[ "Friend" is a word that Iain doesn't really quantify as easily as the rest of the world, but Akker falls into the category without question. (Arguably, he doesn't quantify anything the same way, but that's another story for another day.) "Friends," way back when, had meant people who could hook him up, People who could keep his name relevant and people who could keep him as jumped up as he had been, back then. "Friends," now, means extra baggage. Surplus. Unnecessary weight. Akker isn't unnecessary to him, not by a long shot, but "friend" is the closest word for what she is to him than anything else. ]
Tell you when I get there. [ Not a yes and not a no, just the polite way of saying that, married though they might be, and though they might work together now and again, they don't always report to the same offices, and it isn't the sort of thing that's in his job description, anyway. (Akker is one of the only people who actually knows who Marling is married to, partially because she's the only person Iain had bothered to tell, sending through a short email with only the barest details, as was his usual custom.) ]
✆
Tell you when I get there. [ Not a yes and not a no, just the polite way of saying that, married though they might be, and though they might work together now and again, they don't always report to the same offices, and it isn't the sort of thing that's in his job description, anyway. (Akker is one of the only people who actually knows who Marling is married to, partially because she's the only person Iain had bothered to tell, sending through a short email with only the barest details, as was his usual custom.) ]