42. Annie
Annie
Three more minutes at the coffee shop and I would have been late for my meeting with Greg this morning. After getting back from our Thanksgiving trip, I checked my email and saw that Greg requested we meet to talk about my next client.
The contract with Zayn ends in three weeks, and I need to figure out what I’m going to do next. And what we are going to do next.
I shake my head and arms to flush out all negative thoughts as the elevator dings on the firm’s floor.
“Meeting with Greg?” James asks.
“Yep. Do you know anything?” I ask, curious if they have any insider information.
“No. No Nancy gossip, but you know I’d tell you if I did.”
“Yeah, I know. We can chat after?” I suggest, hoping that they will talk me off the cliff I know I’ll be on.
“Of course, it’s a date.” James winks as they turn around and head back to their office.
The usual silence of the office is foreboding today as I walk past the closed doors of employee offices.
Most of our work requires us to be out and about at events, traveling, doing groundwork, so hardly anyone is here.
My heels clack on the floor as I near the conference room, and the closer I get, the more my stomach feels like a bottomless pit.
The door creaks open to show Greg sitting at the table with his computer open and a stack of notes to his left.
“Ah, Annie, perfect timing. This shouldn’t take long.”
“Great,” I say, taking a seat across from him.
“How are you feeling about the last three weeks of your contract? Confident that Zayn will land his role?” Greg leans back in his chair and crosses his arms, staring at me.
“I’m feeling great. We have received a lot of positive news from various news outlets and have stirred up a lot of speculation rumors about what he is doing next.
More and more reporters are asking for his time when we are out and about, and he seems genuinely happy to talk to them. He will land the role.”
I’m sure of it.
I know going into all of this, Zayn didn’t want a partnership, didn’t want my help.
But along the way, he has become him again.
It’s like he was stuck in a dark tunnel, and he just needed someone to help light the way out.
And now, he’s different, but in the best way.
He’s smiling again, making jokes, enjoying being around others. I’m so proud of him.
“Great, I’m glad to hear that. I’ve been impressed with the work that you’ve been doing. For your first client, I know it wasn’t an easy one,” Greg says.
“No, it wasn’t. But I loved the journey. That’s my favorite part. Helping someone in need and being able to see the change at the end. It’s why I do what I do.”
“I’m glad to hear that too, because I have your next client offer. You’ve been doing wonderful with Zayn’s campaign, and I’d love to officially offer this to you.”
“Oh, um, great.” I stumble over my words.
I knew this was coming, but I thought I could receive information via email. Somewhere that I could process the information in private before having to talk to anyone. Even though this is what I’ve been working for, part of me doesn’t want it. I want to stay with Zayn.
Greg slides a folder across the table. I take it and flip it open, finding a profile about the client, some other specifics, and the contract length. One year, New York, for a B-List celebrity, with possible extension if needed.
“As you see,” Greg talks as I look over the papers, “we only have lower-level clients in New York at this time. People I believe to be more in your skill set level. They mostly need help with talking at events now that a recent movie they were in has had record-breaking numbers.”
“There’s no one here? In Los Angeles?” I have a hard time believing that out of the 3.8 million people living here, that there isn’t one celebrity that needs our help.
“At this moment, no. All prospects have been taken by more experienced colleagues,” Greg says as if I should have known that.
“Oh,” I say.
This is when I should speak up for myself, tell him that I think I did an incredible job with Zayn’s campaign, that because of me, he’s changed for the better. That I did my fucking job and should be rewarded for it.
But I don’t.
My eyes drift back down to the papers and I stay silent, shocked, stunned, in a state where I don’t know what to say.
“Just a reminder, I need to know by the end of the year if you’re going to accept this contract,” Greg says, breaking me out of my trance.
“Oh,” I say again.
I’m backed into a corner, and I can’t find my way out. I want to scream, cry, beg for a contract to stay here. This isn’t how my life is supposed to go. All of the puzzle pieces are finally finding their way together.
“Again, I don’t need to know right now. Let me know within the next few weeks. Take some time to think it over.”
I don’t notice Greg leave the room until the door clicks shut. There is an eerie silence; the fact that I could either take this contract or lose my job looming on the horizon has me on edge.
