It is the morning after, eleven days after Maya’s 28th birthday and she is sitting at her desk. On the other side of the two white rectangular computer screens that separate them sits Emma. When Cressida Blaise-Snellman joined FASH yesterday, she requested the window seat from Emma, and Emma’s not the sort of girl to say no. Besides, she thinks it will be OK sitting opposite Maya, even though she did like the light of the vast windows overlooking the bustle of Marylebone. Lucy has moved into her own shiny new corner office next to Rich and Rich’s offices, and there is a sense of New World Order about the place.
Emma has just finished her trend report for the morning – not much to report. A grumpy-looking cat has done a swimwear shoot and celebrities wearing latex are the only FASH-related talking points, and even those wouldn’t be worth a mention.
‘Want to grab a coffee?’ asks Emma hopefully, even though Maya has only just got into work and is switching on her machine.
Emma doesn’t normally suggest they go for a coffee. Emma always drinks and eats at her desk.
‘Sure,’ says Maya, suspecting Emma just wants to check that she’s OK after the double disaster of yesterday.
They get up to weave out, past Cressida as she’s coming through the glass doors to head to her new desk – the best-lit desk in the office.
‘Morning!’ Cressida smiles. A smile that rises no further than her razor-sharp cheekbones as she looks Emma and Maya up and down. Tall, willowy, awkward angles wrapped in a fur gilet and black leather skinnies.
‘Morning!’ Emma and Maya say in unison as they continue to the canteen.
‘Oh ladies,’ Cressida turns back over her shoulder. ‘New rule: conference at 0930. Without fail. To discuss the fashion talking points of the day and how we translate them to FASH. Should only take a couple of hours.’ She looks at her Rado watch. ‘See you in five. Meeting room 1.1.’
The door closes.
‘Two hours every day? I rarely have two minutes to pee.’
‘Oh Emma!’ Maya consoles. Emma really does have the hardest job at FASH. Social media is twenty-four hours, trends update every minute. There is never any downtime and she is a team of one. ‘We’d better make this quick eh?’ says Maya, still touched by the fact Emma is checking up on her.
Emma grabs a herbal tea and a croissant, Maya gets a hot chocolate, and they sit at a wooden table for two next to the glass balustrade that overlooks the silver staircase and the reception atrium below.
‘So did you see Train Man this morning?’
Maya nods. ‘It was so weird, Emma. I thought about getting an earlier train, or a later one…’
‘You can’t get a later one, Cressida’s new regime remember!’
They laugh. Emma peels layers of pastry off her croissant with shaky fingers.
‘Well I thought it would be even more embarrassing if I were to get another train and Train Man was hiding on it too, so I just got the same one. I have to face him at some point, don’t I?’
‘Good for you Maya, you’re so brave.’
‘I feel stupid, not brave. And I only did it out of duty to Velma. I’m not nearly as brave as she was.’
Emma squeezes Maya’s arm. ‘You’re not stupid! You did a brilliant thing.’
Maya shrugs and takes a sip of hot chocolate for comfort.
‘So did you say anything to each other?’
Maya thinks back to an hour ago. Train Man. James Miller. Walked up the platform and came to the same set of doors. Apple green polo shirt with a little penguin on his chest. Strong, lean brown arms bearing the weight of his backpack. Blue jeans and now off-white Converse. An awkward but kind smile revealing a dimple in his left cheek. Maya smiled back and blushed. Embarrassed, defeated, unloved. She didn’t avoid him and he didn’t avoid her. A small triumph really.
‘He said a quiet “hello” and smiled; I said “hi” back. Then it was back to normal. I’m so embarrassed, Emma, so gutted.’
‘Oh Maya. I’m so sorry. At least you know now. You can move on.’
I don’t want to move on.
Emma decides not to mention the job situation, that Maya isn’t the new site editor, it’s irrelevant now, so she tries to put the image of Cressida gleefully sweeping her breakfast pot and belongings across the desk, away from the window seat with a careless arm, to the back of her mind. It won’t help Maya to moan about it.
‘Girls! Conference!’ Cressida barks through the door before disappearing in a flash.
‘Erm, are we at school?’ Maya frowns. ‘And is that fur she’s wearing? FASH has an anti-fur policy – I’m not sure Rich and Rich would like that.’ Not that Maya cares what Rich and Rich think right now. She doesn’t want to be a sore loser, but appointing Cressida over her is only cementing her growing sense of foreboding about the direction FASH is heading.
‘Yuck,’ says Emma, fairy features frowning.
‘That gilet looks like a baby bear clinging onto her for dear life,’ says Maya, glancing back at the space from where Cressida hollered. ‘It’s gross.’
Blue eyes brighten.
‘Oh Maya, before we’re called back again, I want to tell you before I tell Lucy.’
‘What?’
‘Well speaking of baby bears…’
Maya looks blank.
‘I’m getting one of my own.’
‘You’d wear that?’ Maya is horrified.
‘No Maya. I’m pregnant!’
Maya shakes her head and widens her eyes. ‘Oh my GOD, Emma, come here!’ Maya wraps her arms around taller shoulders. ‘I’m so so happy for you. And Paul. Congratulations!’
‘Well we kind of have you to thank for it.’
‘Ladies!’ calls Cressida again, not caring that the last of the breakfast meetings are still taking place in the canteen and she’s shouting over every one of them.
‘What is she like? We’re trying to have a buddy hug here!’ grimaces Maya into Emma’s embrace. ‘Anyway, what did I have to do with it – you know how the birds and bees work right, Emma?’
‘That spa weekend you gave us? Well it seemed to do the magic after a lot of false starts. We were getting worried.’
‘Wow, well I’m even happier I didn’t waste the weekend on me. Amazing news Emma, I’m so pleased for you. When are you due?’
‘November.’ A cautious smile flutters across Emma’s cheeks.
Cressida’s impatient angles make a face of disbelief and a hand beckons through the glass door. Emma and Maya release their embrace and hurry to the meeting room, but still all Maya can think is I have a girlfriend.