Failed, naturally, much to Lily’s amusement. “You’re going to hurt yourself,” she said.
Jonah sipped his glass of tonic water. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“That’s because you’re not listening. I don’t think you’ve heard a word I’ve said since you came to sit with me under the pretence of keeping me company when actually you’re using me as a convenient place to spy on the door.”
“Am not.”
“Are so. But let’s not be children about it. I’m your friend, not your employee. You can be honest about the fact you’re waiting on Sacha.”
Jonah forced himself to look away from the door and sighed. “Is it that obvious?”
“Only to me,” Lily said. “And maybe the dark-haired girl. What’s her name again?”
“Winona.”
“Yes, her. But I think she’s more interested in Carl. What’s going on there?”
Shamefully, Jonah had no idea. He was out of the loop with office gossip, and aside from checking on his general health and wellbeing, hadn’t had a real conversation with Carl in weeks.
“You’re rubbish,” Lily chided. “And not for any reason that actually matters, so don’t get all wounded.”
“Wounded? Remind me why I invited you to my office Christmas party?”
“The same reason you do every year. So you could buy me Champagne all night while I insult you. Standard night out, dear boy, though I fear you’re going to ditch me as soon as a certain Russian shows his face.”
“Am not,” Jonah said for the dozenth time since Lily had breezed into the pub, fresh from her early flight home. “He wants to meet you.”
Lily snorted. “Nothing you’ve told me about him makes me believe that phrase has ever left his mouth.”
“Well, not exactly. But he knows you’re my best friend and meeting you is kind of non-negotiable.”
“On what grounds? That’s a little extreme for a fuck buddy, Jonah.”
“I know.”
“So…?”
“So what?”
“What’s changed?” Lily refilled her glass from the bottle Jonah had dumped on the table to keep her quiet. “Last I heard you were angsting over the fact he probably only wanted to fuck you, not make a blood pact and exchange friendship bracelets.”
She was joking, but her dry humour was close enough to reality that Jonah flushed. He ducked his head, glad of the dimly lit bar. “I was not angsting.”
“You so were. And that’s totally okay. It means you care, and there’s nothing wrong with that. Besides, if what I hear about your Russian is accurate, he’s definitely hot enough to warrant a bit of angst.”
“What have you heard? And how have you heard it? You’ve only been here an hour.”
“And you’ve spent most of it stalking the door, leaving me to eavesdrop, and word has it, your friend, is every bit as gorgeous as you said he was.”
Jonah rolled his eyes. “He’s more than gorgeous, Lil. You think I’d have got myself in this state over someone who was just a bit of eye candy?”
“Nope. And I know you wouldn’t over someone who was just a good fuck, so I’m assuming you’ve done something ridiculous since I last saw you and fallen in love with him.”
“I’m not in love with him. I don’t know him well enough for that.”
“Says who? Do you think all great love stories begin with a picture perfect set-up, spread over a formulaic space of time that leaves no room for doubt?”
“I—”
“Of course it doesn’t. There is no formula. You don’t have to know someone inside out to fall in love with them, boo. That bit is just the start.”
Lily’s words would’ve had more effect if Jonah had been paying her his full attention, but as she finished her rousing speech, Helga entered the pub. Jonah sat up straighter, waiting for Sacha to follow, but as she shook out her hair and draped her coat over her arm, it became clear she was alone.
Frowning, Jonah scanned the bar, counting the heads of the Blutecc employees he only knew by sight. There were probably some missing, but no one he’d ever seen Sacha with, even in the office, and doubt threatened the optimistic bubble he’d carried all day. Did I get this wrong again? Has he gone home without me?
No. That made no sense. After weeks of back and forth and mixed messages, over the past few days, something had shifted in Sacha. He’d made no promises, but he’d made his intentions clear. He wanted Jonah, in whatever way they could figure out together. I’ll find you. Not even drunk Jonah could misinterpret that, and he wasn’t drunk. Not even close. He hadn’t touched a drop.
Lily was still talking. Jonah tuned her out and rose from his seat. He elbowed his way through the crowd to where Helga stood at the bar. “Where’s Sacha?”
She turned, frowning. “What?”
“Where’s Sacha?” Jonah repeated. “Didn’t he come with you?”
“I thought he was here?”
“Nope. I thought he was still at the office with you.”
“He was.” Helga craned her neck and swept the bar. “Then he was gone. I thought he’d snuck out to be with you. I could tell he wasn’t interested in the party once we were sure the app hadn’t crashed in the first five minutes.”
“It went well?”
“As far as we can tell. There’s a bigger event going on at the launch venue downtown, and we’ve got people there, but for us grunts, it’s over.”
“You’re not grunts.”
“We are. We’ve rebuilt that app from scratch, and best case scenario, it succeeds well enough for Blutecc to sell it on to a bigger company. No one will remember what any of us did to save it. But that’s life, I suppose. Sacha doesn’t seem bothered, so I guess I’m not either.”
“What will you do now? Is Sacha staying with the company?”
“Shouldn’t you ask him that?”
She was right, obviously, but Sacha wasn’t there. Jonah shrugged. “I’m just curious about Blutecc. I’ve never taken much notice in what you do, but this…project has fascinated me. It’s made me wonder what will come next.”
“More of the same, I’d imagine,” Helga said. “Though I don’t think they’ll buy such a broken app again and try to develop it with no principles. Sacha ripped the board a new one this morning.”
“He did, eh?”
“Of course. He’s good at that. I think it’s why they hired him, but it’s days like today they sometimes wish they hadn’t, especially when he waved your invoice in their faces and made them cough up to it.”
Jonah laughed, picturing the scene. “Well, I suppose it’s better than him paying it from his own pocket.”
“He totally would’ve done that, you know.”
“I know.” It was probably the most in-depth conversation Jonah had ever shared with Helga. He absorbed it all, but his heart still called out for Sacha. “Where do you think he is? Did he go home?”
Helga shrugged. “Maybe. He’s been under the weather all day, but I thought he was holding out to see you.”