Page 58 of Pride & Precedents

I stand too, completely at a loss. I must be desperate to be considering relationship advice from a virtual stranger. This whole conversation is straight out of "The Twilight Zone".

"Already done," I answer. She nods approvingly and collects her purse and portfolio.

"So, I take it you'll be going with another firm?" I ask, a grimace stretching my lips.

She leans forward and air kisses both sides of my face.

"Let's reschedule. I told you your win record precedes you. Have someone set up another meeting but, next time, keep the personal stuff at home."

"Of course," I reply, shocked Ms. Gray could be so calm about this. "Thank you for being so understanding."

She waves it off like it's nothing for her lawyer to essentially have a nervous breakdown in an introductory meeting. I walk her to the elevators and, on the way back to my desk, I think about Camila.

Ms. Gray may have a point about a grand gesture, but going out on a limb for a woman I care about has never ended well. When Naomi thought I was going to make things official, she slept with someone else. We're better off letting things cool down. We'll talk then and Camila will understand. She always does.

Chapter twenty-four

Camila

"Congratulations, grad!!" some drunk guy slurs into my ear as he hugs me around the shoulders and motions for the bartender to get me yet another shot of whiskey. I down it, wincing from the burn, and the bar cheers around me. Rory and Gabe insisted I wear my cap and gown to Bronx Alehouse for the free drinks, even though they've also been buying me a steady stream of Midori sours and tequila sunrises. I haven't been this drunk since…ever.

"You doing OK, sis?" asks Gabe, taking one of the shots in front of me.

I moan weakly in response, trying to slow down the room's violent spinning. All the faces around me are a blur. Rory eyes me with concern and tries to get the bartender's attention. He gives her a nod to order, still pouring someone else's pint.

"Hey, man. Can we get my sis some fries or something? She's not looking too hot." He looks me up and down before nodding and moving on to another customer. I make a cradle of my arms and rest my head against the bar. Rory rubs my back soothingly.

"Thank God," I moan, my voice barely audible above the noise of the bar. "I was worried you were going to get me another drink."

She smirks, but doesn't stop rubbing my back.

"I'm not a murderer. Gabe and I just wanted to make sure you had a great time."

Gabe pulls a face after taking a sip of my Midori sour. With all the shots, it's practically untouched.

"Ugh! That shit tastes like a melted snow cone!" He wipes his mouth with his sleeve.

"Uh, no one told you to drink that, Gabe," Rory laughs through her hand. He scoffs and takes another gulp from the green cocktail.

"I thought you said you didn't like it," I mutter, caught in an alcohol-induced vortex.Deep breaths. I will not vomit in public.Gabe just shrugs.

"Eh, free is free."

Rory and I both roll our eyes at him, but I slam mine shut halfway through, since it made "the spins" worse.

On the surface, this past week has been a celebration leading up to my graduation from law school. Instead of getting up at the butt crack of dawn for work, I got to sleep 'til ten, study until dinner, and then take myself to the girliest rom-coms playing in theaters. I gorged myself on popcorn and Jujyfruits, grabbed a scoop of ice cream (usually cookies n' cream), and then headed home for more studying until I fell asleep.

On Wednesday, I met Rory for a walk along the Highline. She told me about her job, and how she's crushing on the director.He's a genius, she said. I tried not to chime in with my freshly bitter feelings about workplace romances. She's smarter than me, anyway; she probably won't make my mistakes.

Then, on Friday, Rory surprised me with a graduation dinner at Jean-Georges, courtesy of her first check from A24. We hadour pinkies out the whole meal, and she did her best not to giggle too loud when I gagged after tasting oysters for the first time. Why people pay market price for something with the consistency of a loogie, I'll never know. The rest of the food was amazing, though.

Then today, Gabe handed me a beautiful bouquet of roses, tulips, and sunflowers as soon as the graduation ceremony was over. I tried not to tear up at all the love my younger siblings were giving me this week, but it was impossible. We'd gone through so much since Mom died, and now I'm done with law school, Rory's a legit Hollywood Assistant Director and soon-to-be producer, and Gabe finished Fordham last year. He's still not sure what he wants to do, but he's got options. We're all OK.

Underneath all the love and celebrations, though, was a dull ache in my chest and a persistent sadness.Henry.God, what a bonehead move to fuck my boss. Jeremy in the mailroom, I could've handled. He was cute and doting, and there was never going to be anything serious between us. Dating him would've been like eating cotton candy: sweet until it faded into nothing.

Even before our first kiss, I knew Henry was going to be major. Substantial and meaningful, like my great grandmother's pernil recipe.

And incrediblyfilling. Every night this week, I've thought about him before grabbing my vibrator to distract myself from re-reading his texts.

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