Total pages in book: 121
Estimated words: 116759 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 584(@200wpm)___ 467(@250wpm)___ 389(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 116759 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 584(@200wpm)___ 467(@250wpm)___ 389(@300wpm)
LILY
Sebastian insisted I borrow a hoodie, and I was glad because the early-morning air held a chill that announced the start of the autumn. At this time of the morning, there were a few stragglers hanging around. At three, when the nightclubs closed, there would be a spill of noisy, drunk people. Considering there were a few nightclubs on our path home, I wanted to get by them before they shut. Sebastian with his long strides easily kept up with my quick ones.
“I like her a lot,” I confessed as we cut through Upper Bow onto Victoria Street. “Juno.”
“Yes, she’s wonderful when she isn’t talking about her sex life in front of me.”
Chuckling, I nodded. “She really is like Jan. We need to introduce them.”
“I’m afraid of the chaos that would occur if we did.”
At the sight of two drunk lads wobbling their way uphill toward us, Sebastian protectively put his arm around me to draw me into his side. The hard heat of his body stole my breath again. Just like it had at the bar.
I really needed to get over this unrequited crush. Pronto.
After we passed the drunks, he released me and I tried not to let out a whoosh of breath. Distraction would help. I hesitated a second before daring to broach the subject. “How … How is Juno coping with your parents’ separation?”
He stuck his hands in his jeans pockets, unconsciously hunching his shoulders inward as he replied quietly, “She likes to come off tough and irritated to cover the fact that she’s sad and angry. And confused. We’re both just really confused.”
“I’m sorry.” I squeezed his arm in comfort, then quickly moved on because I didn’t want to make him melancholy. “I’d love to see Juno’s pottery.”
“Oh. Here.” Sebastian pulled out his phone, tapped the screen a couple of times, and handed it to me. “Her socials.”
I scrolled through her feed only to discover she not only made beautiful vases and dinnerware, but she also sculpted art pieces. At the top of her profile, it said she had over sixteen thousand followers.
“She’s incredibly talented.” I handed his phone back to him as we strode down the cobbled road of the Grassmarket. A girl in a tiny minidress stood screaming in another girl’s face while a guy sat on his haunches nearby with his head in his hands.
Sebastian and I shared a wince at the drama before he continued about Juno’s art. “Yeah. She started doing those time-lapse videos on her pottery last week and her followers shot up. That’s probably why the gallery has reached out with interest. Power of social media.”
“You sound like my cousin Beth.”
“The one who runs the social media management company?”
“Aye. She’s actually helped me make some contacts with a few influencers I want to interview for my dissertation.”
“What’s your dissertation subject?”
“The impact of social media on self-esteem across genders.”
Sebastian’s eyebrows rose. “Heavy stuff.”
“My choice of career is heavy stuff.”
He seemed to ponder that. “How will you cope? How will you compartmentalize all the awful stories you’re going to hear day in and day out?”
“I hope I cope well, but I won’t know until I do the job.” I was pragmatic about the reality of being a psychotherapist. “I know that I want to do something meaningful with my life. And while social media is something you and I were raised with, our parents’ generation wasn’t, and I’ve read all these articles on how far-reaching its impact is. Mental health issues are on the rise. I want to know what part social media is playing in that. Not merely online bullying but what else is it about social media that triggers negative feelings. Is it the platforms themselves deliberately fudging the algorithm to show their users content they know will trigger a negative response because we tend to engage more when we’re angry or upset about something? Is it the universal fantasy content? And since it’s well documented that men find it harder to talk about their mental health, is the impact on self-esteem different across genders?”
Sebastian was silent at my side, and my cheeks heated.
“Sorry. I can get a bit carried away by the subject.”
“No, no. I’m just thinking, I’m a little in awe of you, to be honest. I’ve never really considered any of that stuff. I just post … now and then …” He drifted off.
“What is it? Aren’t you content with your degree? What made you decide to be a civil engineer?”
He shrugged. “I’ve always been good at maths and physics. And I like building things. Working out how to engineer a structure. My dad and I built a few of the structures on our estate back in Norfolk. A couple of sheds, chicken coops.” He grinned. “And even a summer house.”
“Well, I’m in awe of you,” I told him honestly. “My brain does not work like that. I was useless at physics.”