The Job, Mary-Kate Olsen

Chapter Three

The coffee shop wasn't as busy as usual. Possibly because it was Sunday, 7:23 PM. Valentina and I entered, feeling the warm air inside replace the cold winter breath of the streets.

"How did you find out about this place?" Valentina asked, looking around in awe.

"I pick up my bosses' coffees here every day. I thought it was great." She squinted her eyes and walked towards the counter without a word.

"Hi Florence," I greeted, and she looked up at me.

"Oh, hi Ana!" She smiled and paused what she was doing.

"They're making you work even on Sundays?" she asked. I shook my head.

"No, no. I'm here with a friend." I looked at Valentina and pointed to her.

"Best friend actually," Valentina corrected, smiling and rolling her eyes playfully.

Florence and I chuckled before she added, "What can I get for you two?"

...

After we both ordered something to eat and two extra large cups of coffee - which was probably not a very smart move given the time of the day - we sat at a table in the corner.

"So, tell me everything," she said.

I took a deep breath. "Well..." I started but stopped, not quite knowing where to begin.

"Come on, spit it out," she urged, and I paused to collect my thoughts before continuing.

"I have my own office now, I'm no longer in Mary-Kate's. That's one good thing. Work has been fine—they even chose one of my designs over someone else's."

"Wait, who chose your work?"

"The twins, the bosses," I clarified.

"Right."

I kept talking while she slowly sipped her coffee. "Then there's Niguel and Emily—"

"Those people you mentioned last time?" she asked. I nodded and went on.

"We're bonding quite well. We've shared lunch a few times this week, and they invited me to an event last night." She nodded, indicating she was still listening. "They told me it was a party. Turns out it was more of a business night out." She frowned and tilted her head, prompting me to elaborate. "It was on the rooftop of the Plaza. There were shit tons of designers, and of course, Mary-Kate and Ashley were there."

Her eyes widened as I said this. She smiled in disbelief. "Geez, Ana... Has anything else happened?" she asked, and I hesitated.

"Actually, there was one thing, but it's not that significant," I said as she took a bite of her food and looked up.

"I ran into Mary-Kate when I was going to the restroom. Well, 'ran' is an understatement... I kind of bumped into her. Or maybe she bumped into me, I don't remember." She frowned again, confused. It seemed like each detail I added made her more bewildered.

"What—how did she... have you... wait—how?" she stuttered, and I chuckled.

"I don't know, Valentina. I was just walking and on my phone at the same time... I guess I wasn't paying attention, and neither was she." I shrugged.

She nodded and paused. "So, after you ran into each other, what happened?"

I sighed. "We both apologized, and... then I think she said my name."

"You think?"

"Yeah, I'm a bit confused," I paused, thinking for a moment. "I think I said her name too."