Suited

Twenty

Signore's alarm went off at three in the morning and the only reason I didn't stay mad about it was because he shut it off to fuck me back to sleep. I wasn't so lucky when he came back at four. Well, I was a little lucky. He'd been at the gym. We took a shower together under the guise of saving time and I got to watch from his bed as he slipped into his work clothes. He looked good in a tie.

Four thirty rolled around and Signore made breakfast, ate his, put mine in the fridge, and my meds were portioned on the counter. He'd laid out clothes and would call me at six to remind me to eat but now he was leaving and I wouldn't see him again until Saturday.

I got a goodbye kiss but it didn't feel like enough. There was nothing I could do about that though. He had to work. I decided to do the housework. It would be a nice surprise when he got home. I had hours to kill anyway so I threw on some sweats and a good playlist, got my book, and got busy. I needed an apron. That would make this just a bit more official. I'd ask Signore at some point. He'd get a kick out of me parading around in that with nothing under it.

The time flew by and soon enough, I was on FaceTime with Signore so he could supervise me over breakfast. We talked for a bit too. He had coffee and looked a lot more alive than he had when he woke up. He was going around like a zombie earlier. I have no clue how he made it to the gym and back in one piece. The pancakes he made were delicious and between my inhaler and cleaning—which turned into dancing—I was way more alert, if a bit jittery.

I used the electric kettle to make some tea and tried to focus on my breathing. The first thirty minutes after my inhaler were always the worst. I sat down while I waited for it to be ready. Signore got summoned to a meeting. I can't describe it as anything other than that. He got an email from someone important and they needed him urgently so he had to go. We told each other we loved each other and I blew him a kiss. I'd never seen him blush like that before. I held my laugh in until after he hung up. He looked so startled.

I finished packing my things once the house was perfect and I felt incredibly proud of myself. It was barely seven and I'd accomplished so much. I'd wanted to do the laundry but neither of us would have been here to switch it over and I knew that much was important so I changed into my outfit for the day, moved our baskets into the laundry room, and left Signore a note just before the doorbell rang.

Jessie looked shocked. "You look good!"

Did I not, normally? Actually, don't answer that. I smiled. "Thanks!"

He grabbed my carry-on. "And a good attitude? You just earned Starbucks." I made a face. "What?"

I shut the door and hit the lock button on the keypad, then checked the knob to make sure. "Signore's is better."

I expected him to argue with me but he just shrugged. "You got me there. We have time for pastries though."

I'd never say no to that. I got a small one since I'd already eaten and then just the water Quin offered. He asked how my weekend went and I said I'd have to text him because there was no way it was work-appropriate. I asked how his was and he said he'd text me about it later and we giggled. His cuffs were even prettier in person. I sat in the lounge and the episode picked up when Jonatan got slapped by Nicole and now the in-laws were getting involved.

I told my case manager, Xion, about my decision to return to school and she thought it was a wonderful idea. She was also impressed that I'd already gotten the ball rolling. It hadn't really been my actions that did it but she wasn't budging because "If no one had help with things, nothing would get done." I agreed.

The psychiatrist was next on my schedule. After talking with Evert, Bently prescribed me Prozac. He started me on twenty milligrams and recommended I take it in the mornings. I wasn't the most fond of adding to my regimen but the second Jessie and Signore knew I had a new med, they'd be on my ass about it so I agreed to pick it up at the end of the day. I probably needed to ask Doctor Sterling to up my Prinzide since the antidepressant would raise my blood pressure.