Lola and the Rolling Stone

Chapter 42

"I'm going to work from home for the afternoon...." Lola said standing up from her desk grabbing her laptop bag and purse trying not to look like she was running off to something more important than work.

"Yeah. Uh huh." Penny shrug with her headphones on. "See you tomorrow." she said quietly still typing on her computer. "Don't forget the channel meeting tomorrow."

"Yeah. I won't." Lola said speed walking down the hallway trying to think of the fastest way to her interview. If I take that street than I'll be there faster...but the lights...oh god. Why didn't I think of this before? She thought to herself standing at the crosswalk waiting to cross the street feeling her palms start to sweat. She reached for her phone looking at the time, 12:22. I have time. I don't have to be there until 1 and it's an easy walk...she scrolled through her texts seeing good luck texts from her roommates and her older sister. Wow. He's being a complete jerk about this argument. She thought hoping for a text from Bruno. It was the first day since they had been talking before the summer that he had not texted her in the morning. It kind of hurts....she said walking the same pace as all the other people around her....fast. As she walked she continued to think about how mad he was and how mad she was about his reaction to her interview. He knows this is a big day. Even if it's just an argument like come on....I'd be texting him....oh my god. Why is this upsetting me? She wallowed in their fight for the 20 block walk to the Buzzfeed office. She closed her eyes and said a little prayer as people pushed past her on the sidewalk. "God damnit. Let a girl have her moment. Fuck." she said under her breath. She glanced at her phone and headed toward the office that she was instructed to meet at. "Excuse me?" Lola asked the receptionist who was looking at her phone at the fornt desk.

"Oh. Right. Sorry. I'm at work." she girl said with a smile.

"My name is Delores Mallman. I'm here for an interview with Katy Salguero?" she asked.

"Oh. Lola. Yes. Give me a second." the receptionist said looking down at her phone. "She'll be here in a second." she smiled.

"Lola...come this way...." Lola saw a short average sized woman with east Asian features wearing dark rimmed glasses, jeans, a SXSW t-shirt and Toms. "I'm so glad you were able to come out. We are so excited to talk to you."

"Oh. I am too." she felt her phone buzz in her crossbody bag n her side. I can't look now. She thought to herself.

"Please...have a seat..." Katy said leading Lola into a conference room namedSocks.

"Like Socks the cat. I love it." Lola noted.

"Yeah. All our offices are named after internet cats." Katy responded. "So, tell me how you ended up sending your resume to us? I think we are connected on LinkedIn...."

"Oh....oh. We are!" Lola thought to herself starting to feel her cheeks getting red. "It was actually my boyfriend who sent it."

"Oh...the Rolling Stone. Right." Katy nodded jotting down a note. "What do you need from us to come aboard?"

"Excuse me?" Lola asked.

"I assume you don't want to go the normal route. You're way better than that." Katy said.

"Wow." Lola sighed a bit shocked. "Umm. I want freedom to do my thing. I want to be part of a team and a channel and not be in charge but to help. And I want to be able to interact. I want to maintain what I have and I want to grow it with your help. I want to be able to talk about my future and the things going on."

Katy nodded her head in agreement. "Mhmm." she paused. "Well I can give you some freedom but I don't know if we can allow you to talk to people the way you want to. But we can talk...."

"It has to be a really good fit, Ms. Salguero. This is for an across the country move for me. That's a big jump." Lola admitted.

"I think it would work...tell me more about what's going on and what you see yourself writing, producing, directing, whatever...." Katy asked.

"So...." Lola explained everything she was thinking in her relationship and life and where she saw herself going for about fifteen minutes with Katy writing a few notes here and there.

"How about October 1st? Would that be enough time to get you wrapped up at Huffpo and get you started? You can start here to get yourself all settled and move out at the start of the year..."

"Can I have some time?" Lola asked. "I want to make sure I have my ducks in a row and everything." she closed her eyes for a bit too long hearing Katy ask if she was okay. "I'm fine. Yeah. But can I get back to you on Friday?"

"Friday works, Ms. Mallman. We look forward to moving forward with talks." Katy said. "You have my number and everything...."

"Thank you." Lola said standing up shaking Katy's hand. Katy escorted Lola out of the office and Lola walked out the office door and stood where she was just about an hour before feeling pedestrians, cyclists and strollers hit her. She pushed herself to a bench and sat down glancing at her phone in hopes that Bruno had texted her. It was her mother. Do I call him? I need to talk to him. They basically offered me the job..."Please pick up...." she heard the rings and his voicemail. "Please call me. I need to talk to you." she said hanging up.

**

Bruno looked down at his phone seeing Lola's picture pop up. He shook his head going back to his laptop typing on it. He heard it buzz again realizing she left a voicemail. Instead of listening to it he swiped to see the transcript. "Ugh. Fucking fine." he said hitting her name calling her. "Hey."

"Hey." she said heavily.

"What do you need? Are you okay?" he asked.

"Are we really going to do this?" she asked him. "Should I just tell the girl that basically offered me the job no since my boyfriend is throwing a temper tantrum because I said something I shouldn't have and apologized?"

"I thought you didn't want to live with me. That you wanted to move out here on your own...." he said frustrated.

"That doesn't mean I don't want to be there because of you, Bruno." she told him.

"I know I can find something close...." she started.

"Wait...she offered you the job?" he asked.

"Yeah. Basically. There's a lot to think about...." she said standing up starting to walk to the subway to get home. "But I don't know. You still seem really mad and I don't think coming this weekend is a good idea."

"Lola...." he said softly. "Yeah I'm mad. But you said you didn't want to talk about it until we saw each other this weekend."

"I have to decide by Friday what I'm going to do. It's Tuesday." she told him.

"Skype me when you get home, Lo. We'll talk. I can be mad later." he told her.

"Yeah." she said starting to end the call.

"Lo...I love you." he said to her waiting for her response.

"I can't say I love you right now, Bruno." she admitted. "it doesn't mean I don't but right now....I'll call you when I get home."

"Yeah. Okay." he said sadly ending the call. "Damnit..." he said throwing the phone toward the other end of the couch that he was sitting on.