Page 54 of Sort of Seeing Someone

“It’s never about us, unfortunately.”

“Well why not?”

Liv shrugs again.

“Just one of those Exexveei things. Now remember, saynothingabout this to Nora.”

16

Chapter Sixteen

I didn’t mean to arrive early, but I get to “The Panic Room” located in Chicago’s Fulton Market district fifteen minutes ahead of the time I told Ollie I’d be there.

So far, it’s just me in the small waiting room which features a dirty white pleather loveseat and a dusty silk plant. I take a pass on letting any part of my body touch that sofa and instead take a seat on one of two wooden chairs along the opposite wall.

While it’s just me, and while I have a flat surface on the seat of the vacant chair next to me, I pass the time with a skill I’m trying to hone: tarot card reading.

The deck I got from Angeline fits perfectly in my crossbody bag and weighs as much as my cell phone. I wanted to practice on the ride here, but the Brown Line trainwas too rickety, tossing my cards all over the place.

Admittedly, tarot isn’t my strong suit—at least, not yet. But I’m intrigued by choosing a specific topic, asking general questions to the universe, and interpreting the cards I randomly pull in relation to the subject. Essentially, it’s all about discovery and guidance and building my sense of intuition—all of which can only strengthen my Exexveei.

As I ramp up, I don’t bother asking anything too sensitive or serious. And I will also avoid trying to read anyone else’s cards. For now, I’m just working on memorizing what each of the cards stands for so that I can rely less and less on the handy little guidebook Angeline threw in my bag that first time we met.

So first, I place all the cards onto the chair and scramble them around with my hands like a three-year-old trying to shuffle a deck. Then, I take three deep breaths to calm myself and clear my head as much as possible in this opposite-of-Zen place, and wait for a question to come to the surface.

What’s the deal with this Ollie guy?

That’s it? That’s what rises to the top?

But upon further review, heissomewhat of a conundrum.At first, it was obvious. A guy like him goes out his way to avoid a girl like me,and I felt his cold shoulder from the day the ceiling fell in the yoga studio. But then our palms touched that night at Red’s and I could haveswornI saw the two of us sitting across a table, eating, laughing, flirting. It was, by all accounts, us on a date. So I guess it’s no surprise that here I sit wondering,what’s the deal with this Ollie guy?

To figure it out, I decide on what’s called a three-card pull. When reading tarot, you can pull any number of cards that you want. Some people, like beginners, only do one. Others, like proreaders, pull ten, eleven, twelve—and charge the client for each and every one. For me, three feels right. And frankly, it’s all I have time for right now.

Card one is the Five of Wands. I refer to the pocket guide to quickly look up the key points. From it, I learnpower struggles may be brewing. A spirited debate or match is good for the soul and will prevent complacency.It is not lost on me that I’m sitting in the lobby of an escape room that I don’t really want to be at waiting for a guy who probably earned a perfect score on the math section of the SAT. Do I think we make the dream team? Of course not. But, to the guidebook’s credit, complacency is the enemy. So I’ll lean into what makes us different. Here’s to hoping he will, too.

Card two is the Two of Cups, which I already know indicates thatyou may be meeting someone soon.The only person I’m ‘meeting soon’ is Ollie. And I’ve met him before.

I’ve met him before.

My mind flashes to my sit-down with Esther Higgins and in my head, I hear her almost-wicked accent say,“You’ve already met the one.”

Technically I’d ‘met’ Olliebeforemy appointment with Esther. He may have been at my yoga studio against his will, and was the cause of my life being uprooted out of the blue, but here we are again.

Two more train stops. Be there soon,the text from Ollie reads. I give it a thumbs up as Esther’s voice enters my conscience once again.

“You’ll get another chance.”

Could it be that she meant...with Ollie?

In the midst of my biggest holy-shit moment to date, I wonder…is that second chance today? Is it now? Isthiswhere romance begins for me? At an escape room under the El tracks?

I press pause on the flood of questions and instead reference the guidebook for the real Two of Cups takeaways. The paragraph begins with,Is it love at first sight?and I slam the book shut.

“Jesus Christ,” I mutter loud enough to get the attention of the person working the counter.

“You good over there?” he asks.

I send a sparkle to my eye and nod quickly to assure him I’m fine, even though I still have one more card to analyze. Let’s hope this one has nothing to do with “the L-word.”

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