“I’ve been around, kiddo. Trying to make some friends in the office.” I called her “kiddo” sometimes; it was a weird inside joke from when we were in college. I was her sugar daddy, or something like that. I couldn’t remember how it started anymore, but it stuck around.
She had just finished telling me about the wedding proposal. Apparently, Shane had taken her to the roof of the Art Museum, and popped the question. He rented the entire building for them, brought in an expensive dinner, and had live music, the whole nine. It wasn’t something the Art Museum normally did, but a man like Shane Green could make it happen. I wasn’t so much jealous of her as exhausted by her good luck. Shane wasn’t my type, and the whole Art Museum roof thing seemed a little cheesy in my opinion, but Amy had found her soul mate, and that was something special.
I had moved to Philadelphia from New York three months earlier. Things in the big city had gotten routine, and I felt like I was stuck in a rut. I probably partied too much and met too many guys, but I had nothing better to do. Most of my friends had found a steady boyfriend, or had moved away from the city. It was hard; I was two years out of college, and still trying to figure out my life. When Amy said there was an opening in marketing at Adstringo, and that I’d be working directly with her on the app she had made, I jumped at the chance. They helped pay for my move, found me a decent apartment near the Art Museum, and the rest was history.
Amy smiled at me from across the table. She had sent me a message earlier in the day asking to meet up for a quick recap on the app’s launch. We sat alone in a glass-enclosed room, with a plain white table in the middle, a small projector, and a small screen on one wall. Amy was projecting sales data, but neither of us was paying much attention to it.
“New friends? I thought I was all you needed,” she said.
I laughed. “Unfortunately you’ve been a bit busy lately with Mr. Billionaire.”
“That’s true. I’m sorry.” She looked genuinely upset, and I felt a little bad. I shouldn’t guilt her into spending more time with me, especially when things were going so well for her.
“No, it’s totally cool. I went out with Linda, Becky, and Marissa. It was pretty fun.”
Amy smiled. “Good, I’m glad. I like Linda.”
“I know, she’s pretty great. The other two are boring as rocks though.”
“It’s like sitting in a quarry with those two.” I laughed at her joke.
“Worse, at least quarries can be fun. Those two are just dull.”
It felt good to be chatting like that. I had to admit I’d been feeling isolated lately. Getting used to a new city was tough, especially when you spent so many years in a place like New York. Philly was great, but it was different, smaller, and I had to make an effort to get to know the landscape. Amy tried her best, but she wasn’t that available. Still, she had done so much for me already, and I couldn’t be upset with her for not devoting every spare second to me.
“So, how are things going? Feel settled yet?” Amy asked me.
I wasn’t sure how to answer. It hadn’t been very long, and I still wasn’t used to the city, but I loved my job. Adstringo was a fantastic place to work, even better than most places in New York. And most importantly of all, our offices were only a few blocks from my apartment, which made my commute super easy.
“I think so. I’m getting used to the city at least,” I said.
She nodded. “It took me a while to adjust. You’ll get there.”
“It’s great here, though. People are pretty welcoming.”
“I’m glad, seriously. I’m sorry again I haven’t been as available as I should be.”
I laughed. “Stop apologizing you weirdo. It’s all good. Let’s go over this data before we start talking about your rock again.” I glanced at her enormous ring and felt a pang of jealousy. It probably cost more than everything I owned combined.
“Fine, just try not to stare at this gaudy thing too much.” Amy waved her hand in the air, and then started to run through the slides.
Working with Amy was easy. We’d been good friends since we met in college during our freshman year. We were placed in the same dorm room, and hit it off immediately. She was quiet and serious, and I had to work hard at first to break her out of her shell. We lived together ever since, and the only time we ever spent apart was right after college, when she moved back to Philly. During her year away from me, she managed to completely write and market a smartphone app that connected underprivileged kids with inexpensive tutors, she landed her dream job at Adstringo after they bought her app, and she fell in love with Adstringo’s reclusive CEO billionaire Shane Green.