I didn't love my job.

Did I have a general understanding that when I took on a double major in finance and accounting at Notre Dame that at some point in my life I'd be drowning in audit reports and income tax return controversies to see where people who shouldn't be running businesses were potentially breaking the law? Begrudgingly, yes, but not like this.

After reading a book on Bernie Madoff, the guy who concocted the most elaborate and expensive ponzi scheme in history, I turned into one of those people who was obsessed with true crime - except I went down the white collar path. I took a minor in journalism my sophomore year with the intention of pursuing financial journalism, but other than being the resident grammar/spelling/syntax checker for my manager Carlo's emails, I'd never actually put it to use. My dad had been an executive at KPMG, and it was just understood that eventually I would be too.

I never got the chance to tell him that it wasn't really what I wanted, and guilt had a shitty way of steering your decision-making into a ditch. So here I was, rushing out of the KPMG office at 5:45 because I was a god damn guilty yes man.

Okay, I didn't hate my job either. I made good money for a 25-year-old - good enough for a nice apartment a mile from my office, a stylishly-stocked closet, and my BMW 3 series that I treated like my own child. But what I did hate was having to wear a three piece suit in the dead heat of summer and sweating through my undershirt walking from the office to Goodfunk for our default Notre Dame crew happy hour, dodging all the other post-work bodies downtown, desperate for AC and a stiff fucking drink.

As I approached the brown and white striped awning that hung above the doors of Goodfunk, it seemed I'd need an exceptionally stiff fucking drink as Jed had claimed one of the white iron tables outside. He spotted me and gave me a cheery wave, unfazed and oblivious to the scowl I undoubtedly wore.

"Why the fuck are we outside?" I gestured to the table with a sweeping motion of my hand.

"It's nice out," he shrugged. "And there's not enough room inside for all of us."

Of course he thought it was nice out when he got to wear a short sleeve button down and a White Sox hat shading his face from the sun's sweltering rays. At this point I probably resembled an egg that had been cracked and cooked on the sidewalk to show how hot it was.

"I need a fucking drink." I dropped into the chair across from Jed and ran a hand along my forehead, still slick with sweat. I used to have the stereotypical baseball bro flow in college, but summers in the city and my complete intolerance of heat had me sticking with a buzzcut since I'd moved. I shrugged off my suit jacket and draped it over the back of the chair, but the shredded layer offered bare minimum relief. "Is Em here yet?"

"She's inside getting drinks," Jed replied, leaning forward on the table and waving me towards him, like a kid with a secret. "But Montana, I need to tell you something."

I unbuttoned the cuffs of my shirt and rolled my sleeves up, desperate for even the faintest breeze. "If it has anything to do with something you've broken or burned today, I don't wanna hear it."

He didn't get a chance to answer as Em appeared seemingly out of the void. She beamed, as usual, the golden hour light of the sun setting a glow on her dark skin, as opposed to the sheen of sweat it gifted me.

"You seem extra cranky today," Em said with a grin, dropping into the chair beside me. She leaned back into the chair before casually draping her arm over the back of mine, with her other hand wrapped around a glass of Rosé.

"Well, my blood is literally boiling," I said as I leaned over to her, and I caught a whiff of her perfume. "Why do you do this to me, Em? I'm not a piece of raw meat, I don't need to be cooked and fileted."

Em grinned, and just as she was formulating another response, she turned away to wave at two of her former soccer teammates I recognized from Notre Dame who'd emerged from inside, trailed by someone I wish I hadn't recognized: Jed's failed Friday night date.

"Kiernan!" Em called over to her, and she pivoted away from the two other girls with what looked like a forced smile.

It took me a moment to actually realize I'd unstuck myself from my chair and stood up when the girl approached our table. The shock wasn't lost on her either, as she eyed me with refined resentment. 

Son of a bitch, I was going to kill Emelia.

Em reached out to clamp her hand onto my forearm. "Kiernan, this is Montana Bennett. He's Jed's roommate and the other idiot in my collegiate trio."

I was still standing up, dumbfounded and just as idiotic as Em described, but too proud to just sit back down. Thankfully I had a good several inches on her, and I allowed myself a better assessment of her behind the lenses of my Ray Bans now that I wasn't hyperfocused on rescuing Jed like last weekend. Her hair was pulled back away from her face, and a pair of gold hoop earrings caught in the harsh sunlight, but she was just as classically pretty as I remembered her being with high cheekbones and pouted lips - turned downwards just enough to resemble a frown.

"Kiernan Grey," she returned evenly, but didn't take the seat beside Jed. Instead, she methodically slid her own sunglasses off of the top of her head and onto the bridge of her nose, and we continued our silent stand-off.

I realized she'd followed my glance down the length of her body and snapped my gaze back up, defaulting to a coy smirk. "Your shoes are tied this time."

"How convenient," Kiernan deadpanned, running her hands over her short black skirt as she finally claimed the open seat. Jed stiffened imperceptibly as if sensing danger.

Em grabbed for my arm again, lowering me back into my chair, and I realized the danger wasn't in Jed's imagination. Heat spread from her touch through the rest of my body, and I knew in that moment I'd given myself away. Em was way too smart to not read in between the lines.

"I need a drink," I blurted out, scraping my chair back against the concrete.

Before I was even out of my chair, Em stood up too. "I'll come with you."

I heard sirens, and I wasn't sure if they were real or just in my head as Em followed me across the outdoor patio and to the bar. Idle conversation and jazz music carried from the open windows, but I could still hear Kiernan and Jed back at the table. I'd left him alone in a cage with a lioness, but I was being hunted too. Every fucking man for himself now.

