Illuminate by Aimee Agresti

actually fewer than I expected. I wrapped my sweater more tightly around my body, hugging it to me, dialed fast, and then pulled the sleeves over my hands.
    Joan answered before the first ring was completed and wanted to hear everything. I told her an edited version of my birthday celebration and answered all the typical questions about whether I was eating enough (yes) or working too hard (no) or ready for her to come visit (not yet). Even though I rolled my eyes at each question, it was nice to be checked on. I missed her.
    That task completed, I retreated to my room. My eyes were just fluttering shut, a catnap in my grasp, when three quick knocks rattled the door. I flipped the light on and shook the life back into my head, perking up. A peek through the peephole showed Lance there, hands dug into his pocket, something tucked under his arm. He pushed his glasses higher up on his nose and rocked back and forth on his feet. I glanced in the mirror quickly, smoothed out my knotted hair, and opened the door.
    “Hey.”
    “Hey. Sorry to bother you,” he said.
    “No, not at all. I’m glad I’m not the only one who’s off-duty for the day.”
    “Nope, I packed it in too. Hard to tell when the day is supposed to be over, right? Without, you know, a bell going off.”
    “Yeah. Maybe we can have Dante run around with his bell every day at a certain time.”
    “That’s an idea. Or, you know, our bosses could tell us or something.”
    “Yeah, that would be helpful too.” He laughed at this. I decided to ask what I’d been wondering: “So what’s he like anyway? Lucian?” I felt my heart pick up its pace. What would I have done if I had been paired with him as my mentor? I probably would have been too nervous to focus on anything resembling work.
    “I guess I don’t really know,” Lance said, after giving the question some thought. “He seems okay. So far, he just gives me stuff to do then disappears all day to do more important things and never comes back.”
    I nodded. “Aurelia is the same way.”
    We were quiet for a moment. And then Lance shook his head, remembering. “Oh, so I found this one today and it’s a really good one; thought you’d like it too.” He held out a tattered book, the title on its worn, dusty cover: Secret Chicago.
    “Cool, thanks.” I took it, flipping it over to read the back. “Are you sure you don’t want to read it first?”
    “I skimmed through a little. Get this, there used to be tons of secret tunnels running under all these buildings right around here. They would pass booze back and forth during Prohibition.”
    “Seriously?” I fanned through the pages.
    “I know, crazy stuff. You’ll see.”
    “Thanks a lot.”
    “Sure thing.” He started backing away. We traded smiles and he waved. “Later.”
    I watched until he got swallowed up into his room. He was awkward but cute, which, I imagined, was probably something people said about me, if I was lucky. They also described me as awkward, undeniably, but hopefully cute too.
     
    Dante came by as soon as he was finished for the day and, of course, he was thrilled with my coffee date news. He even rigged up a date-worthy ensemble for me, basically consisting of my photo shoot attire and one of his ties as a sort of belt. And then he gave me the necessary pep talk.
    “So, what’s your opening line?” he asked, as he tied his silky pink tie around my waist.
    “Opening line?”
    “Tonight, what’s your line?” He paused, looking up at me, frustrated with my lack of preparation.
    “Um. Do I need one?”
    “Helloooo, yes.”
    “Well, I dunno. I thought just getting to, like, hang out was a good start. And then, you know, I’ll just see what he says, and—”
    “Girl, you gotta have some game. That’s why we have to think about these things. We can’t have you missing key opportunities to loosen his tie—”
    “Right. Got it.”
    “Consider this tie”—he yanked on my makeshift belt—“a subliminal