saturday mornings are for pancakes // a dream x reader fanfiction

CHAPTER 42: NATALIE

The final stretch of finishing the first draft of code is the hardest part. Every change you make is now small details. Shifting the header three centimeters left and changing the hue of blue I'm using. Any of these little choices could be the last thing you change until your employer sends it back.

It's also when your eyes don't notice mistakes in the code anymore. After staring at the same combination of letters and words and numbers, everything seems to be normal. A misspelling of a common word can be easily looked over.

That's where I am in my new project. It's been a couple weeks of working on it, and I'm proud of what I'm so-far going to send back to Magnolia Kennedy. I just have to get these droning final details all sorted out.

I'm home alone now which I've learned is the optimal way to get things done. No Nick knocking on my door to pester me with simple questions, only to have to call George into it in order to argue his point. No Clay walking in to ask me about some video idea or to ask if a certain Minecraft code is even possible. It's just me and my computer.

Well, that is until I hear the front door open.

I don't bother listening to whose footsteps I hear. I just keep working on the code. I need to get this finished.

I persevere through the lines and lines of code for another twenty minutes before I finally get to have my sigh of relief.

I've done it. I congratulate myself in my head for it. My first big project for my first big company is finished. Now all I have to do is send it into headquarters. How exciting.

It takes two minutes to do it, and then I stare at the monitor with nothing to do. I try to remember what I did for fun before coding took over my entire life.

My mind finds itself wandering to Gemma. I know from Instagram that her and coffee shop girl are still married, and from what they put on social media, they're actually really happy. In their own, weird and crazy way.

Gemma and I weren't super close or anything, just roommate-friends. It doesn't mean that it doesn't hurt for her to be so out of my life now. I could reach out and ask how she's doing.

I just don't want to.

She left my standing all alone when she ran off and got marries. Didn't have my back or anything. What would I have done if I couldn't have moved in with this boys? What if she was all I had? I would've been homeless, that's what.

I let out a huff, angry now when I should be happy and relaxing. I look around my room for something to do, only to come up with nothing.

Then a knock sounds on the door.

I stare at the door for a second, knowing that someone would usually just let themselves in after a knock. Except, the door doesn't open.

A second, more hesitant knock follows. This time, I get up to open the door.

Natalie stands there in jean shorts and a light orange tank top. "Hi," she says with a smile.

"Hi," I repeat back, unsure why she's standing in front of my door. Yeah, she's over all the time, but usually Clay's here too.

"Clay's stuck in traffic, so it's going to be a long wait," she explains, but I don't say anything back. Sometimes she'll come over early before Clay's home, so it's not an uncommon occurrence. Usually, she says hi to us roommates if we're in the kitchen or living room, but then she goes into Clay's room to wait. "Um," she continues, "his room is just really messy, and I could really use some company."

The words come out of my mouth before I can control it. "Oh, well come on in then."

I open the door wider for her to come in, and I'm greeted with a grateful smile.