Girl Stellar [Shourtney]

6. Virgo

-/-/-

I feel bad for lying to Courtney. I was ready for a relationship, and I knew whom I wanted to be in a relationship with. But she was the one setting me up on all those dates, and I don't think I could afford another heartbreak if she told me that she wasn't interested in me at all.

Love isn't everything, but it does really suck to feel like you have no one you're destined to be with in your whole life. The worst part of it is that people come and go, and I could feel how much stress Damien was under when I inevitably turned 29 years old, simply because Vince had already passed his architecture board exam with flying colors and Damien had to let him go with the same party he was planning for me.

When I wake up, Courtney had already left for work. Ever since September began, she always did that, just immediately leaving in the morning. I meet her at work, and she even leaves before I do. When I get home, she's not there until she shows up before midnight. Then, she just passes out on the bed. It concerned me for a while, what she was doing, but she always did say it was nothing to worry about. I don't know if she's hiding something from me, but whenever she returns, she always looks like she failed to do or find something.

Today's no exception, even though it's my birthday. I don't even know why I'm upset she could only leave me a note and a breakfast plate, but I did wish that she wouldn't leave the small office party Damien was planning for me and Vince. I smile at her note though: Happy birthday, boss dude! See you at work, and don't forget to turn off the stove so last time wouldn't happen again.

I didn't need a psychology degree to know that I liked Courtney and I didn't like the thought of her seeing someone else.

When I arrive at my office, I pass by Vince seeing a brunette girl out of the building. "Hey, who was that?" I ask as soon as Vince returns to the corridor.

"Oh, that's just the lady Mr. Damien has been seeing for a while," he answers. "She was planning to have a house built, so I scheduled her for an appointment this Saturday, because Mr. Damien's still out right now. I'm not sure if they have, like, a label though. Anyway, happy birthday, Mr. Shayne!"

"Thanks, buddy, and happy send-off to you," I reply, giving him a one-armed hug. "Don't tell Damien this, but I know he'll be having a hard time without you. I think you've done a great job for the past few months."

"Thanks, sir," he says, grinning. "Hope to see you and Miss Courtney at the party tonight!"

"You too, duh," I tell him as soon as I enter my office.

Courtney isn't at her desk, but her coffee's still warm and her phone's still turned on, placed at her desk. It was unusual to see Courtney not working, and even though I did ask her once to stop overworking for a while, this was a bit of a bother to me. She then exits the bathroom when I open the door to my office and greets me with a smile. "Hey! Did you turn the stove off?" she asks first thing.

"Yeah, I did," I answer. "Hey, so anyway, Damien's holding just a small get-together for you, me, him, and Vince this evening. It's a send-off for Vince and a birthday party of the sorts for me. I mean, you're not forced to arrive or anything, but it'd be, uh, cool if you would. But if you do have some business tonight, it's also really alright."

"Oh, come on, I wouldn't have business tonight," she tells me, smiling as she sits down. "It's your birthday! How could I miss it? But I do have just a bit of an errand to run after work, so I might come around just a teeny tiny bit late. But I intend to keep my promise of showing up, and I already told Damien to save me some of that really expensive and cool cheese he bought. Apparently, he's gonna make a cool birthday-themed and send-off-themed charcuterie board. I'm not sure what he meant by it, but it does sound exciting."