"Stop looking at me like I'm about to bite you," Kiernan quipped.

"You're doing a thing where your eyes don't match your mouth," Jed retorted.

"Aw, is that what you say to your third graders?"

Jed's response was lost in the noise as I stepped up to the air conditioned sanction of the bar, leaning my forearms against the thick wood surface in a desperate attempt to get the bartender's attention.

"Old fashioned, please," I called over the bar with a groan.

Em wedged herself beside me and pinched my elbow. "You asshole."

I stiffened imperceptibly. I was now directly in the line of fire, and I had to scramble to defend myself.

I groaned and rubbed the side of my face. "Me? You brought the girl and you're the one who's pretending that last Friday didn't happen. You literally set them up for failure."

"Isn't that interesting?" Em tapped her finger to her chin. "How would you even know that was the girl?"

The bartender temporarily rescued me as he gestured for me to trade my credit card for the old fashioned in his hand, and I took a healthy gulp as Em continued to eye me with all the force and rage of the sun's rays outside.

I shook my head. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Em sighed and set her now empty Rosé glass down at the bar. "Look, it's just better to pretend that it never happened. It's what they both want, and what I want since let's face it, that was embarrassing for me too."

I shuffled aside to let someone else order a drink at the bar, but I kept one hand clutching the back of the suede barstool. "Sure, okay."

Em brought her hand down beside mine, our pinkies pressed together. "Besides, this isn't even about them anymore. This is about you. You promised me that you weren't going to do this anymore."

I let out a groan. "Do what?"

"Spy on Jed's dates!" She flung her other hand out, gesturing outside to where we'd left him there with his mismatch. "Honestly it's kind of creepy, which is not your vibe at all. So stop."

I twisted the ring on my finger, resigning to Em with a sigh. "Okay look, Jed started dating Marissa when they were sixteen. He doesn't know how to date. I don't even think he knows his type."

Em scoffed. "And you do?"

"No, but I know people, and I know Jed. I'm just looking out for him."

Em moved her hand to now sit on top of mine. "You need to let Jed make his own mistakes. You can't micromanage everyone in your life. I know that's your coping mechanism and all, and I respect that, but-"

"Stop, just stop." I yanked myself away and nearly backed into the barstool behind me, prompting a nasty glare from the girl sitting in it. I pivoted to make my way back outside, because even the heat was better than the roasting Em was giving me.

Em quickly caught up with me and looped her arm around mine. She looked up at me with a soft smile, and I knew her moment of scolding was over. Em never stayed mad at me for long, and we'd move on like we always did. "Well, Jed needed to find out there was a state Senate at some point. So just..let him be."

I surrendered with a sigh as we made it back outside, where it looked like Kiernan was literally letting Jed be as she gathered her bag and her sweater, her empty glass collecting condensation on the table in front of her.

She gave Jed a cordial pat on the shoulder before turning to us, and I found myself unwinding from Em's arm.

Kiernan wore an amicable smile, but it was clear it was only directed at Em. "I'll see you tomorrow, Emelia."

And with one last glance she turned on her heel and walked out of the patio towards the sidewalk.

"Shit," I ran a hand over my hair. "I'll be right back."

Before I could second guess myself or Em could intervene, I jogged down the sidewalk to catch up with Kiernan, who had her attention turned down into her bag.

"Hey," I stepped in front of her, and she jolted when she snapped her gaze up to meet mine, dropping the Airpod case she had pinched between her fingers.

"Shit." Kiernan immediately bent down to collect it and straightened up, looking understandably apprehensive. "It's you."

I didn't know why, but my focus narrowed in on the little gold necklace resting in between her collarbones. The square collar of her textured black top was semi-revealing, enough to see the dusting of freckles on her chest. I sucked in a tight breath.

"It's Montana, actually," I forced out a smirk, desperate to inject some kind of humor into this interaction that was quickly going south. "Like the state."

Her lips quirked into a barely-there grin. "I have in fact taken third grade geography."

Her humor caught me slightly off guard, but I managed a laugh. A forgiving breeze came through, and I felt like I could actually breathe. "Look, I just wanted to say sorry for how weird the other night was. I'm just..." I sighed and pinched the bridge of my nose. "I've been made aware that I'm protective of Jed. It's nothing personal."

She hummed thoughtfully. "Never thought a guy like Jed would need protection. Pretty sure he could tackle a baby elephant."

I chuckled again. She was definitely funny, I'd give her that. "On the football field, yes. Everywhere else? Not so much. He won't even kill the spiders in our apartment. He does the whole capture them with a cup and sets them free on the balcony thing."

"You don't have to convince me that he's a good guy," Kiernan gave a dismissive flick of her wrist. "We smoothed things over at the bar, so there's no need to say or do anything."

I pinched my lips together. "Sure. Okay."

"Okay," she echoed, drawing out the word and that barely there smile returned to her lips. "If that's all, I'm going to go now."

I stepped aside and jammed my hands into the pockets of my slacks. "Yeah, that's all."

As she brushed past me, I called after her, "I'm sure I'll be seeing you again."

"If you're lucky," she called over her shoulder without turning around.

I watched her merge into the early evening crowd until she vanished altogether, and I chuckled to myself before going back to Goodfunk.

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behold, shared screen time means it's also time for my fav pastime - gif manips!

i know there was quite a bit of wait for this, but it was worth it. would love to know your thoughts so far <3