Chapter eleven
SIERRA
The tall building rises above me, all sleek and modern. Its reflective glass is catching the morning light, and I can hardly believe that this day is finally here.
I hesitate in front of the sliding doors, running my palms down the sides of my skirt in a nervous attempt to smooth out invisible creases. I draw a slow breath, then step inside.
The lobby is bright, almost clinical, and my heels click softly against the polished floor. With slight trepidation, I approach the reception desk where a young man in formal clothes is seated, tapping at a keyboard furiously.
"Good morning," I say with a polite smile, trying to appear more confident than I feel. "I'm here for a job interview."
His blue eyes widen with recognition and slight and relief. "Oh, thank God," he says, practically leaping to his feet. "I've been waiting for you since eight."
I blink. "Was I supposed to be here earlier?"
"No, no, not at all," he says quickly, waving a hand like he's swatting the idea away. My nerves ease immediately. "I just wanted to be the one to take you up to the boss."
He leans closer, lowering his voice. "See Kiki over there?" He nods toward a nearby desk. I follow his gaze to a brunette woman shooting daggers in our direction. Her perfectly arched brow is raised, more towards him over anybody else.
"She looks... angry," I whisper, looking back at the blond man.
"Yeah. Because I won the bet," he says smugly. "We made a deal. Whoever gets the first candidate gets bragging rights. And that's me." He sticks out a hand. "I'm Leo, by the way."
I shake it, amused by the affability. "Sierra."
"You nervous?" he asks as we start walking. I follow him down the hall, seeing his casual demeanor as he strides with his hands in his dress pants pockets.
"A little."
"Don't be. The boss is great. She's got this way of making everyone feel like they've known her forever. Honestly, nothing to worry about."
"I hope not. It would be tragic to screw up before I even sit down."
"Not a chance," Leo says confidently. "If you weren't qualified, you wouldn't even be in the building. Trust me."
"Well, thanks for the confidence boost." I offer a little smile, feeling my nerves ease up slightly.
"Happy to help." We reach the end of the hallway. "Okay, this is you. Just wait here and someone will call you in soon. I'll let them know you've arrived. Good luck!"
He shoots me a thumbs-up as he backs away, only to collide with a passing employee. The man's coffee goes flying, landing with a splatter on the floor.
"Oh shi—I mean—sorry Henry!" Leo blurts out, spinning around with his hands in the air.
The older man mutters something unfriendly as he crouches to clean up the mess. Leo looks back at me with an exaggerated wince and a sheepish grin. I can't help but smile a little, covering my mouth as I take a seat.
Shaking my head, I flip through the papers in my hands, everything fading into focused anticipation.
Twenty minutes passes, and then, finally,my name gets called. With another deep breath, I rise from the seat, turn the doorknob, and step inside.
It's now or never.
??????
My feet are already killing me as I get some fresh air in my lungs again after stepping out to the sidewalk. The interview went well. At least I think so. All I have to do now is wait and relax. The worst is already over.
Kyle is coming to my place for dinner later, so I grab some groceries on my way home.
But as I'm walking down the street, I spot Elias.
He's standing in front of a restaurant, wearing a crisp shirt and a pair of black dress pants which is not something he's usually in, but I welcome the sight anyway.
My heart jumps from how good he looks.
I'm about to go up to him and say hi, but I stop myself upon noticing a woman cutting me to it. I watch as she gets to his side, effortlessly graceful, and wraps her hand around his arm with no hesitation. The action roots me in place.
She's striking. Her features are sharp and her narrow dark eyes stand out the most because of a distinct cat-like shape, accentuated by a natural double lid.
She's wearing an elegant black dress, paired up with red bottoms and a long coat wrapped around her shoulders as she tightly grips on her purse at the front.
Her lips turn up into a smile as she greets him, but Elias only nods, says something I can't hear, and the two of them disappear into the restaurant together.
My breathing becomes shallow, and a strange feeling floods all over me. Seeing someone else being this close to him, touching him... it's causing me discomfort. It's more jarring that I care to admit, and the tightening in my chest is way worse than I'd like it to be.
I bitterly suck my lower lip inwards and turn away, deciding to get away from here.
I'm being silly.
He doesn't owe me anything.
And yet, it's not easy accepting that he moved on so fast. A lot faster than I initially expected him to.
Shaking my thoughts away, I get back to my apartment with slight distress. I try to tune out my thoughts with humming a song on repeat and starting with my preparations for dinner.
A good hour slips by before I remember to pick up my mail from the letter box, and I bring the usual junk mail uppstairs to place it on my kitchen table. I briefly look through the flyers before an envelope catches my eye.
My brows scrunch with confusion as I see my name scribbled at the front, but I open it with curiosity.
Then my heart drops.
It's a wedding invitation.
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