Under the Blue Moon

Chapter 24

Someone told you when you were in your early twenties that as one got older, the speed in which the time passes become faster. So, you knew that time was going by quickly, but never expected it to be this fast. In the past 6 months, your sole focus in life has been work. You have hired 2 associate attorneys to help with your overflow and find that they too have been quite busy, and you continue to pull in new clients.

It has been six months since the breakup with Josh. The subsequent 2 to 3 months after the said breakup, you significantly limited their access to you. And recently, you haven't heard from either men in the past 6 weeks or so. You heard through the grapevines that Payton did end up asking out Josh at the conclusion of the criminal case and that they are now dating.

You also heard that Jin has been busy with new projects and that he was dating some starlet. Part of you feel a sense of relief, but also feel the large void from the space the two men had taken up in your life not too long ago. Now, all you can do is to live vicariously through Michelle and Byron's fast-developing relationship. You are pretty sure Byron is going to "pop the question" any day now.

The five partners in the firm have been working actively to get the European office started. When it was decided that the first satellite office would be established in London, both Jordan and Clayton spent some time in London getting the groundwork laid down for office to start. In the meantime, the firm continues to grow. Since you became partner, the number of attorneys working for the firm has grown to over 75, covering wide array of specialties.

Your brothers are all well situated and doing great for themselves. Couple months ago, because of a huge case, you weren't able to host the monthly dinner with you and your brothers. They were disappointed that you couldn't be available, but Peter went ahead and hosted one for the three of them. This made you feel so good. You've always known that the boys were very close to each other, but a small worry, that if you didn't act as the glue to keep the three of them together, that they may wonder off too far from each other. However, now you know that in your absence, one of them will keep this tradition going.

Peter and Gracelynn are still dating and getting serious. Warren is now dating a woman he went to graduate school with and since then, you notice that he has been more animated, more outgoing. Even Tanner, who vowed to be a bachelor as long as possible, had paired himself up with a young woman with whom, he seems quite taken.

Weekends are usually spent completing chores and doing more work. You feel lonely often, but don't allow that to come up to the surface of your consciousness for too long. Michelle has tried her best to set you up on dates with few of Byron's friends, but you decline and deflect those attempts. Once in a while, you think back to when all of this with Jin and Josh started and laugh over the intensity of it all. And of course, in those moments when the loneliness is too much to ignore, you allow yourself to turn to memories of the time when you felt sated, cared for, and belonged.

This Thursday morning, you wake up before your alarm goes off. You look at your phone and see that you woke up a whole hour earlier than you had initially intended. Thinking that you'll just go ahead and start the day earlier, you get ready and head to work. When you arrive, you leave a little note on Michelle's desk letting her know that you are already here and go into your office to start your workday. About 30 minutes later, you hear a knock on your door and a woman's voice that says, "I hope you are decent because I'm coming in."

You laugh and say, "Good morning, Michelle."

Michelle replies, "I appreciate the note. Good morning."

You ask, "Okay, what does my schedule look like today?"

"You have nothing this morning and two meetings in the afternoon. Both new clients and then the partner meeting at 6:30."