THE SPACE BETWEEN US

ce opened, don'

-

re the hum of meetings, ringing phones, and bad coffee kicked the day into motion. I usually got in

new pitch deck-slide twenty-three, projections for Q

front one was mostly for visitors or delivery guys with too many lattes and no

lly glanced

ned, and just slightly out of sync with the room. Everything about her seemed carefully arranged:

arly out of place, but

nd low. It landed on my name lik

tanding a little too quickly

"You don't have to call me that. It make

ian,

niel left something in the car. I

toward the corner office. "Breakfast

ward the closed door, then

ioning to the guest chair

was too tired to stand. The air felt different with her there-heavier and lighter all at on

get in this ear

ly time the place doesn

e this time-and let her eyes

t do

who likes stillness. Li

before. Not even people who knew me well.

play it cool, "I've never

for my husband. Multitasking is

d with a half-laugh

ifted across my desk-sticky notes, neatl

used to be obsessed with

ead. "Can't

Spent hours researching beans from Guatemala and Ethiopia. Said it was all about 'ritual and control.'" She s

king about cof

or, then back to her. "

all at once. Sometimes so slowly, you do

ld say anything. I wasn't sure where the line was, only

photograph on my desk-a candid shot of my little sister

she makes your

he does. She

ost to herself. "To have someone

she had anyone like tha

at least one person who reminds them of w

e her gaze didn't slide away. It

, "Daniel used to be

eve, but because she said it with such clarity, like a t

how to respond

me. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to get..

ologize," I sa

painting-cold steel and pale morning sun. She looked smaller suddenly, not in st

aid after a moment, reaching into her ba

I said,

moved-deliberate, graceful. She placed the folder on his desk, hesitated, then ran her finge

ack out and sto

he chair. And

yti

she might say more, then

kind eye

land somewhere

," I said,

back. "That'

igure disappearing into the elevator, the

creen still on slide twenty-three, the cursor blinki

at me. The way she spoke-carefully, thoughtfully, lik

self it w

tried to return to projections

mething ha

een two people, even subtly-, i