'll come over someday."
Before, it was: wait until he landed this project.
Wait until he made supervisor.
Wait until the project wrapped.
I waited from spring to fall, from summer to winter.
His "someday" was like a road that never reached its end.
"Then what about our engagement?" I heard myself say. "Isn't it time we set a date?"
His voice finally sharpened with anger.
"Anna, there's no reasoning with you. Are you that desperate to get married? I'll marry you eventually. What are you even in such a rush for?"
Like I was the one being unreasonable.
"I really don't get you. Think it over yourself."
The bedroom went quiet.
I sat on the edge of the bed for a long time.
The sky wasn't fully light yet when the door was shoved open.
I squinted on instinct.
The next second, I saw Maggie standing in the bedroom.
My clothes had been thrown onto the bed one by one.
She was still muttering:
"These clothes of yours are so ugly! I'm shooting photos today, and what even is this style, so dowdy and dated—"
I sat up in bed. "Maggie, did you knock?"
She turned her head, and her expression flipped from disgust to hurt in an instant.
"Curtis told me you'd brought dresses, that's why I came in. How can you talk to me like that..."
Before she'd finished, Curtis's voice came through, thick with impatience:
"Anna, do you have to be so nasty? Maggie didn't mean anything by it."
