Chapter 1
"I just think that with all the stuff going on with your parents, and all the stuff you've shared with me about your childhood, that talking to someone may be a good idea." Blake shrugs and continues to eat her lunch as Weiss paces their kitchen.
"Why would I talk to someone else when I could just talk to you?"
"Because I'm not a professional." She clears her throat. "And while I'm more than happy to support you through tough times, I don't think I'm the best person to be telling people how to make good personal decisions."
"Adam doesn't count."
"He counted enough for me to start going to therapy. Which has helped me immensely, by the way." Weiss rolls her eyes. "So just give it a try and see if it helps you at all."
"Fine." With a light stomp of her foot, Weiss wanders out of the kitchen back toward her bedroom. "I have to get to work, we can shelve this conversation for another time."
"Or you can just start looking for a therapist and scheduling an introductory session to see if you can find someone you like."
Weiss disappears into her bedroom for a few minutes, and then exits, zooming past Blake once again towards the front door.
"I don't know how I feel about telling someone I don't know all the intimate details of my life."
"We both know you have a lot of details to share, none of them intimate."
"Wow." Blake stifles her laughter the best she can. "I see how it is, Blake Belladonna. Maybe it has been a while."
"More months than a single calendar can hold."
"Nevertheless, that is a personal choice. If I were interested in those more intimate details, I could most certainly find them."
"Of that, I have no doubt." Weiss tries not to appear flustered by Blake's insinuation.
"Goodbye, and I hope you have a lovely and productive rest of your day."
"Go be mean to people and get paid for it."
"I don't know why I bother anymore.." Weiss' voice fades off as the door closes behind her and Blake is left alone in the kitchen, with her tuna sandwich.
She cleans up her space and the remains of Weiss' lunch and makes her way back to her office.
It was technically the third bedroom in the condo that her and Weiss shared. They decided to split the third room and use it as their combined office.
But since Weiss preferred to go into the office, and Blake was a book editor that exclusively worked from home or where ever she wanted, the office was mostly Blake's.
Weiss did have a desk and some shelving on her half of the room, but it remained vacant a majority of the time.
As she settles down into her chair Blake glances over at a stack of manuscripts that were delivered the day before.
"There better not be anymore teenage vampire romance in here or I'm gonna throw up."
No sooner had she spoke, an email came through on her laptop from her assistant. It gave a brief description of each manuscript as well as their deadlines. Perfect.
Blake had developed an efficient editing routine over the years, and she attributed all of her publishing selection successes to it. It was also what had garnered her the executive editor position in a short period of time.
And she was currently on the hunt for a decent manuscript.
She picked one randomly from the stack and settled into her reading chair in the corner of the room, under a hanging lamp. A cozy nook Weiss had created for her that allowed her to read and edit without the confines of a desk chair or a computer screen.
After about three hours, Blake decided she was captivated enough by the author's attempt at a mythology inspired sci-fi story to continue reading the rest. But she had an appointment that she couldn't miss, so it would have to wait.
—
"How about this one?" The lack of confidence in this man's voice had become almost sickening to Weiss.
"What color is it?" Her voice is void of emotion.
"Brown."
"What have I told you about brown in a corporate setting?"
"I just thought it would compliment the earthy tones we were going for."
It had been a long day, and her patience was worn paper thin. Weiss was done.
"Well it looks like shit. And if we wanted something reminiscent of shit, I'm sure we could've gone outside and scrounged some up from somewhere." She forcibly slides the fabric swatch back across the table. "When we said earth tones, I meant colors that reflect a naturally inspired essence. Not actual dirt."
"I'm sorry Miss Schnee, I just thought-"
"Maybe that's our problem. You thought."
"I will go back to the board and start over-"
"At this point, Cardin, we don't have the time for your flippant ideas and lack luster decision making skills. The job has to be done, and you simply can't do it. You're off the project." When he tries to defend himself Weiss only needs to raise her hand to silence him. "Your set of skills would be more useful helping Ciel finish the city's educational district project."
"But that project is fully planned and all design aspects are complete. They are about to begin the installation phase."
"Exactly." Weiss takes a seat in the chair behind her desk. After a few moments, she looks back up to find Cardin hasn't moved. "You can go now."
An hour later, Weiss had put together proposals for two design plans for the client and was out the door of her office and on her way home. If she wanted anything done right, it was clear she would need to do it herself.
Once she arrives home, she notices that the matching set of keys that typically hang beside hers on the hook near the doorway were missing. Blake must've run out for something.
In the fleeting solitude, she decides to pour herself a glass of wine, change into more comfortable clothes, and lay down on the couch.
There were days that running a commercial interior design firm weren't all it was cracked up to be. This was one of those days. Coupled with the very public and very embarrassing divorce her parents were dragging out in the news, Weiss was exhausted.
She wanted less than nothing to do with the Schnee company, and even less to do with her father. Her mother, while having ingrained many alcohol soaked childhood memories into her brain, was tolerable most days. But seeing her parents' divorce on the cover of magazines was another level of stress Weiss was unfamiliar with.
Between the stress from her parents and the stress of her job, there was really only one thing that was keeping her sane.
"Hey. Sorry I'm late. I meant to already be back by the time you got home. But the restaurant was crazy busy and it took longer than usual." Blake had made her way through the front door. Bags of take out hanging from her hands.
—
"I'm probably about, I dunno, a little under halfway through my first read so far. But it is promising, definite potential." Weiss watches as Blake expertly picks up a bite of noodles with her chopsticks and spins them around gracefully before taking a bite. "At first I thought the whole mythology influence was going to feel super played out and bland but I'm surprised. But I have six other manuscripts on my desk to read through, and you know I'm picky so we will see how it goes."
There is about a minute of silence between them while Weiss continues to watch Blake as she eats.
Eventually the silence starts to feel too heavy for Weiss.
"I scheduled sessions with three therapists today. To see if I can find one that I like."
"Oh yeah?" This surprises Blake enough to take a break from spinning her noodles and give Weiss her undivided attention. "What made you change your mind?"
Her eyes follow Weiss, who has stood up and placed her dishes in the sink and started to make her way past Blake and towards the stairs to head up to her bedroom.
"You." Weiss gives Blake a halfhearted smile and heads down the short hallway at the top of the stairs until she gets to her bedroom door.
It feels like this change of mind should be something celebratory for Blake. It wasn't an easy feat to get Weiss Schnee to change her mind once she has made a decision.
But something about Weiss felt off. She hadn't been her normal stubborn self for a while. Blake knew things were taking a toll on her best friend. And that she needed help she didn't know how to give.
Blake just hoped with every fiber of her being that this would help Weiss.