Somehow, I get to my feet and walk to my office, keeping my head down. If I try not to think about New York, I won’t cry.
“How did it go?” James’ voice makes me jump when I see them, already sitting in the chair in front of my desk.
I slam a hand to my chest and say, “How long have you been there?”
I walk around to the other side of the desk, slamming my bag to the floor and plopping down in the chair. I sulk my head forward, catching it with both hands.
“Not too long, but I wanted to make sure I was here for you.”
The smell of roasted coffee reaches my nose, and I peer up to see James sliding me a cup.
“Bless you, I need this.” I grab the coffee and breathe in the calming scent, the warmth of the cup bleeding into my hands.
“So, how did it go?” they ask again, not letting me talk myself out of this.
“Not well. He still said the only available contract is in New York. Nothing else is locally available.” I offer a wry smile, knowing I don’t have much else to give at this time. My body is still in shock from the meeting.
“Seriously? That can’t be right.”
“That’s what I thought. Am I that bad at my job?”
“Annie, no. You are great at your job, and I know that this is your first client, but you’ve made a huge difference.
That’s what we do. We pick up someone, put them back together, show the media the same, and then collect the paychecks along the way.
I don’t know anyone that knows the media like you do, and remember I’ve been here for a while.
” James gives me a knowing look, and I know they’re not lying to me. They wouldn’t.
“Well, I don’t know what to do. I either accept this contract, or I’m done working at Starlet”
“Wait, lose your job? Why would you lose your job?” James asks, eyes wide with shock.
“This was only a trial client. I feel like I spent all this time, giving all I had, and now when I need something in return, nothing is coming.”
I shift in my seat, leaning back into the chair, crossing my arms over one another. I follow that by taking a huge sigh. My chest is tight, and my heart beats faster than I can comprehend, and I don’t know what I’m going to do.
“I’ll figure it out though,” I say, plastering a smile on my face. My feet plant flat on the floor, grounding me as I lean forward in my chair, changing my posture to not be so relaxed.
“I’m here if you need me. Even if you just need someone to listen to you, I’m here. You know that, right? ” James asks. “And if you want me to make some calls or be your reference, just let me know.”
“Thank you. I appreciate it.” I smile again, but I know James can see through it now.
But they don’t push me. They don’t ask me to talk about it, even though I wish they would. I wish James would press, get me to talk, even though that’s not the type of friendship we have.
Within minutes they’re out the door, and I’m all alone in my office. It’s just me and my thoughts, which at this time in my life, is never good.
I don’t know what I’m going to do, but it’s not going to be staring here at my computer screen, waiting for a magical email to hit my inbox with a new job offer.
It doesn’t work like that. I’ve wanted this career for as long as I could remember.
Hell, just five years ago I was still spending hours on gossip sites and celebrity chat boards.
I was obsessed with finding the news from the latest celebrities, and when I landed the internship at Starlet, it was a literal dream come true.
To think that it might all crumble is enough for me to spiral. But before I can dig myself into a hole, there’s a knock on my door. Then, a click letting me know it’s open, and a click to let me know it’s shut.
“Annie,” a familiar voice speaks.
My eyes look up to meet Zayn’s as he strolls toward me. He’s dressed in a casual outfit, a simple t-shirt with a pair of jeans and a baseball cap, backwards, which is new to see, but it makes me smile. He’s so different from when I first met him, and I momentarily forget about everything going on.
“Hi, Z.”
Then the tears fall, and fall. Zayn kneels down next to me, pulling my shoulders toward him, enveloping me into a hug.
“Shh, it’s okay,” he whispers, stroking my hair and rubbing my back. “It’s okay, sweetheart.”
“It’s. Not,” I cry, my words barely audible between my cries.
“We’ll talk about it later. We don’t need to talk about it right now. Right now, I’m here for you, to tell you I’m here for you.”
“How—how are you e—even here?”
“James texted Todd, who texted me, and I just so happened to already be on my way to take you out to lunch.”
I nod and smile in his direction, realizing I should have known that he would do this.
Regardless of what happens with us, I know that I will forever treasure this time we have had together.
To have someone I care for so deeply in a short amount of time, to have one person to lean on during a time like this.
If things don’t work out, if I end up moving to New York, then I know that I will always have had this time in my life where this wonderful man never left my side.