I had never seen Jay like this. I mean, I knew he was feeling crushed, but I didn't know to what extent.

Everyday, as the day approached the afternoon, I was afraid of the look he'd bring home. If it wasn't disappointment, it was anger. When it was neither, he would bury his head in my chest and cry, and I'd cry with him.

And what could I do, other than remind him of how wonderful he was? How many more times could I tell him that if others didn't offer him a job, they were the ones with the problem, not him? How much more could I stroke his ego to keep him from giving up?

I re-polished the kitchen table for the third time, when I heard the front door open.

The same routine manifested itself into sounds. Sigh. Flop. Steps.

I kept my voice gentle. "Hey."

He said nothing as he walked past me to the fridge.

Please don't grab a beer. Please don't grab a beer.

The sound of a fizz followed by a bottle cap falling on the marble countertop confirmed by worst fear. He always drank when he was stressed, and lately, that was turning into a five-days-a-week habit.

I walked over to him. "How'd it go?"

He took a hearty drink of Bud Light, the cheapest beer we could afford. "I didn't get it."

I walked over to him to rub his back. "I'm sorry."

Jay shrugged. "Did anyone call for me?"

I never looked him in the eye when I answered that infamous question. I looked at the kitchen tile and shook my head.

Jay ran his fingers through his hair with the hand that wasn't holding his beer. "I don't know what we're going to do."

I didn't know, either. We were both too proud to ask for help, and I already knew Jay's answer to my plan. It wouldn't hurt to suggest it one more time. I cleared my throat. "Listen, I've been thinking, maybe I should—"

"No," Jay interrupted. "You are not going back to work. I'll find a job."

I pleaded with my eyes. "I'm still young and healthy. I can write another novel."

Jay looked up at the ceiling. "Elle..."

"Or I can be a Wattpad ambassador. There might be a few vacancies left."

He looked at me and poked his chest with an index finger. "No, Elle. I'm going to provide for us."

My jaw tightened without my permission. "You need to keep your pride out of this."

The look on Jay's face told me his ego was crushed. "I've. Got. This. Don't you trust me?"

"Of course I do. But it has already been months and you can't find a job anywhere. Face it, we're struggling."

Jay slammed his beer down on the counter. "And how do you think I feel? I couldn't be a Watty winner. No Wattpad staff member wants me on one of their Reading Lists. I couldn't even fill a spot in the Wattpad Romance page."

"Don't you think I know that? I do, and it hurts, but we've been digging through our follower savings like its going out of style, and soon we won't have anything left."

He turned away to rub his forehead. "Perhaps we need to move."

I had been dreading this conversation. "Move? Move where?"

"Somewhere I can find work. Goodreads. Scribd. Amazon, maybe."

I squiggled my lip in disgust. "Oh, no, Jay. Not Amazon. I'm not asking your readers for money."

Jay nearly raised his voice to insulting levels. "Well, what choice do we have?"

I blinked. What I really wanted to do was cry, but it wasn't what Jay needed. I had to be strong for both of us. I took his face in my hands. "We've been through so much worse together. Do you remember when we first moved here? We only had seven followers to our name?"

A smile escaped him. "I was only two chapters long back then."

"Yeah. Now look at you. Fifty-three chapters long and you've attracted attention from some pretty big names."

He tried to smile, but failed.

"Let's not leave Wattpad. You were born and raised here. All our friends are here. You just need a chance, that's all."

Jay nodded.

I took a deep breath. "Now, let's put that behind us and have dinner."

For the first time in weeks, he chuckled. It was so nice to hear that sound.

I turned my back to him to grab top ramen from the cupboard when the phone rang.

"Are you expecting a call?" said Jay

"Nope."

It took Jay a ring and a half to get to the phone. "Hello?"

I moved in centimeters, wanting to listen in to the phone call as best as I could.

"Yes, this is him.—Oh, yes, sir, how are you?"

     I wasn't sure if it was just me or if I was feeling the long-forgotten butterflies that came with hope.

     Jay's voice went up in pitch. "Um, yes, absolutely.—Tomorrow at three? Of course."

     Did Jay just make an appointment?

     "Oh, no. Thank you. I'm very excited.–You as well. Have a good evening."

     I turned to Jay. He couldn't have looked happier. "What?"

     He took a deep breath, like he was coming down from a high. "That was someone from the General Fiction genre. They want to make me a Featured Story."

     I turned my head a bit, as if that would improve my hearing. "A... a Featured Story?"

     Jay just smiled and nodded. "I got a job."

     As if on cue, we both squealed at the top of our lungs. It was the kind of high-pitch screaming that woke up neighbors.

     Jay opened his arms to me and I instantly knew what to do.

     I pounced on him and hung from his neck as he lifted my feet from the ground. "You see? I told you someone would one day see you the way I do."