Shafted [ONC 2022]

Immaculate Vibes

"No problem." She returned his smile. "It's nice to meet you."

"Likewise. Don't be a stranger." Tobias backed into his room and shut the door. "Chat, it's elevator girl."

Kadin breathed a sigh. "Ignore him. He likes to exploit my personal life for monetary gain." He settled onto the couch and picked up the last sandwich. "I wasn't expecting you to bring lunch."

"My mother taught me to never show up at someone's house empty-handed." The only thing she took away from her mother's teachings. "Also, here." She reached into her bag and pulled out his beanie. "Sorry for stealing it."

"Hey, you wore it better than I ever could." He took a bite of his sandwich and chewed thoughtfully. "Man... is this from Brew Crew too?"

Rukiya shook her head. "No, it's from a new place that's opening up near Monrow Station in about a month. They had a little brunch for investors to celebrate the restaurant finally being finished."

"Well, I'll be frequenting them since I'll have to pass through there often." Kadin wiped a smudge of cream cheese from the corner of his mouth. "Which is to say, I got the job."

"Congrats," Rukiya said with a grin, and raised her coffee in a mock cheer. "I'm happy for you."

He gave the cutest sheepish smile. "Thanks. I also upheld my end of the promise and spoke to my parents yesterday."

Her eyebrows shot up. Cute and a man of his word. "And how did that go?"

"They don't suck. I mean, they don't understand my job, and they're not too thrilled about me moving away from home, but I have their support." His smile grew into a grin. "What about you? Did you talk to your partner?"

Rukiya's mood instantly tanked, and the heaviness fell on her shoulders again. She tried to keep her smile in place, but it faltered.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to pry," Kadin said quickly.

She closed her eyes briefly and shook her head. "No, it's okay. We uh..." She dropped her gaze to her coffee. "We broke up, which was probably for the best." Even though that rationale didn't make it hurt any less. Even though the redecorating had helped, it still didn't feel right coming home to an empty house. Probably wouldn't for a while.

"Fuck... I'm so sorry, Rukiya."

"It's fine. I'll be fine." She'd convinced herself that if she said it enough, eventually it would be true. "But there's something else I needed to talk to you about." She pulled the last sandwich from the box. "I'm considering filing a lawsuit against Greyland Tower. Do you want in?"

Kadin paused with the sandwich halfway to his mouth, and she almost heard the dial up noises filling his head. "Lawsuit?"

"Mmhm. You don't think we deserve anything for that miserable night we spent trapped in there? No one came to help." She took a bite of her sandwich to give him a moment to process. Focaccia with salami pepperoni, ham and their creamy house-made spread. This place must put crack in their homemade bread because it was the best part of all their sandwiches.

"I mean... yeah. But lawyers are expensive." He leaned back and roughed up his hair.

"You don't have to worry about that part. All I need from you is a yes or no, and your schedule on Monday so we can set up a meeting. For now, we're just going for a consultation. If you don't want to, that's fine. There's no pressure."

He fell silent for a moment and stared up at the ceiling. Tobias' voice filtered in from the other room and mixed with the upbeat house music. She busied herself with polishing off her sandwich and coffee. Still, she couldn't deny how pleasant it felt in Kadin's company. He had a calmness about him. It was like sitting next to a still lake. The vibes around him were just . . . immaculate. She'd felt it in the elevator, too. Heck, if he hadn't been there, she probably would've panicked and paced in circles until she passed out.

"Alright," Kadin finally said. "I'm willing to talk. I work eight to four on Monday, but I can take lunch last hour."

"That works. I'll set up our meeting for 3:15 then. The lawyer's office isn't far from Greyland. Oh!" She snapped her fingers. "If you want, we can get some food at that Vietnamese place a block over."

He arched a brow. "Like... a date?"

Rukiya blinked. Was that how it came off? "Uh... no. I just thought since you're sacrificing your lunch, you'd want to... you know."

"Oh. Well, yeah. Sounds good."

"Okay. I'll text you on Monday then." She stood and shouldered her bag, though she didn't feel quite ready to leave. She wanted to spend a little more time in Kadin's company. After such a turbulent week, she could use some still water, but if the half-done drawing on his iPad was any indication, he was busy, and she didn't want to impose.

Kadin stood and walked her to the door. "Take care Rukiya."

She smiled through her sadness. "You too."