STORM - (Intersex)

CHAPTER 17

CLARA

All morning and afternoon, I've been next level stressed. A mountain of paperwork to go through, signoffs needed, and the entire office seems to be running in overdrive. The past month has been smooth, but this week—it's been a nightmare. I'm exhausted, and all I want to do is lie in bed and eat all day, but one can only dream. Instead, it's back-to-back meetings and lunches with board members.

Tyler's been busy too, staying late at work almost every night. She comes home exhausted but still tries to stay awake for us. I try to avoid the late nights when I can, knowing Tyler's mum can't always watch Eli. I feel guilty about it.

It's almost time to leave, but I peek into Tyler's office and see the insane amount of work she still has to do. I feel sorry for her—she's easily the busiest person here besides me, managing productivity, distribution, and finances. And to top it off, Michelle's been eyeing me all day, and it's wearing on my last nerve.

"I got your coffee," Nat says, walking in with a yawn, handing me the cup. I nearly inhale it, even though it's still steaming hot.

"You should head off and get some sleep," I suggest.

"We still have another hour, and it's only Thursday," she says, rubbing her tired eyes. "Let's get through today, then we've got Friday, and we can finally sleep."

I giggle softly as she trudges off like a zombie. Feeling guilty about how overworked everyone is, I pull out my phone to text Lee.

C: Hey, stupid, your girlfriend is walking around like a zombie. Please convince her to go home!

L: I don't appreciate that abuse, and no. She'll get mad later.

C: *Dude, she's going to turn into a workaholic. Just tell her to go home. Please :) *

L: YOU OWE ME ONE! And tell Satan I said hey!

C: Satan?

L: *Sorry, autocorrect... I meant Elijah ;) *

C: He's literally an angel! You're the only devil here!

L: He's an angel to you guys, but I swear he hates me. He threw something at me yesterday and laughed!

C: Ahahaha, you deserve it!

I set my phone down, still laughing, when there's a knock on my door. Natalie walks in, fidgeting with her hands, her face flushed with nervousness.

"What's up, Nat?"

"Umm... I need to go home?" she mumbles, her face turning even redder. Clearly, I'm wondering what Lee said to her.

"Are you asking or telling me?" I tease, smirking.

"Telling?" she says, looking down and scratching her head awkwardly.

"I'm kidding, Nat. You can go. I'll see you in the morning."

Her face lights up immediately, and she quickly says her goodbyes before heading out.

C: What did you say to her?

L: *That I miss my tongue in between her legs ;) *

C: Idiot.

----

On the way home, I picked up Eli from his grandmother's. As he gets older, he's getting smarter—and, according to Lee, weirder too. After I set him down to play, I head to the kitchen to start making dinner. Not long after, I hear Eli's laugh echo from the living room. Curious, I walk over and see him holding my phone, on FaceTime with Tyler.