Untill you

2

Nyx: I’m trying to grow out my beard so I can braid it. Like Rapunzel, you know? Brapunzel? No, that doesn’t sound right. Beardarunzel. I intend to become Beardarunzel.

I bite back a smile and shake my head. She won’t give me anything.

Ash: Okay, now you have me worried I’ve been dreaming about meeting some hairy noob. Put me out of my misery, Nyx. At least tell me you’re a woman, albeit a bearded one.

I clutch my phone tightly as I await her reply. It wouldn’t surprise me if she ignores me altogether, but I hope she won’t.

Nyx and I have been friends for months, and it’s only recently that I’ve started to throw slightly flirtatious lines at her. She’s never responded to it, and I can’t tell if she’s not interested or just clueless.

Nyx: Yes, I’m a woman, Ash. There. That’s your reward.

I grin as I stare at my screen. She has this way of making me feel giddy like I never have before, and I don’t even know her. Hell, she didn’t even give me a reward — I already know she’s a woman. Despite that, she has me smiling like an i***t.

“Huh, I’ll be damned,” Noah says, his eyes on me. “You’re texting a woman.”

I freeze and look up at him. I’d totally forgotten where I was. I’d forgotten Noah was sitting right next to me. Lately Nyx has started to have that effect on me. I don’t even know what she looks like, but she’s got me enthralled.

“Who is she?”

I shake my head. “I don’t know, man. I have no idea who she is. It’s complicated.”

Noah grins and leans back in his seat. I sigh as I prepare myself to tell him all about Nyx. As much as I know, anyway.

2

A

ria

I hold my breath as I finish the last bit of icing, my trembling hand threatening to ruin Noah’s birthday cake. I need this cake to be perfect, and I swear the icing gods conspire against me every year.

I exhale and take a cautious step back when it’s done, the edges of my lips turning up into a smile. It looks almost exactly like the inspiration image I used.

This year I went with a medical themed cake, since we’re also celebrating Noah finally finishing his residency after years of hard work. He always told me he’d be a doctor by age thirty, and he did it. It shouldn’t even surprise me, since my brother is the hardest-working man I know.

I bite down on my lip as I resist the urge to readjust the fondant stethoscope I made. If I touch it now, I’m bound to ruin it.

“Wow, looks great!” Brad says, and I jump, almost knocking the cake over. I turn around, my brows scrunched up in annoyance. Brad holds his hands up in surrender and smiles. “Sorry, doll,” he says. “I didn’t mean to scare you.”

I place a hand on my chest and shake my head, my heart beating a mile an hour. Brad walks up to me and wraps his arms around my waist, pulling me in for a kiss, and I relax against him, a smile finding its way onto my lips as he pulls away.

“How was your day?” he whispers. “That cake looks like it took you hours to make.”

I glance back at it and smile in satisfaction. It did take me hours. I took half a day off work to make it, but it was worth it. I can just imagine how happy Noah will be when he sees this. I’ve made him a cake every year for the last twelve years, and I know it’s something he looks forward to.

“It was good,” I tell him, dragging my eyes away from the cake. “How was your day? How did the presentation go?”

Brad grins and nods, his hands tightening around my waist. “It went so well. God, doll, if you hadn’t helped me out with those last few bugs, I’d have made a fool of myself today. The client asked for a few final changes, but overall it went really well. I’ll show you the client’s requested amendments later. I can’t wait to see what your brilliant mind comes up with.” He sighs happily and presses a kiss to my forehead. “You’re amazing, you know? I don’t understand why you stay in the sales department. Selling software isn’t the same as creating it.”

The smile melts off my face, and I pull away. He knows as well as I do that my applications to move departments keep getting rejected. “Someday soon,” I tell him, holding onto those words with all the hope I’ve got left.

I turn away from Brad, allowing sadness to overwhelm me for one single second, my heart clenching painfully. Brad’s job is all I’ve ever wanted. Creating software that changes the world… that’s what I want to do.

I’m lost in thought as I pack the cake. I can feel Brad’s eyes on me, but thankfully he doesn’t say anything. I don’t have the energy to respond to his words of encouragement, no matter how well he means.

I have a software engineering degree, just like he does, yet no matter how hard I try, I keep being told that I’m more of an asset in the sales department, that it’s rare to find an ‘approachable’ woman that actually understands the tech behind our products. The worst thing is that it isn’t even a lie. I’m one of few women in the company — and the only woman in the software engineering department is so introverted that I’ve barely managed to say two words to her.

I’d move companies if I could, but it’s too late now. I’ve worked in sales too long. I have no actual work experience as an engineer, and whether I like it or not, being a woman doesn’t work in my favor. If I could go back in time, I’d never have accepted this job right out of college. I was foolish to think that working for any tech company would be good enough, that getting my foot in the door was all I needed to do. It isn’t that simple.

I’m still lost in thought by the time we reach my brother’s house and struggle to snap out of it. It’s silly, and I know it, but I can’t help it. The more time passes, the more it feels like my dreams are getting further and further out of reach.

“You okay?” Brad asks, as we walk up to the front door. “I didn’t mean to upset you.”

I turn to look at him, taking in his bright green eyes and his concerned expression. I shake my head and force a smile. “I’m totally fine,” I tell him, just as the front door opens.

“Aria!” Noah yells, smiling from ear to ear, his voice radiating excitement. And just like that, every bit of worry, every regret, every hint of sadness disappears. “Show me the cake!”

I laugh when he takes the box from me, his eyes wide. His excitement is palpable, and it warms my heart. This. This is why I spent hours baking a cake that’ll be devoured in minutes.

“Well, good to see you too,” I say, feigning dismay. “Happy birthday, by the way.”

Noah hums in acknowledgement, but doesn’t take his eyes off the cake box. He carries it toward the kitchen reverently, and I can barely stop smiling. His response is exactly what I was hoping for.