Chapter 3
"Emily, do you think this dress looks good on me?"
On Sunday afternoon, Chloe was sitting on my couch, holding her phone up for me to see.
On the screen was a long, strappy dress in a soft apricot color that really suited her skin tone.
Before I could say anything, Alex came out of the kitchen with three cups of coffee, glancing at her phone.
"Looks good, suits you," he said.
Chloe smiled, then turned her head to look at him.
"Really? Then help me out. I'm torn between a few options," she said.
He slid over to sit right next to her, and the two of them huddled together, scrolling through her phone.
I sat across from them in the armchair, quietly watching, coffee cup in hand.
"This one's good too. The blue really brings out your complexion," Alex said.
"But doesn't the waistline seem a little high?" Chloe asked.
"No way, your waist is already so slim. It'll look great on you," Alex replied.
"Oh, please," she said, giving him a playful shove. "How do you always know what works?"
Alex laughed, totally relaxed, like he was just at home, chatting with people he belonged with.
But now, I was just the outsider.
I took a sip of my coffee.
"Emily, you should check them out too," Chloe said, looking up and handing me her phone.
She passed me her phone, her eyes on me.
I just flipped through the dresses, barely paying attention.
"They all look good," I said.
"That's all you have to say?" she grinned.
She laughed and pulled her phone back.
"Emily, have you been so busy lately you don't even have the energy to go shopping with me anymore?" she pouted.
"Yeah, I've just been really busy," I said.
"Well, make sure you take care of yourself, okay?" she said.
She took a sip of her coffee, then turned to Alex like it was the most natural thing in the world.
"Alex, make sure you take care of her, okay? Don't let her get too exhausted," she said.
Alex nodded. "Yeah, I know."
He glanced at me.
What was in that look? Probably just the feeling that he'd fulfilled some kind of obligation.
Chloe stayed at my place until seven that evening.
As she was putting on her shoes at the entryway, she suddenly turned around and said:
"Oh, by the way, Emily, are you free next Wednesday night?"
"I want to treat you and Alex to dinner to celebrate my promotion."
"Next Wednesday?" I felt a jolt in my chest.
My heart skipped a beat.
Next Wednesday afternoon would be my online interview with the Royal Danish Academy.
"What time?" I asked.
"Seven o'clock. I booked Seaside Sushi," she said.
"Okay," I said.
She smiled and waved as she walked out.
Alex closed the door and turned to me.
"Are you and Chloe still not cool? She said you two barely talk anymore," he said.
"We're just chatting like usual," I replied.
"She really cares about you. Don't freeze her out," he said.
I didn't say anything, just walked off to my room.
At 4 PM on Wednesday, I was sitting in my room, the green light on my laptop camera glowing.
The interview lasted an hour and a half.
The professor from Denmark talked super fast in English, kept throwing questions at me about my design ideas.
I think I did pretty well.
At the end, the professor smiled and said.
"We'll be in touch soon, Ms. Summers."
I closed the meeting software and let out a long sigh.
Then I checked the time.
5:40 PM.
Alex had messaged me at 4 PM, but I hadn't seen it during the interview.
Alex texted me, "Chloe said dinner's at seven. Can you meet us at the restaurant? I'll pick her up first."
"Okay," I replied.
That was all I said.
At 7:10 PM, I arrived at the private room at Seaside Sushi.
I pushed open the door. Alex and Chloe were already inside.
They were sitting together on one side of the long table, with a seat separating them.
Just the right distance, not too close, not too far.
I took a seat across from them.
"Emily, you made it!" Chloe greeted me.
She stood up, walked around the table, and pulled me into a hug.
She smelled like sweet flowers and fruit, and as she hugged me, I caught a whiff of it.
It mixed with the aftershave Alex was wearing today.
Like how two people's scents just blend together naturally when they've been in the same space for a while.
"Congrats on the promotion," I said.
"Thanks!" Chloe replied.
.Chloe pulled me down to sit and started flipping through the menu.
While ordering, she casually asked Alex.
"Alex, you don't eat salmon, right? I remember you said it's too fishy."
"Yeah," Alex said, taking the menu. "Should I get you a bigger portion of grilled eel? Last time you said it wasn't enough."
"Last time?" I asked.
I shot him a look.
He didn't catch the shift in my voice, just kept running his fingers over the menu.
"Yeah, I took her out for dinner last week," Alex replied.
Last week.
Last week, he told me he was at a company team-building event.
I stayed silent.
Chloe quickly jumped in. "It was just a casual dinner to celebrate me passing the final interview."
"Alex helped me a lot with mock interviews and stuff. I owe him a bunch of meals."
She gave Alex a gentle smile.
Her gaze was so tender, with not a hint of sharpness.
I lowered my head and studied the menu.
I picked three dishes and closed the menu.
During dinner, they talked about a bunch of stuff I had no clue about.
Chloe's new project, the way her office was decorated, the cat she wanted to get, and the movie she'd just watched.
Alex could jump in on every topic.
He wasn't just nodding along. He actually knew all the little details.
"Isn't that coworker of yours always giving you a hard time? Anything new lately?" Alex asked.
"The tickets for that play you wanted to see just went on sale. Want me to help you snag some?" he added.
"If you're thinking about getting a cat, British Shorthairs are pretty low-maintenance. But if you're allergic, you might want to consider a hairless breed," he suggested.
With every word, it felt like Alex was saying, 'I know you. I remember everything you tell me.'
And there I was, sitting right across from them, and through the entire meal, he didn't ask me a single question.
When it was time to pay, Alex swiped his card.
"My treat," he said to Chloe. "You got promoted, so dinner's on me."
"Then you're covering Emily's meal too," Chloe added with a smile.
Chloe flashed a smile as she said it.
Alex nodded, like I was just tossed in as an afterthought.
When we stepped outside, the wind was strong. Chloe rubbed her arms and said, "It's so cold."
Without a second thought, Alex took off his jacket and draped it over her shoulders.
I stood a couple of steps away, wearing only a thin sweater.
He didn't spare me a glance.
On the way home, we all got into the same cab. Alex made sure Chloe got dropped off at her apartment complex first.
When the cab stopped, Chloe leaned out from the back seat.
"Emily, let's have dinner just the two of us sometime, my treat!" she said.
I smiled at her.
"Sure," I replied.
As the cab pulled away, Alex was in the front seat, scrolling through his phone.
I sat in the back, watching the streetlights blur past outside the window.
Neither of us said a word.
When we got home, Alex went straight to the shower.
I sat in the study and opened my inbox.
The reply from Denmark was waiting for me.
[Congratulations, Ms. Summers. You've been accepted.]
September 1st, Copenhagen.
I stared at those words on the screen, my fingers hovering over the keyboard.
Then I heard the bathroom door open, and Alex's voice drifted over.
"Emily, Chloe said she left her jacket near your office. Can you grab it for her when you go to work tomorrow?"
I marked the email as read.
"Okay," I replied.