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“Ashanti—”
The call ends abruptly.
She is gone.
* * *
Unsettledby the morning’s events, I throw myself into meetings with the admin team. That keeps me occupied until Dejonae stomps into the foundation after her class. She does not take a seat at her desk. Instead, she pulls some files from the center, tucks it under her arm and plods to the elevator.
I do not chase her.
Until I sort through what I feel for her and what it will mean if I pursue those feelings, I will give her space.
My computer pings with a new alert.
An email update from Adam.
I browse through the data and start to click away when I remember Dejonae’s words.
‘Why don’t you reply? A simple acknowledgement can go a long way.’
Clearing my throat, I tap the reply button.
Thank you, Adam. Received.
“Can something that small really make a difference?” I muse. With a shrug, I move on to another file.
My phone rings.
The moment I pick up, Adam’s voice blasts in my ear, “Sneeze twice if you need me to call the police.”
I sit in stunned silence.
“Come on, Sazuki. Have you been taken hostage or what?”
“You must have a lot of time to waste today,” I say, clicking to a data spreadsheet.
“You replied to an email.”
“And?” I mutter.
“You never reply to emails.”
“That alone warranted a call?”
“I spoke to Nova about it. She agreed that if someone randomly changes their bad habits, they’re probably about to die.”
I chuckle. “Change does not always mean death.”
“No, but a drastic change out of nowhere? That has a deeper cause. People tend to only realize what’s important when it’s too late.”
His words strike me. I take a moment to absorb them.
“Since I have you on the line, Sazuki, there’s another matter I wanted to discuss. It’s about the MTB’s batteries.”
We go back and forth about the details, battling the pros and cons of rechargeable batteries versus removable batteries.
“We will use the removable batteries then,” I say finally.
