Chapter 95 - The New Phone (1/2)
Claire wakes up early. Today is a big day. THE big day. Michelle's coming, and they have to put on a unified front somehow. She's supposed to play by ear how Michelle's going to behave in the office, how the dynamics between her and Gabriel is going to play out. A lot of unknowns.
She might not have even slept at all. Her mind played out the events of the day, how Gabriel did the unthinkable and confessed his feelings. It was a big risk, she appreciated that. She would have said yes right then and there, but there was something that prevented her—she wanted to be sure. She wanted to ”test” if Gabriel really did know what he was doing, if Gabriel's feelings were real, and not just him trying to turn her into some sort of a ”rebound girl.” She'd see how this would play out in the coming days, but even now Claire wonders if she could control herself.
She got up early, had a little breakfast, accepted from Lucille her outfit for the day, courtesy of Miss Cassandra, and before she could proceed to her Jacuzzi session, she remembered her new iPhone. She hadn't fully taken it out of the box yet, but it's supposed to be ready to use, with all the numbers of key people in the company already saved in the phone's memory. Gabriel, or the IT Department, really went out of their way to make it as foolproof as possible.
This would be the first time Claire would be using such a phone. The last time she used one of these was during her first year in college some years ago. It was a cheap feature phone, the kind that only sent text messages. He liked that phone, despite its age and its severe limitations. But she was walking in an alley one night when a man robbed her, demanded her wallet and her gadgets. When the man saw the kind of phone she had, he almost laughed—the nerve!—yet he still ran away with it, the goddamn ȧsshole.
And now, these new-fangled contraptions seem so shiny and sleek and complicated. She knows how to use these as she has seen how these work and she's not completely clueless, but there's still a learning curve. She takes out the iPhone from its carton sarcophagus, admiring its pristine screen and how premium it feels in her hand. One look at the screen and she ”gets” the icon for text messages, or making a phone call. But there's a lot of other icons on the screen that she's clueless about. She glances at the wall clock and realizes she's running out of time. She takes the phone with her, as she dips her nȧkėd body in the Jacuzzi. She finds the icon for the camera, and is delighted when the few test shots she took look gorgeous. She takes a photo of the view in front of her—the skyline of a city that's just starting to wake up—and she couldn't get over how the photo looks amazing on the phone's screen.
She examines the back of the phone and wonders about the alien-looking multiple cameras. ”Jesus, these are the phones they make now?” she wonders. ”Are these still made by humans?”
She's exploring the different features of the phone when suddenly it rings.
”Good morning, beautiful,” she hears a man's hoarse voice so clearly.
”Gabriel?”
”Yeah,” he says. He sounds like he's still in bed.
”Are you still in bed?” she says. ”We're supposed to be at the office earlier than usual, remember?”
”Yeah,” he says. ”I can make it. Don't worry.”
”So how are you? Are you feeling well?”
”I feel amazing,” he says, not really sounding amazing at all. ”Thank you for last night's kiss. I couldn't forget it.”
Claire giggles. ”You know we've kissed before, but this is the first time you're thanking me.”
”I know,” he says. ”I just want to let you know how happy I am. Even if you haven't actually said yes. I feel like I've already won something.”
This makes Claire's heart aflutter, but she doesn't say anything.
”Has my brother called yet?”
”Miguel?” Claire's brow knits. ”What about him? He hasn't called. I don't think he has any reason to.”