Aaron sighs. “You’re overreacting.”

“I’m overreacting?”

“Yes.”

She laughs sharply, shaking her head. “You’ve got some nerve.”

Aaron shifts the folder under his arm, his patience wearing thin. “Why are you so upset? You hate the fucking thing. I thought you’d be relieved.”

Tina looks at him. For a moment, she’s genuinely speechless, not because she doesn’t have an answer. Because she has several, and none of them are particularly appropriate to say to her boss.

Aaron mistakes her silence for an opportunity to continue. “Look, I know there are other projects you’d rather work on. So pick one and go for it.”

Tina turns her attention toward the elevator doors, her jaw tightening.

“I’ll take this one off your hands,” Aaron continues. “It’s more my speed anyway. We can agree on that, right?”

Tina slowly shakes her head.

Aaron glances at her. “Come on, Tina. This is a good thing.”

Tina keeps her eyes forward. “Is it?”

“Absolutely. Now you can put your energy into something you’re actually passionate about.”

Tina lets out a quiet breath through her nose.

The elevator finally slows, and a soft chime announces their arrival. The doors slide open, and Aaron steps into the hallway. He turns back toward Tina, apparently satisfied with how the conversation has gone. “Have a good day, kid.” He winks at her, then walks away.

Tina doesn’t move. She simply stands there, watching him disappear down the corridor as the elevator doors slowly close.

For several seconds, she stares at her reflection in the polished metal. Then she shakes her head. “Asshole.”

The elevator begins moving again. Tina folds her arms across her chest, her expression darkening as she considers the weeks of work that have just been casually dismissed……

***

By the time Tina turns off Sunset Boulevard and heads toward home, the sun is beginning its slow descent behind the hills of Los Angeles, casting the city in a warm wash of yellow and gold.

Under normal circumstances, Tina would appreciate the beautiful Southern California sunset, but tonight, she’s too furious to notice much of anything. The conversation with Aaron has been replaying in her head for the better part of an hour, each repetition making her angrier than the last.

She scoffs aloud, tightening her grip on the steering wheel. “Reallocating resources, my ass…. Un-fucking-believable,” she mutters.