We set my move-in date for January 15, which will be perfect timing since that’ll be after the holidays and after Celeste and I—hopefully—finish all the work we need to do for the project.

Looking forward to the New Year already, I walk into our office, in time to hear one of my coworkers exclaim, “Apparently there’s going to be a chocolate fountain this year! I’m so excited.”

“They could lock us up in a bare concrete room for all I care,” replies another. “As long as the bartender is as good as the one from last year.”

The company party. With how busy things have been, I didn’t even get a chance to ask Celeste if she wants to go with me. Since it’s now the thirtieth, it’s probably too short notice. Besides, the last thing I want to do is ring in the New Year while watching James and Daphne work the room together. Maybe it’s best if we don’t go.

Luckily, as far as company events go, our New Year’s party is the most optional, since a lot of people are usually out of town during this time of year. Kiara and Val aren’t going, either, since they’re on a spontaneous trip to Seattle this week and won’t be back until after New Year’s Eve.

Evelyn will be disappointed if I choose not to go, especially since Celeste and I will miss out on the networking opportunity. But there’s also a good chance that I’m overthinking, and she won’t even say anything about it afterward. Or at least I hope she won’t.

I’m pretty set on not going when, later that day, James stops by my desk.

“Hey,” he says.

It takes me a few seconds to even process he’s actually there, talking to me face-to-face after over a month of pretending I don’t exist.

Maybe he just needs to talk to me about a work-related thing.

“Yes?” I ask.

“Just making sure, you’re not coming to the party tomorrow, right?”

I immediately bristle. “Why?”

“I’m bringing Daphne. And it’d be awkward if you were there, too, since we used to go to the party together.”

I can hardly believe my ears. Granted, I’d wanted to avoid the awkwardness, too. But the way James has the nerve to tell me what to do, after everything he’s done to me… When we were still dating, whenever James asked me to do something, I either told him yes or said “I’ll think about it” when I actually meant “no.” Today, though, I snap.

“Let me get this straight. You want me to not go to the office party, the one that’s open to all employees, so things won’t be awkward for you and your new girlfriend?”