Chapter 8

Angela had grown bored of staring up at the ceiling. She broke out of her trance and took another glance around the room, though there wasn't much to see, even if the lights were on. Emanuel's place was exquisite. It was a rather large apartment, much like hers. The major difference was the lack of a lived-in feel. His apartment was sparsely decorated, and strangely lacking in very many personal possessions. It was like a model home.

Emanuel's obnoxious snoring interrupted Angela's analysis. She sighed heavily. On the walk over, she had estimated that it would take approximately fifteen minutes to walk back to her apartment. It would take half that time for her to fall asleep. That's probably what she should have done to begin with: just walk home, go to sleep, and forgo this awkward situation. Now she had to sneak out of this odd place to avoid having to talk to the guy. The momentary rush of hormones to numb her mind was maybe not worth the awkwardness.

Angela groped around the sheets for her clothes and attempted to get dressed without disturbing him. She had just put her feet on the floor when Emanuel stirred behind her. She suppressed a groan and moved to sit at the end of the bed. If she had to talk to him, she at least wanted to do it at a distance. She really didn't care for him. He seemed dim.

Emanuel dragged himself out of the covers with a grunt and sat up. His smile was just barely perceivable in the dark. "Hey," he said, in a cracking, half-awake voice.

"Hey. I'm sorry, I wish I could stay longer," Angela said, fighting to sound sincere, "but I really have to go. I have an early day tomorrow and my job is super important."

"Right." Emanuel yawned. "E-Corp."

"Yeah. I'm sure you understand."

Emanuel squinted curiously. "Why are you so sure I understand?"

Angela blinked at him. "Because…you work there too?" She breathed out a frustrated chuckle. What was his problem? Angela sat very still as Emanuel kept on staring at her through narrowed eyes. She felt like she was under a microscope.

"I never said that," Emanuel reminded her, his voice now sounding very clear and awake.

Angela frowned. She thought back to the conversation they'd had at the bar. To her recollection, he was correct. She had just assumed he worked there, given that the majority of the customers of Green Neon were E-Corp.

Emanuel turned to look out his wide window. The nighttime cityscape was awash with bright and beautiful colors. "Pretty crazy, what happened. 5/9, I mean. What do you think about it?" He looked at Angela again, his green gaze sharp.

Angela stared back at him, her heart beating just a little faster. He'd never given her that look before. "It's awful," she murmured. She took a much needed pause to shake her head and get him to really notice her downcast expression. "It's hard to even talk about it. But…I think it's important that we keep talking. That's how we get through this."

Emanuel smiled, his gaze turning warm and inviting. "I agree. So, how do like it at E-Corp?"

Angela plastered a smile on her face. "It's…it's all right," she said. "It's fine." It wasn't a complete lie. But she wondered why she even lied at all. Was he worth lying to? He wasn't much, nice apartment or no, and he didn't work for E-Corp. Angela was stuck in a rut of fakery. She wasn't sure when she'd last climbed out and been sincere. Darlene she hardly saw. Elliot was in jail. There was no one she could be real with. No one at all.

Angela's smile evaporated. The levee had broken, the words spilling out before she could stop them. "I hate them," she murmured. "I think they're despicable. They deserved what happened to them. They deserve even more than that. Much more."

Emanuel scoffed. "Then why are you even working for them?"

Angela drew in a shaky breath. She woke up, quickly recovering from her little slip up. She wasn't foolish enough to bare her soul to him. "It's complicated," she told him evenly.

Emanuel shrugged. "If you say so."

Angela jumped to her feet. "Well, I really better go," she said, smiling politely. She thought she should probably say something else, so she forced out, "Thank you for the nice night, Emanuel."

He raised his eyebrows. "Ahh, you remembered my name."

Angela chuckled. "Did I ever forget it?"

Emanuel just rolled his eyes.

Angela made herself keep on smiling, hoping he couldn't see her blushing in the dimly lit room. "Okie dokie," she said in her dopiest voice. "Good night." She threw open the bedroom door, crossed the much too big living room to the door, and climbed down the steps to the street. The night air was refreshingly chilly. She walked fast, glaring down at the sidewalk as she rushed home.

Never again.