A Day Off

[Nesrin Aziz]

They brushed past the date comment, and Nesrin didn’t say anything. Misunderstanding was usually the easiest and quickest way to get a sense of the dynamic. With a sigh, she jammed her finger down on the power button and waited for the screen to finally go dark and silent. The laptop was old by necessity, and it was little more than a throwaway item to complete her facade – it was actually filled with uni work, just not for MSU. The tech itself was not something she feared losing, despite the impression she gave, else she wouldn’t have spilled coffee all over it in the first place. Which wasn’t to say her anxiety right now was feigned. It just wasn’t about the lost work.

“Stick it in rice. Hope for the best,” she muttered to herself as she closed the lid. The offer was kind, and she chewed her lip in a moment’s hesitation, but afterwards slid over to join them on the table. She gave the impression she did not wish to intrude, but a glance at Anna assured she was not unwelcome – the woman was already texting on her phone as they picked up the threads of the conversation Nesrin had interrupted. “I’m not sure I can afford anything like that right now. I just got served notice on my place, and Moscow is an expensive city. I should probably be thinking about finding a second job and postponing this a bit.” She tapped the lid. “Maybe the universe speaks its wisdom through coffee and clumsiness.”

She glanced up as the third of them returned from the bathroom, and tactfully declined to notice the remnants of emotion and the quiet check-in between the two women. “I’m Ness,” she said “I spilled coffee all over myself, and your friends took pity on me.”