notfaking_it | (no subject)

Lily isn't exactly the welcome wagon type, although that doesn't mean she hasn't made an effort to get to know her neighbours. Even in New York, it was always helpful to know who might be living across the hall and whether or not they were the type of person who might be useful at some point down the line.

Someone new has moved onto her floor recently and although she hasn't met him yet, she's seen him coming and going a few times. He's young, well dressed and looks like he has a hell of a lot more money than anyone else in the building which means, in at least one way, he's probably exactly the type of person she'd like to know. Even so, she isn't going to go knock on his door to introduce herself and it's only a coincidence one evening when she's coming home from the studio that she finds herself waiting for the elevator with him.

"Hi," she says, turning slightly to look at him. "I think you live on my floor. Third, right?" She knows he lives on her floor, but she's not about to say as much.

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"Well, it's not quite the New York City Ballet, but it's not bad," she says. "If I have to be stuck here, it's better than nothing." It's the thing she liked least about the island and at this point she's completely willing to take what she can get.

"I'll have to buy tickets," I say, and I mean it, because the ballet is the sort of place you're expected to go, in my social bracket, even though I mostly hate it.

Ballerinas, though. I can see how they might have their... uses.

"When's your next performance?"

Lily isn't expecting that response and her eyebrows lift in surprise. "Giselle starts next week," she tells him, wondering if he'll actually be there. "And we're doing Romeo and Juliet after that."

"I'll have my secretary pencil it in," I say, and in this moment, it's sincere, but it's just as likely that I'll find something more useful of my time.

My secretary, who's not Jean, but probably still in love with me.

"Well, then I hope to see you there," Lily says with a smile. It's still a bit of a surprise, but the more people who come to the ballet, the more money they have for next season and she can't find a single thing wrong with that. It might not amount to much of a pay raise for her, but it will mean the productions are of slightly better quality and that's important.

"You will," I say absently, lifting my wrist and glancing at my watch without really even bothering to check the time. "Oh, look at that, I've to run. I've got a meeting over cocktails at Blue in twenty minutes."