Kinged(4)

Amy smiled at me from across the table. She had sent me a message earlier in the day asking to meet up for a quick recap on the app’s launch. We sat alone in a glass-enclosed room, with a plain white table in the middle, a small projector, and a small screen on one wall. Amy was projecting sales data, but neither of us was paying much attention to it.

“New friends? I thought I was all you needed,” she said.

I laughed. “Unfortunately you’ve been a bit busy lately with Mr. Billionaire.”

“That’s true. I’m sorry.” She looked genuinely upset, and I felt a little bad. I shouldn’t guilt her into spending more time with me, especially when things were going so well for her.

“No, it’s totally cool. I went out with Linda, Becky, and Marissa. It was pretty fun.”

Amy smiled. “Good, I’m glad. I like Linda.”

“I know, she’s pretty great. The other two are boring as rocks though.”

“It’s like sitting in a quarry with those two.” I laughed at her joke.

“Worse, at least quarries can be fun. Those two are just dull.”

It felt good to be chatting like that. I had to admit I’d been feeling isolated lately. Getting used to a new city was tough, especially when you spent so many years in a place like New York. Philly was great, but it was different, smaller, and I had to make an effort to get to know the landscape. Amy tried her best, but she wasn’t that available. Still, she had done so much for me already, and I couldn’t be upset with her for not devoting every spare second to me.

“So, how are things going? Feel settled yet?” Amy asked me.

I wasn’t sure how to answer. It hadn’t been very long, and I still wasn’t used to the city, but I loved my job. Adstringo was a fantastic place to work, even better than most places in New York. And most importantly of all, our offices were only a few blocks from my apartment, which made my commute super easy.

“I think so. I’m getting used to the city at least,” I said.

She nodded. “It took me a while to adjust. You’ll get there.”

“It’s great here, though. People are pretty welcoming.”

“I’m glad, seriously. I’m sorry again I haven’t been as available as I should be.”

I laughed. “Stop apologizing you weirdo. It’s all good. Let’s go over this data before we start talking about your rock again.” I glanced at her enormous ring and felt a pang of jealousy. It probably cost more than everything I owned combined.

“Fine, just try not to stare at this gaudy thing too much.” Amy waved her hand in the air, and then started to run through the slides.

Working with Amy was easy. We’d been good friends since we met in college during our freshman year. We were placed in the same dorm room, and hit it off immediately. She was quiet and serious, and I had to work hard at first to break her out of her shell. We lived together ever since, and the only time we ever spent apart was right after college, when she moved back to Philly. During her year away from me, she managed to completely write and market a smartphone app that connected underprivileged kids with inexpensive tutors, she landed her dream job at Adstringo after they bought her app, and she fell in love with Adstringo’s reclusive CEO billionaire Shane Green.

My job was no different from what I used to do in New York. The only difference was, I got to spend my afternoons with my oldest best friend, and I made a lot more money. Philadelphia was a decent city, and I was slowly making friends in the company. Everyone was kind and the atmosphere in the office was always lighthearted and casual, which was the opposite of some of the big, stuffy ad agencies I had worked at.

But there was something missing in my life, some gap I had trouble filling. My mind wandered as Amy talked, and I daydreamed about Rex. I pictured his muscles and his tattoos, and remembered the way he didn’t hesitate to beat those guys down for knocking me over. I knew I should have been more modern and find physical violence appalling or something, but I had to admit it was really exciting. He protected my honor or whatever, which was more than any other guy had ever done for me. He was mysterious and dangerous, and I couldn’t stop thinking about running my fingers over his ripped chest.

I wasn’t usually the type to fantasize about a stranger, but that guy was stuck in my head. I kept thinking about the place he said he worked, and wondered if I could find it. As Amy wound down, we found ourselves chatting idly again.

“I got a question, kiddo,” I said.

“Sure, what’s up?”

“Do you know a bar called Drake’s? It’s in South Philly apparently.”