PART 7:

Can I work for a little while? I have 40 minutes of things I need to finish. Go ahead. She worked. He read a manual for a new compressor system, which was admittedly not riveting, but necessary. And the apartment held both of them without any particular fuss about it. And at 10:15, she closed the laptop and said she was going to head home.

And he walked her to the door. And she said good night and crossed the hall. And that was Wednesday. Thursday, she texted him. First time she’d ever texted him. It was a screenshot of a marine biology YouTube video about bioluminescent creatures in the deep ocean with the message for Sophie, in case she hasn’t seen this one.

The anglerfish part is particularly intense. He showed Sophie on FaceTime that night. Sophie watched the anglerfish part with enormous eyes and immediately said, Tell her thank you and that I have 11 questions. He relayed this. Olivia replied with a single laughing emoji and then, 30 seconds later, “Tell her I’m ready when she is.

” He looked at that text for longer than a text warranted looking at. The following Tuesday, Marcus called. “How’s the neighbor situation?” Marcus said. “There is no situation.” “She been over again?” Ethan was quiet. “Right.” Marcus said. “So, what’s the hold-up?” “I’m not holding up anything. We’re” He searched for the word.

“We’re becoming friends.” “Uh-huh.” “That’s a real thing that can happen between two people.” “It’s a real thing that happens.” Marcus agreed. “Right before one of them gets blindsided by their own feelings and does something they weren’t planning on.” A pause. “Which one of you is it going to be?” “Neither. Nobody’s getting blindsided.

You sure? Because from the outside, and I say this with love, it looks like you’re already 20 ft down a road and you keep telling yourself you haven’t moved.” Ethan didn’t say anything to that. “Just be honest with yourself.” Marcus said. “That’s all I’m asking. Not with her. Not yet. Just with yourself. Because I know you, E.

When you care about something, you start protecting it before you’ve even admitted you have it. And that’s not caution. That’s just fear with better posture.” The call ended. Ethan sat with that phrase for a long time. Fear with better posture. He was still sitting with it 2 days later when everything shifted. It was a Saturday morning, Sophie’s weekend, and they were making pancakes.

A process that in their household involved significantly more batter on the counter than on the griddle when there was a knock at the door. Sophie went for it before Ethan could say anything because Sophie treated his apartment as jointly managed and opened the door to find Olivia holding a carton of orange juice and looking mildly startled to find herself at eye level with a 7-year-old.

“Hi.” Sophie said. “We’re making pancakes. Do you want some?” “I actually just came to return.” Olivia held up the juice. “You lent me this last week and I replaced it.” “We didn’t lend you orange juice.” Sophie said. “Your dad did.” “He didn’t tell me.” Sophie stepped back. “Come in. There’s enough batter.

Daddy always makes too much.” “I make exactly enough.” Ethan called from the kitchen. “You make too much.” Sophie said to Olivia with the air of someone correcting the public record. Olivia came in. She handed Ethan the juice. He had actually forgotten he’d lent it to her 2 weeks ago when she’d been making something and run out.

And he saw her take in the situation. Batter bowl, flour on the counter, Sophie already back on her stool overseeing operations. “Stay.” he said. Not a question. Not quite an invitation. Just a word. She looked at him. “I don’t want to.” “Olivia.” She closed her mouth. “Okay.” She stayed for pancakes. She and Sophie talked about the anglerfish video for 22 minutes.

Ethan timed it loosely because it was remarkable and Sophie asked her seven questions which was four fewer than threatened but still covered significant ground including whether Olivia thought anglerfish felt lonely, what it was like to work with numbers all day, and whether she thought Governor the hamster had an inner life. Olivia answered every single one without talking down to her.

“She has an inner life.” Olivia said about the hamster. “I think all creatures with nervous systems have some version of an interior experience. The science on that has been evolving. Sophie stared at her. That’s what I told Priya. Priya said hamsters are just reacting. I said reacting is a kind of thinking. “Reacting is a kind of thinking.

” Olivia confirmed. Sophie looked at her father with an expression that clearly meant this one, and Ethan turned back to the stove before his face did something he wasn’t ready for. After Sophie went to play in her room, the kitchen was suddenly just the two of them and the sound of the griddle cooling down. “She’s going to cite you in arguments for years.

” Ethan said, stacking the last plates. “Good. I stand by the hamster position.” “She’s going to tell Priya her adult friend said so.” Olivia paused. “Her adult friend.” “Her words.” She was quiet for a moment. Something working through her. He could see it. The way she went briefly somewhere internal and then came back. “I like that.” she said, simply.

👉 [Tap here for the Next Part ] 👈