Capturing Connie

Connie 2.5

"Tell me." I keep my gaze focused firmly on my monitor so Stevonnie won't suspect I'm up to anything. "What do you know about Steven Universe?"

Stevonnie titters and sighs dreamily. "I know he's sexy as hell."

My head whips in her direction so fast I swear I just threw out my neck. I rub the back of it, wincing. "What do you mean? Do you have a crush on him?"

Stevonnie laughs even harder, the little witch. "What woman that works here doesn't? Not that he notices any of us. He's too focused on his work. Or he's spending time with Lapis Lazuli ." She grimaces. "Now there's a relationship I don't really understand. Almost as much as I can't understand why you would stay with Kevin." She says pointedly. I give her a cross look and she holds up her hands, giving me a small surge of victory.

"I can fully agree. Lapis is evil incarnate. But Steven is... aloof." I can't get him out of my mind. I tossed and turned last night, my mind racing. Why had he been so nice to me? What had he meant by that remark he made to Kevin? And why did Lapis have her hands all over my boyfriends chest? And why did he seem to enjoy it?

Such a strange night. One I can't help but reexamine and try to take apart. But every time I try to put it back together, the pieces don't fit. It doesn't make sense. Nothing about Steven Universe makes any sense.

"I've heard he's very driven," Stevonnie says, interrupting my thoughts. "He's determined to succeed at Crystal Clear, which I'm sure Daddy loves."

"He does love it. He approves of Stevens tactics. Father has lavished praise on him to me more than once." Only Stevonnie would get away with calling our father Daddy. I don't think I've ever called him that. He's just a regular old dad to me.

Our relationship has always been more on the familial side. No family talk at work though, he acts as if we aren't related. Which is understandable. Crystal Clears reputation would be in shambles if someone suspected he was giving his daughters any extra advantages.

"I'm surprised he hasn't tried to match me up with him," Stevonnie continues, turning her head so she's gazing out the window. "Like he matched you up with Kevin."

"He didn't match us up," I snap, offended that she would even suggest it. She knows the truth behind the start of our relationship. "I chased after Kevin. I took one look at him and knew he would be perfect. Father encouraged our relationship, I won't deny that, but it was no arranged relationship."

"Whatever you say." Stevonnie shrugs and turns her attention upon me. She's the intuitive one. The savvy one. Nothing much gets past my baby sister. "Why are you asking about Steven anyway?"

My mind blanks as I try my best to act like it's nothing when it's so something. A very big something I discovered when I went over my schedule with my assistant earlier this morning. "I've been working on a project and just realized I'm going to be in constant contact with him over the next few months. I want to know what I'm dealing with." Not necessarily a lie. Not necessarily a truth either. I'd been in a meeting earlier this morning, discussing the new line we're creating under my name. We've come to the point where design needs to be involved, and Steven is the associate director of packaging.

"Packaging?" Ah, Stevonnie the mind reader. "I've heard he's very good in whatever position he's put in." She gave me a sultry wink and smirked at my shocked face. "You haven't met with him yet?"

"I scheduled a meeting later this afternoon." The timing of this meeting is a little odd. It almost feels ... planned. How, I'm not sure, but everything's falling into place quite nicely.

I don't mention to Stevonnie the strange encounter last night. I don't want to. Kevin had been angry the entire ride back to my apartment, sitting silently beside me, stewing over what I haven't a clue. He brushed a distracted kiss upon my cheek when we arrived at my building and I climbed out of the car, hurt that he didn't even bother to tell me he loved me.