After a whirlwind week at Echelon, Sofia’s roommates decided she needed air, sunlight, company, anything that didn’t involve her laptop glaring judgment at her from the desk. The pressure of the new issue’s success had been exhilarating, sure, but it had also wound her nerves tight enough to hum.
“You’ve been staring at that laptop like it owes you money,” Pia said, tugging at Sofia’s arm while she tried to finish one last paragraph. “We’re taking you out. Dinner in BGC. No arguments.”
Marco, Pia’s boyfriend, was already jingling his car keys like a kid shaking a toy. “I’ve made a reservation. You’ll thank me when you see the steak.”
Sofia sighed, the kind of sigh that came from a mix of exhaustion and surrender, but she let them drag her away from the glowing screen. A night away from
