My nerves are jangled. Two photographers snapped pictures of me and shouted questions at me while I walked into the building just now. I want to ride the elevator in peace, make myself a cup of hot coffee and get through this day without anyone asking me anything personal.

"Hold the elevator!"

I can't see who is yelling, but I know Miranda's voice when I hear it. My hand thrusts out to stop the doors from closing. If it was anyone else this morning, I would have let them slip silently closed in their face.

Miranda bolts into the car and smiles when she sees me. "You look terrible!"

I don't bother to lift my sunglasses from my eyes. "That's so sweet of you to say."

She shrugs. "Just being honest."

"Yeah well, Jane and I got into a fight yesterday, so I had a hard time sleeping last night." My stomach twists painfully and I grimace.

"You and Jane? Over what?" Miranda gives me side-eye and I'm glad that I still have my sunglasses on.

I exhale. "I'm not sure what it was entirely about. I guess neither one of us was acting like ourselves yesterday."

Miranda turns to look at me more fully. She leans against the wall of the elevator. "That still doesn't explain why you look so exhausted, or that hickey on your neck."

One hand flies to my neck as the other pulls out my phone. I turn on selfie-mode to look at myself through the lens. There's nothing there and I exhale. "What the hell Miranda? You're going to give me a heart attack!"

She raises her hands to the sky like she's praising God at the end of a marathon. "I knew it! I knew that even Iron-Willed Millie Stevens couldn't resist Fin Covington! When I saw on Twitter that he was on Staten Island again yesterday..."

I hiss to cut her off. "Shhhhhh!"

Miranda laughs. "Don't worry, nobody can hear us in here. Please let me congratulate you on finally indulging yourself!"

Maybe dealing with Celibate Millie for the past eight months has been worse for Miranda and Jane than I thought? I'm about to ask if I've been a cranky bitch, but the elevator doors open on our floor.

She whispers as we step off. "So why didn't you text or call me to spill all the details?"

I mumble. "I've been kind of busy. Let's just say I didn't get a lot of sleep on Tuesday night either and then we haven't been apart for much longer than the time it takes to use the restroom."

Miranda swipes her key card and we step into the lobby. We remain silent as we pass the receptionists with a wave. They are just strapping in behind their phones.

On the way to our section Miranda speaks again, still keeping her voice low. "Well I want to hear everything. I bet he's quite the man to break a dry spell with! Can you spare some time away from him for drinks with me after work tonight? My treat."

A smile creeps onto my lips when I think about making love with Fin this morning before he left at dawn for his training session with a renowned swordsman. My cheeks hurt from smiling and I press my palms against them.

"I'm gonna need a raincheck. I've got a mani-pedi and waxing appointment after work. Then I really need to get to sleep early tonight before I crash."

She nods and laughs. "Well, well, well Millie! A wax too?! You're serious about him, aren't you?"

"Shut up!" I blush and throw an RAA stressball from my desk at her.

Miranda catches it with an easy smile and I consider asking her to be my Maid of Honor. The only problem is that being my witness could put her in an uncomfortable or precarious situation at work. I wouldn't be a very good friend if I jeopardized her career for my own selfish needs.

Her voice brings me out of my contemplation.

"Anyway, don't worry about looking like crap. It'll help sell your story to Eric that you were sick yesterday. I'm going for my tea. Want me to bring you a coffee from the kitchenette?"

I collapse into my seat. "Yes please!"

Maybe I should reschedule my appointments and get that drink with Miranda? Then, I could tell her about the fight with Jane and how according to my best friend I'm sick in the head right now. I could confess the ugly truth that a part of me knows Jane is right - I am acting like a lovesick fool. Whose side would Miranda be on? I think she would be on mine. But after Jane's reaction last night, can I depend on anybody to behave the way I expected them to anymore?

Eric's voice comes from behind my back. "Millie, my office."

Well at least somebody can be counted on to stay the same. I smile while I pick up the note left from yesterday's floater, the unsorted mail and my notebook. Then I follow him in.

His eyes are on his computer and his voice is stern. "Shut the door and sit."

