Elaine had been mildly annoyed that Brad had suddenly asked her to have lunch. Not that she was busy or anything, and it wasn’t as if she was opposed to meeting up with him. In fact, she’d be thrilled to meet up with him for a casual chat. No, she was annoyed that, judging from the inclusion of Jolene in the message, this was going to be business-related, when she had fully planned to take advantage of her impromptu vacation doing literally anything that wasn’t work-related. His attempts at playing it cool and casual were somewhat adorable, though. Maybe he had an idea of some kind? Shrugging, she fired back her response.

Yeah, sounds fun. Wanna go for pizza? I know a place that isn’t completely terrible here.

She decided to take a quick shower, for no other reason that she was going out in public and wanted to look at least somewhat presentable. As she dried herself, she checked her messages for a response, which brought its own disappointment.

No, I’ll swing by and pick you up. I have something else in mind, but it’s a surprise.

Elaine hated surprises when it came to restaurants. It would either be that crappy diner near his office, or it would be some other disappointment. She rolled her eyes and got dressed. He wanted casual, she was going with casual. Jeans, t-shirt, zip-up hoodie. She checked the messages again. A message had come from Jolene.

Ngl pizza sounds pretty good right about now. But whatever, I’ll head over to Jolene’s and wait.

Elaine chuckled a bit. It wasn’t everyday that one had the opportunity to meet someone who still used old-fashioned text abbreviations. She was less thrilled about Jolene inviting herself over, but she’d live with it.

–

Jolene arrived at Elaine’s apartment not long after that. She was a bit nervous about going in, questioning why she elected to just wait there for when Brad arrived to pick them up, especially since Brad didn’t have a vehicle. Just where was he planning to take them?

She was also surprised at Elaine’s apartment. She’d naturally expected it to be spotless, which it turned out to be, but it was almost Spartan in its lack of decoration. The walls were the same featureless steel walls that her own apartment was made of, but Jolene had brought some things from home to liven up the place. Elaine seemingly hadn’t bothered. Desperate for something to talk about, Jolene decided to ask about it.

Elaine, surprised at the sudden, somewhat blunt question, stammered, “Well, the truth is I just never got around to decorating. It was one of those things I just…kinda kept putting off.”

“Howcome?”

“Eh, if I’m being honest, unless I’m hanging out with Brad or someone from work, I usually just come home, take my uniform off, and then just chill on the couch watching the feeds until I fall asleep. Alcohol may or may not be involved. I’m usually just so tired at the end of the day the last thing I want to do is decorate. You’re lucky I’m enough of a germaphobe that the place is clean. My sister’s even worse in that regard. She’s a slob.”

“Interesting…” Jolene said, unsure of what to say next. “So…about you and Brad, are you two…you know…”

“Well, if we are, someone should let us know so we can at least enjoy couple things.”

“Oh, it’s just…you two seemed close, I’d wondered.”

“Nah, nothing official. Why, you don’t like him, do you?” Elaine suddenly snapped to attention, knowing that her statement might have opened a door she’d rather leave closed.

“No, no, he’s fine, just…I only met him the other day,” Jolene stammered, trailing off. “I’d be lying if I said he wasn’t kinda cute, but he’s also a bit old for my tastes. For right now, anyway. I don’t know if I’m ready to get married and settle down, you know?”

“Yeah, I guess I kinda do. So you mentioned something about being really close with Cortez, is she why you decided to join the police?”

“Yes, I suppose that’s true,” Jolene replied. “She was always so cool and confident, like she had a handle on everything she set out to do. It’s something I’ve always admired. Like, since I was a kid, things have just kind of happened to me without my input. Parents dying, getting adopted, ending up being pulled this way and that way throughout the solar system. I admired Jill because she seemed to be the kind of person who made things happen rather than just letting them happen.”

Elaine leaned forward, which caused Jolene to abruptly stop speaking and slip back. Was she…enjoying this conversation?

“No no, keep going,” Elaine said, grinning. “To be honest I had a lot of respect for Jill too. It’s just a shame that she felt so alone and abandoned at the end there. I wish we’d have figured everything out more quickly to stop this all from happening.” She leaned back into her seat, sighing. “I really screwed up there. She put a lot of trust in me and I blew it.”

Jolene opened her mouth to respond, but her response was interrupted by the doorbell. Elaine quickly activated the viewscreen, and Brad’s face appeared. He must have seen the camera activate because he waved. “Hey, you guys ready for lunch?”