Kiernan and Montana aren't looking for complicated in their Chicago summer, but somehow complicated has found them.
[co-written with @w1ldflow3r]
[extended summary inside]
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THREE'S A CROWD
MONTANA BENNETT: got held up at work, i'll have to meet you guys at the stadium.
MONTANA BENNETT: @jed, can you bring me a change of clothes? i'll die otherwise
EMELIA KING: you're SOL kid, you know the bag policy.
MONTANA BENNETT: you carry a bag, do you not?
EMELIA KING: it's a small purse, not a backpack. where do you expect me to put an entire new outfit for you?
JED MONTGOMERY: i'll bring you a hat *thumbs up*
I groaned as I swiped out of my group chat with Jed and Em, already feeling the discomfort creep around my neck as I unbuttoned the top two buttons of my shirt. It was Friday, and while KPMG had a casual Summer Friday's policy, casual to them meant jeans with your standard Armani button-up instead of slacks.
I let my thumb hover over my text message thread with Kiernan from earlier in the week when she'd attended some high-end political event with Em. The conversation ended naturally with my text being the last, and we hadn't spoken since then.
MONTANA BENNETT: are you taking the L with em?
After I sent the text, I forced myself into my spreadsheets to work uninterrupted for another ten minutes. When I checked it again, she'd just responded.
KIERNAN GREY:no, i went home after work to change. i wasn't about to wear my blazer to wrigley field.
I tugged at the suddenly tight collar of my shirt again and typed a response.
MONTANA BENNETT: lucky you. i got stuck at work and will be making an appearance in my fake friday casual. potentially half-melted.
KIERNAN GREY: cute, i'll track down a bucket
I reacted to the message with a ha-ha, then turned my attention back to the end of the audit report I'd been working on. Excel came naturally to me by this point in my career, but that didn't mean I'd gotten over the desire to fling my laptop out of the floor-to-ceiling windows in our 25th floor office every time I needed to work with it.
"Tell me you're on your way out soon. I thought you were heading over to Wrigley."
Rachel came striding out of the little glass enclosure of her office and stopped by my desk. Some people would be put off by having their boss's office directly across from them, but I liked the visibility. She always saw me working, even when I didn't need to. Like right now.
I forced out a chuckle. "I am, I am. I just...future me will kick my ass if I leave this for Monday."
"Dedicated," she chuckled, shifting her large designer tote bag on her shoulder. "Just like your father was."
