Veiled Hearts

Four

Papers, notebooks, pencils, and pens were sprawled across the floor. She sat cross-legged in her living room, lit by her lone floor lamp. Her tired eyes scanning the scattered documents. The dim glow from her MacBook flickered as the battery threatened to die. A podcast droned in the background, its title Secret Lives of the Wives of Mormons barely registering in her thoughts.

"Why am I even listening to this mess?" she muttered, tossing her headphones to the side. Her temples throbbed. It was only Wednesday. The technology proposal she'd worked on had been torn apart in the last meeting—budget cuts. No one had answers, and now, the weight of it all was on her shoulders.

Violet slouched back against the couch, staring at the ceiling. "Was this job was a good idea?"

Her phone buzzed beside her, snapping her out of her thoughts. She grabbed it, expecting another work email, but paused when she saw the name on the screen.

Jason.

Her heart skipped, her thumb hovering over the screen. It had been around two weeks since they last spoke—since their paths had crossed again after so many years apart. And now, he was calling? At 11 p.m.?

She stared at the phone. Her mind raced through possibilities—none of which seemed pressing enough for such a late call.

For a moment, she hesitated, torn between answering and letting it go to voicemail. But before she could decide, her thumb had already swiped across the screen, accepting the call.

"Hey," she said, her voice laced with surprise and curiosity.

"Yoo, what's up, girl? Sorry for calling this late. I won't hold you long" Jason's voice was smooth, casual, with that familiar tone that made him so easy to talk to.
"I was talking with Pam earlier and..."

"Oh, Pam. What's she got you wrapped up in this time?" Violet asked, trying to sound light-hearted despite the mental fog of work stress.

Jason chuckled awkwardly. "Yeah, you know how she is, always plotting something... But listen, I didn't call for that. You sounded pretty swamped the last time we talked. Everything good?"

Violet blinked, caught off guard by the concern in his voice. Jason had never been one to pry into her personal life—especially not like this. She sighed, leaning back against the couch. "Yeah, it's just this project at work. I was supposed to get a deal with this multidisciplinary communications company and It's got me twisted. My team's been no help at all, and I've got this deadline...

"Want some help?" he interrupted, as if it were the simplest thing in the world.

Violet froze, her mind racing. Help? From Jason? It had been years since they'd leaned on each other for anything. And yet, here he was, offering to step in when she was knee-deep in corporate chaos.

Before she could respond, her phone buzzed again—Vernon flashing on the screen. Of course.

"I don't know, Jase... It's a pretty big mess. I'm not sure if it's worth—"

"C'mon, Vi. We go way back. If you're in a pinch, I got you."

Violet paused, feeling her anxiety flare. It would be nice to have someone who knew what they were doing, especially given Roxy's less-than-helpful attitude. But there was an unspoken tension lingering between them, something unresolved. She wanted to avoided him to open up those past, unresolved feelings.

She sighed. "Alright, I might take you up on that."

Before she could think too much into it, her phone buzzed again.
Vernon.

"Sorry, I've gotta take this," she quickly said, switching to her brother's call.

Before she could say hello, the familiar raspy voice rang out.