You, Again

Mr. Ingram's Shadow

Following around Mr. Ingram like a puppy was not what Devin has in mind when it came to her job description. She had enjoyed the role she had prior to meeting him. She ran around from theater to theater. She met lots of people and helped out where she could. She read some scripts from the reject pile and even got to watch costumes being made. Now that she had met Mr. Ingram she couldn't do any of that. Despite their earlier conversation about her "doing what she was already doing," Christine Ingram saw to it that Devin was everywhere Mr. Ingram was whether or not either of them enjoyed it. He didn't ask her to get his coffee but he regarded her with a level of disdain or quiet disconnectedness that made her feel uneasy.

"So, how's it going so far?" Kiera asked Devin point blank from her spot on the living room floor. Devin hadn't expected to rekindle a friendship with Kiera and Beth but moving in with Christian had proved that she should always expect the unexpected.

Devin took her time considering an answer by unpacking the Chinese food they had ordered. She'd been working for Mr. Ingram for nearly two months and her salary just about began to cover take out once a month, maybe twice if she really stretched it.

"It's been okay. It's kind of boring. I'm not sure I'm learning anything." She laid out the dumplings, General Tsao's chicken and Lo Mein, careful to not spill any of the sauces on the coffee table or the carpet.

"It seems like great exposure." Beth said from her spot on the opposite end of the couch. "Plus, I'm not really sure what you do, but being near the vicinity of Broadway does sound cool."

"It can be for sure." Devin stood up to grab napkins and plates handing them to Kiera before returning to the kitchen to grab wine.

"It's definitely interesting but I don't know. There's something up with my boss and his wife. He is always kind of surprised I show up each day like he doesn't expect me to be there for some reason. But his wife Christine always emails me the night before telling me where to be and what to do. I'm not sure how they don't talk to each other though, it's all very cloak and dagger."

"Hmm that is weird. Do you think they're separated?" Beth eeked out between bites of lo mein.

"Not sure to be honest but Mr..." Devin's voice got cut off by Christian's own greeting. She hadn't heard the front door open but his telltale "Hey there" caught her off guard and made her heart skip a beat all at once.

"Chris, hey!" Kiera stood up to give him a hug and Beth followed.

"Hey guys. What's going on? Bit of a girls' night Chinese food and chill?"

"Yep and wine, don't forget the wine." Beth gestured to Devin standing in the kitchen holding the bottle and the opener.

"Come and join us, we haven't seen you in forever."

"Sure I've got an hour before meeting the guys for basketball." Devin watched as he interacted with Kiera and Beth. She had gotten so used to this apartment being filled with the briefest moments of interaction between them that watching Christian be a full blown functional human being with other people stirred something up in her she couldn't quite put her finger on.

Christian turned around to her and took the bottle out of her hands as though they had done this a hundred times before. He put his palm out for the opener, a gesture less like a demand and more one of caring.

"You guys sit down, I've got this." He moved slowly past Devin towards the kitchen counter and the part of her shoulder where they brushed tingled lightly. The girls retook their seats and from Devin's point of view from the couch, she could just make out Christian's bicep as it pulled the cork from the bottle. She tried to ignore the flash of skin that showed when he reached to the highest shelf for the glasses.