But climbing was expensive. With student loans and New York rent to pay, and a job that didn’t cover much of either, climbing wasn’t in my budget.
Then again, I was on vacation—a little extra expense couldn’t hurt. And maybe it wouldn’t be so bad to go with the group, because then I’d get to hang out with Cassie for longer. I doubted that I’d get to see much of her at the actual wedding.
He reached into his back pocket and pulled out his wallet, then handed me a business card. “Here. We’re going to the Granitarium on Sunday at 10am. Just call or text if you can’t find us or have any questions.”
We both knew that I could’ve just called Cassie, but I accepted the card anyway. Ian Gao, Technical Lead at Stumpstash. His cell phone number and email were printed next to a picture of his smiling face. I put it in my back pocket.
“Thanks.” With one last, brief smile, I slipped my earphones back in and pointedly returned to my music. My work was done, our cautious truce complete. He soon returned to his finger exercises and his book.
The rest of the flight passed relatively uneventfully. There were a few bouts of turbulence, and at one point I woke up to find myself drooling a bit on his shoulder (I’d jerked awake and hit my head on his), but not too long after, we landed. I went to unzip the hoodie and return it, but Ian held up his hand.
“You can return it tomorrow at the wedding. I just checked the weather and it looks like it’s pretty chilly tonight. And anyway, I have a jacket in my duffel.”
Thank goodness. The hoodie was so warm and comfortable, and I hadn’t been ready to return it yet. I clutched my hands against my chest and smiled gratefully at him. “Thanks, Ian, I really appreciate it. I’ll definitely give it to you tomorrow.”
“Sure thing.” He paused and thoughtfully rubbed his chin. I’d never dated a guy with a beard before. What would it feel like—
“Actually, are you by any chance staying in one of the rooms that Cassie reserved? At the Windbreak Hotel?”
“Ahh, yeah, I am.” I warily met his eyes. Please don’t be a creep. “Why?”
“Do you want to ride with me? I’m going to stay on for work after the wedding, so I’m renting a car and charging it to my company.”
“Oh. Yeah, I’d love a free ride.” Score! Public transit would have taken over an hour, and a cab or rideshare would have cost way too much. I congratulated my past self for her forward thinking in patching things up with Ian.
We waited for the slow tide of people to clear the plane, then grabbed our stuff and walked to the rental car area. I browsed the latest music news in the parking lot while he went into the rental office and dealt with the paperwork. Soon he walked out with an attendant and gestured for me to follow. He’d rented a sleek red Tesla Model S, the first I’d ever been in. The retractable door handles surprised me, but I eventually got the passenger door open and slipped inside. I closed my eyes and luxuriated in the front seat, stretching my legs and kicking off my tight shoes.
Ian finished up with the rental car attendant and got into the driver’s seat. “You look like you’re ready to pass out,” he said, turning the car on. He seemed perfectly at ease with the controls as he adjusted the settings to his liking. Maybe he drove one at home (though who the heck drove in New York?).
“Yeah, it’s been a long week,” I yawned.
“Yeah? Tell me about it.” We pulled out of the lot and merged into traffic, heading towards the city.
“Well...I work as an office admin at a law firm, and they’ve got a really big sexual assault case right now for some hotshot rich dude. I can’t talk details, but I can tell you that I’ve definitely been considering quitting because of it. I don’t want to work for lawyers who defend douchebags like this guy.” The case pissed me off more than I let on. I didn’t like rich guys, douchebags, or even lawyers, really. Probably not a great job for me.
Ian glanced at me sidelong. “Sounds like it’d be tough to work at a law firm in general. There are plenty of douchebags who need attorneys.”
“Yeah. It’s really not ideal. But I haven’t found a better job yet, and the commute isn’t bad, at least.” I stretched and yawned again. “Also, I’ve got a playlist due on Monday and I’m not sure what to do with it.”
“Do with it, how? Like what songs to put in?”
“Kind of. I’ve found a bunch of songs that I’ve really enjoyed over the past few weeks, but I need to arrange and connect them in a meaningful way. That’s my schtick.”
“Do you want to put it on? I’d love to hear it.”
I hesitated. “I dunno...it’s not really ready for listening.”
“I know nothing about music. I definitely wouldn’t be one to judge. But I’d love to listen to The Alpaca Humans or whatever you were listening to on the plane, to see what they’re like. Maybe telling me about the music will help you with the playlist.”
I smiled, sure that he’d deliberately botched the name. “Fine. Listen to each song and let me know what you think. I’ll tell you about each one after it’s over.” I connected my phone to the car via bluetooth and soon the first notes of the first song began to play. On cue, my head began to bob. Definitely a groover.
He didn’t react, just kept his
