Is there anything more embarrassingly unprofessional than having your bossknowyou’ve forgotten his name?
“It’s Lyrius Havington.”
And why am I even surprised at how perfectly elegant his given name is? He’s the firstLyriusI’ve ever known, and it’s very...it’s very him. Very tall, dark, and handsome-ish and—
Stop thinking inappropriate things, Kyara Dunn!
I clear my throat.
Focus, Kyara!
“I’m sorry, Mister—um, Mr.Havington.” I have to force myself to repeat his name, and it’s exactly as I feared. Even his name on my lips sounds...forbidden. Like I’m already crossing a line that an employee is never supposed to cross.
“I...I truly think there’s been a mistake.”
I focus on the inkwell on his desk like my life depends on it. Which, to be honest, it kinda does. I just have a hard time concentrating with his eyes on me—
“And why would that be?”
While my boss speaks with that equally distracting accent of his, and—argh.What did he just ask again? Something about—oh, right, he’s asking why I think this is a mistake, and of course it’s because—
“Why would that be, you ask?” I feel like shrinking into nothing as I find myself repeating what he’s just said...which I only do when I’m incapable of saying the truth, but since I also know I’m equally incapable of lying—
Think, Kyara!
“It’s because...”
What excuse can I give that’s true but also not true?
“It’s because you’re really good-looking—”
How do you do it, Kyara?
“And I’m afraid my boyfriend might be jealous about you?”
How can you be so good at making things worse for yourself?
Lyrius
Did she just say she has a fu—
My fingers slowly...start...drumming a beat on my desk. It’s what I do when something unexpected happens, and the unexpected is something I completely abhor.
Like the fact that the girl who shouldn’t be my type...is already dating someone else.
Which is another thing Ishouldn’tgive a shit about, but that’s where we are now, and...
I know it’s been half a minute, but I’m still drumming my fingers.
“A boyfriend, you say.”
I take the folder containing her files from H.R. I flip through it like I’m trying to find something when in truth I’ve already memorized everything. “According to your personal records, you previously indicated that you weren’t in a relationship.”
The words make her squirm in her seat, and I can feel a muscle start ticking in my jaw at the sight. Why the heck is she squirming? Is it because she’s so damn in love that she can’t even bear talking about the boy she’s dating?
“Are you now admitting to having lied—”
She sits up in visible shock. “No—no, it’s n-not...I didn’t lie.”
