You've gotta be kidding me. Out of all the clients, why her?

I thought as I sat down on the sofa and collected my thoughts.

"How unlucky. Is that really her?"

My partner asked, but at the time, my head was on a different timeline

Out of all of the names to not read, it had to be her.

I observed the living room to try and calm down a bit. It was so familiar, not just because some of the decorations were actually once inside my own home. But the way she spaced things out was near identical. The table with the multicolored countertops, the TV atop a glass cabinet filled with old movies, and the bookshelves that were once filled with her cookbooks and magazines but also my novels were now only half as full as they once were

Well, she did have full control over decorating the house back then.

I smiled at the small hint of nostalgia that Myla took note of,

"Hey, are you already going insane? Stay calm, this is a new one for me, and while I would love to derive humor from it, we have a job to do," she whispered.

"I know, I know. You're just gonna download the app and go, right?"

"Yes, but it takes time, and while I'm focused on setting the application up, your job is to collect additional data on her. There should be questions in the cards Alexandre gave you."

"Right."

So no matter what I do, I'll have to talk to her.

Ahaaa, I wish she would've just crashed the car earlier.

I thought jokingly, but I was genuinely in quite a slump. After our short greeting, she asked us to sit down, and all I could do was force out a nod. It's not that I have any lingering feelings for her, just that after our split, I became really reclusive, even to the point when she or our mutual friends would visit, I'd stay in and hide behind the guise of "working on myself",

Working on myself my ass, all I did was mope and rewatch the entirety of that superhero multiverse with a family-sized bag of Doritos.

"Hey, I know it's a little early, but sorry if I can't perform perfectly here."

"It can't be avoided, just try not to make a fool of yourself."

She was a bit more considerate with the previous statement, but the latter indicated she was more worried about our pay than my feelings.

"Ah, here's your drinks. You still like your iced teas unsugared, right, Bridger?"

Amanda had returned with drinks on a tray as she laid them on the table and sat down.

The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

"Um, yeah...Thanks."

"So uh...Good to see you back on your feet, huh?"

"Ahaha! Yeah, I could say that about you too."

I'm back on my feet, but I'm walking like a newborn calf.

"Still, I'm surprised. Already looking for someone new?"

"Well, it has been a few months now, and the place just feels lonely, y'know?"

"I know the feeling, yeah..."

Silence befell the room after that until a cold voice sliced through it.

"Please hand me your phone and any personal electronic devices."

"Ah, sure. Here's my phone and my laptop."

Myla turned both her phone and laptop on. The wallpapers that once contained a happy husband and wife were replaced by selfies with friends.

Guess she really did get back up.

I thought when Amanda decided to strike up another conversation to replace the silence that had returned.

"Still, I didn't think out of all the companies you'd decide to work with aiAI, and as a surveyor at that."

"Ahaha, well, the pay was good, and I wanted to find something new to do."

"I see. Still back then when we went to McDonald's and they got your order wrong you swore to never go back and that you'd topple the capitalist regime farmer Mcdonald had established."

She said that with a chuckle, and I gave an awkward look. Myla's rhythmic writing and tapping halted for a moment, "Your jokes never got any better, did they?" And it returned as quickly as it left.

You try to be this duo's comedy relief. I dare you.

As I was thinking of asking her to do just that Amanda continued.

"But really, I think you going out there and helping out young couples is perfect, you know? You always loved romance stories - and if you weren't watching one on your laptop, you'd be reading a romance novel."

She said, but all I could do was awkwardly laugh.

Yeah, guess what all that did was make our split sting even more.

I didn't harbor any resentment against her either. In all honesty, I was kind of thankful that she decided to take charge and end the cycle we were stuck in. Still, having her sit right in front of me, with the exact same look I woke up to every day for half a decade but treating me as if I was an old classmate.

I feel like I got friend-zoned. Friend zone after marriage. Sounds like a bad sitcom.

I joked to ease myself, but it only reminded me of the position I found myself in. The silence had returned, and this time the atmosphere felt thicker as well as if it was going to swallow me whole at any moment. That's when I felt a small push on my arm from my so-called partner.

"Hey, you have to begin collecting data; at the very least, ask a few questions from the cards."

I nodded and unpocketed them.

"Oh, what's that?" Amanda asked and came closer to me.

"Um, it's nothi-"

Before I could finish my sentence however she had caught me off guard.

Huh, she still smells the same as when we lived together; I guess she never changed shampoos. Her glasses look new; her old ones did give her trouble since they were a bit heavy. Her lipstick is a duller shade of red; I remember that being the more expensive brand she'd save for when she was trying to look good in front of new people.

I couldn't help but notice all of these things as time felt like it had stopped.

I don't...I don't love her anymore and yet...She feels so close.

I started extending my hand to hold her face when.

"Right, here."

She placed the cards I dropped in my hands as I returned to my body. Myla breathed a short sigh and continued her work.

"Oh, um, thanks."

I nodded, and I started looking through the cards.

"It's actually my first day, so uh, some help from the boss, you know?"

"Ah, I see. First day and it's me, huh? What a doozy."

She said with a small smile as I found the cards with the questions on them.

Right, let me calm myself, and let's begin.

I worked up the confidence to speak and read what was written on the card out loud.

"Have you ever experienced sexual intercourse of any manner before?"

"Huh?" We both exclaimed.

I read the top of the cards and saw the one crucial detail I had missed in my flustered search for the right card.

"Questions to ask new couples regarding sexual interactions."

...

...

"You're such an idiot." the cold voice muttered.

I know. I'm sorry. It won't happen again. Promise.