I comply and start to sift through the pile of mail. There's movement from behind Eric's desk. Assuming that he is just taking off his suit jacket, I don't bother to look up.

But suddenly he's standing just beside my seat with his arms crossed, looking me up and down. "You look like shit."

My senses are sluggish, my mind dulled from exhaustion, and so my heart starts to thud in my chest. Hopefully my tongue isn't too tired to twist words into something believable this morning.

"So I've already been told. Wanna bet that the paparazzi parked in front of the building will have a field day with the photos they just took of me?" I hand him the mail.

He sits in the second chair. It's the one Fin sat in that first day. But Eric manages make himself comfortable without making any contact with me. My heart beats faster. My mouth is dry. I swallow and wish I had that coffee Miranda was getting me.

"Feeling any better?" He raises his eyebrows.

I decide to go with the truth for this question. "Yes and no."

He nods his head. "Well I'm glad you're back in. That floater yesterday was an imbecile. I'm not sure what type of mess he left the desk or the call log in while you were out. He could barely roll calls."

"I'll clean it up. Don't worry." I look down at the note from the floater. There appears to be couple tear stains on the page. Eric must have really let him have it.

He clears his throat. "Speaking of messes. The McCall situation at Radio City..."

I groan. "Eric I tried to find the damn glasses. I really did! I went over there and talked my way in and crawled around searching potted plants and under the furniture..."

He holds his hand up for me to stop. "They turned up in her make-up artist's bag yesterday. Poor girl couldn't wait to get out of there as fast as she could. I guess she accidentally swept the glasses into her things during her rush to clean up."

"McCall seems to have that effect on people, doesn't she?" I chuckle.

Eric smiles and adjusts his tie. "Well at least she sent you an expensive bottle of champagne as an apology. She sent it already chilled. So I had Lewis lock it up in his fridge in the main kitchen. You don't need one of the other assistants swiping it on you."

I start laughing more as the nervous energy continues to escape me. "Now that wasn't what I was expecting when you called me into your office!"

Eric furrows his brow and his tone grows more serious. "Well we're not through talking yet. And I guess it all depends on what you were expecting?"

I pinch the bridge of my nose and take a breath to stifle the next giggle. "I was expecting you to ask me about Fin again. Miranda just told me someone tweeted that he was on Staten Island yesterday."

There is silence from Eric as he waits for me to hang myself. My phone chimes. It is extremely loud in the quiet office. I glance to see that it's a message from Jane asking if we can meet for lunch, before I turn the ringer off

It only took a second to deal with the text, but I know Eric isn't happy that I'm doing it in the middle of our conversation.

I frown back at him and pocket my phone. "Sorry, roommate troubles. Anyway, as I was saying... then I would expect you to ask whether or not I saw Fin yesterday."

Eric looks me in the eye. "And your answer would be?"

I sigh and decide to go with the truth again, minus a few key details of course. "My answer would be yes. Fin came to see me yesterday. He wants to develop a film project set on Staten Island. I think I'm the only person he has ever met that is actually from Staten Island."

"Abe told me about Fin's project. I wanted to see if you would deny seeing Fin yesterday or be honest with me about it. I knew I could trust you!" Eric smiles as he stands up to return to his desk chair.

My stomach is churning uncomfortably with relief and anxiety. Maybe I should tell Eric that the project Fin wants to develop is my script? But something inside of me tells me to wait on that detail.

"Go make heads or tails of the floater notes now." Eric kicks back in his seat and turns on the television. He picks up his foam basketball and makes the first basket he tries.

Now would be opportune time to take my own shot, so I take it. "Um I know I shouldn't do this, since I was out yesterday. But I really need to take my lunch hour away from the desk today. Like I said, I'm having some roommate issues and I really need to meet with her to try to resolve some stuff. Would that be alright?"

Eric nods. "That's fine. Just get a floater to cover the phones for the hour. Anybody except the one from yesterday!"

I'm halfway out the door, my hand on the knob. "You got it! Open or closed?"

He smiles. "Definitely closed."