The receptionist passed over a heavy antique key tag. It was part of the Winchester’s charm—the open disdain for the modern. It was what he liked about the place.

Him. That’s who I should be focusing on right now. Not her.

The old brass elevator doors swung open, and thankfully, no one got in with me. I checked my makeup in the mirrored wall. My lipstick had bled out slightly on my lower lip, and I fought the automatic response to fix it. He liked me slightly messy. I had never been perfect. That was why he wanted me.

I was early, but that didn’t stop me rushing, my black heels clicking down the hallway, the sound reverberating off the gilded mirrors that lined the walls. I don’t know why I even bothered with the spiky stilettos that caused me so much discomfort. They’d be off by the time he got there.

Speaking of which, I checked the time again. I was fifteen minutes early, as always. I was early for everything. It wasn’t something I could help. Give me a deadline or a time to meet someone, and I get this lurch in my stomach. Like the clock ticks with the beat of my heart. Like something would explode if I wasn’t on time to stop it.

At least in this case, it was good to be early. I can’t even imagine what his reaction would be if I kept him waiting, but I’m always early, and he’s always noticed, and he’s always been amused.

I let myself into the plush art deco room that looked straight out of an episode of Mad Men and adjusted the air-conditioning so it wasn’t too cold.

My fingers itched to check my phone one last time, so I quickly turned it on and glanced at her feed, but nothing had changed except about forty more comments begging to know the news.

I had a notification on one of my profiles, KimKx, but it was nothing important. Just a heart from someone random probably looking to get more follows.

I took a deep breath to calm myself and brought my hands up to my neck. It was warm, and my icy hands from the freezing limo ride felt good against my skin. I don’t know why her big news made me feel so uneasy.

I checked the clock on the vintage side table. Time for me to put my mind in a box. To let go, finally, after waiting for what felt like an eternity even though it was just a month.

I went to the closet and slipped off my shoes, dress, and matching black lace underwear. I only ever dressed up on the off chance that I would run late anyway. I hung up my dress and left everything else neatly on a shelf. Then I went into the bathroom and washed my hands, making sure I didn’t mess up the perfectly rolled hand towels or the little bottles of L’Occitane body lotion on the counter. I opened my purse and gave myself a spritz from the travel-sized perfume I kept with me just for nights like this.