The proposal I spent three sleepless nights finishing — taken, signed by someone else — and now I was supposed to be their unpaid errand boy.
When I didn’t immediately respond, Claire’s tone turned urgent.
“Ethan? Did you hear me? It’s just a small thing — don’t tell me you’re going to refuse again? We’re colleagues, we should help each other out, right? Jason really can’t get away right now...”
My fingers felt icy around the phone.
I could faintly hear Jason’s voice in the background before Claire replied to him sweetly, “I’ll be right there.”
“Oh, and make sure the cover is printed on premium cardstock so it looks professional. Don’t use regular paper. Pay first — we’ll settle up later.”
Her instructions were meticulous, like she was talking to her assistant.
“Thanks! Once I’m done, I’ll take you out for something nice to eat and make it up to you. Gotta go!”
She hung up without waiting for an answer.
Almost immediately, my phone lit up again — Jason’s latest social media post.
No caption. Just two movie ticket stubs and a red heart emoji.
Location: Downtown Luxury Cinema.
Seconds later, Claire’s like and comment appeared beneath it: