Still not into you - Charlotte Byrd Page 0,14

say. “I have to give a toast.”

“To whom?” he asks.

“Whomever I want. But I can’t. No, I have to figure out a way to drop this class.”

“No, you don’t.” He smiles at me. A confident, self-assured smile. “I’ll help you. We’ll get through this together.”

Something about the way he says that puts me at ease. He’s telling the truth and I believe him. I’m not doing this alone. I’ll be doing this with him. We’ll be doing it together. It’s always easier to do things together, right? I suddenly feel like this is actually possible.

10

“So, I’m starting the internship tomorrow,” Hudson says after our pizza is ready.

We only ordered two slices, but the slices are so large at this place they take up half the table. Thin crust with a thin layer of fresh mozzarella and veggies. Delicious.

“Young’s and Associates, right?” I ask, taking a big bite of my slice. He nods.

“Three days per week,” he adds. “Full days.”

“That’s intense,” I say. “But exciting, right?”

He shrugs. He’s anxious about this. I’ve never really seen him this way.

“What if I’m no good?” he asks. I shake my head.

“Impossible.”

He smiles.

Young’s and Associates is an investment bank on Wall Street. The internship is very prestigious and ridiculously competitive. He found out that he got in over Christmas break. In addition to the internship, he’s also taking a full load of classes. Hard classes. Calculus II and Macroeconomics and a couple of requirements.

“How are you going to manage?” I ask.

“Somehow, I guess. It’s such a great opportunity. I just don’t want to mess it up.”

“So, when are you taking classes then, if the internship is all day long?”

“I had to rearrange my schedule today. I’m not taking any classes on the days I’m working. So, they’re all crammed into the evenings and two are three hours long on Thursdays and Fridays.”

“Wow, that sucks!” I sympathize. “Is it all semester?”

He nods.

“Until May. Then if it all goes well and I do really well, I’ll be in the running for their full-time summer internship.”

“That’s a lot of free labor they’re getting out of college students,” I say.

“I guess.” He shrugs. “I know I’m going to learn a lot. Plus, it will set me up well for getting a good job after graduation.”

I’m impressed by his drive, but I can’t lie, the schedule puts me off.

“What’s wrong?” he asks.

“Nothing.” I shrug. I can tell that he doesn’t believe me. “Well, it’s not that I’m not happy for you. I am. I just don’t want you to get overwhelmed. I mean, this is college. I want you to have time for fun and your friends.”

“And you.” He finishes my sentence.

“That’s not what I said,” I say, even though that’s what I meant.

“Don’t worry.” He gives me a kiss on my cheek. “I’ll make time for us. I’m not going to work too hard.”

“Okay.” I nod.

The following night, I don’t see Hudson until 7 p.m. He’s at his internship all day and then I get a text that he’s going to happy hour with his associates after work. I won’t admit it out loud, but I’m annoyed. It’s only the first day and it’s already irritating me. I hate that I want him to spend time with me. Make time for me. I don’t want to be that girl; I want to be supportive and steadfast, but I’m not. The best I can do is keep my mouth shut.

“Guess what?” Hudson asks me that night after he comes home. “I didn’t have to use my fake ID downtown.”

“Really?”

“Apparently, those bartenders don’t card anyone in a suit. At least, according to Kathryn.”

“Who’s Kathryn?”

“Oh, she’s just one of the people I work with. She’s quite impressive actually. She graduated from NYU’s Stern School of Business last year. She worked at Young’s for three summers while she was in college before they hired her. She’s really driven.”

I shrug and nod. Suddenly, I get a strange feeling about the whole thing. Like the existence of Kathryn will play a significant role in the events that are about to take place.

The next afternoon, I walk into the one class that I’m really excited about taking this semester: Victorian Literature. I can’t believe that I have actually been going around calling myself an English major and I have never read Pride and Prejudice or anything by Charles Dickens. That’s one of the reasons I’m so excited about the class. I’m sure that it will fix all of my literary shortcomings.

“Hey!” Tea says, sitting down in