My phone screen splintered as tears pricked my eyes. In just the few seconds it had taken to read that cold, impersonal email, everything I’d worked so hard for crumbled right in front of me. I wasn’t even worthy of an explanation, just a rushed last-minute cancellation. A shove out of the line.
“June? Are you okay?” Mads asked, her voice filled with concern I could barely register.
Both her words and the ambient sound around me seemed to distort. I couldn’t tell reality from the nightmare anymore. I just needed to get out of here.
“They canceled on me.” I sounded as fractured as I felt. “I didn’t get in, they… my application was rejected.”
“What?”
I vaguely noticed Mads stood up. She was speaking in the background, asking questions, I think. But I couldn’t make out more than run-on syllables. I couldn’t see anything through the blur of my tears so it was a miracle I was able to run out of the cafe.
I had no memory of getting the cab or of walking up to our apartment. My fingers were numb on the set of keys I had waiting in my hand. Everything felt wrong, like someone had jammed together puzzle pieces that didn’t quite fit.
“June.”
I turned around, perplexed to see Ronan standing right outside the door. I hadn’t even seen him as I walked up here. I was about to ask him what he was doing when I saw the urgent expression on his face and fell silent.
“June, I know what happened with Muller & Co. It’s all my fault.”
28
~
Oren
I came over to June and Madison’s apartment the moment I heard about the disastrous non-interview. She’d been so upset over the phone that I had to see for myself that she was alright. Or at least, I wanted to be there to be able to comfort her
When she saw me, she broke down all over again. I took her into my arms, trying my best to comfort her, though it was far from my strong suit. I was a fixer, someone who turned to analytics to make decisions that would alleviate the burden. But for just once, I wished for Lucas’s optimism or Ronan’s silver tongue. I wished I knew exactly the right words to say to June, to take away the pain she was feeling.
But how was I supposed to do that when I knew just how bone-deep the torment ran when one was faced with losing everything they’d worked hard for? As much as I longed for it, there was no magic button to build that would fix this mess. And the thought of that simmered a rage inside of me that I tried my best to control.
When June had finally calmed down a bit, I moved her to the couch. She still laid in my arms and I stroked her back, my chin resting on the top of her head. Her body shuddered with residual sobs.
“This is all my fault,” she said bitterly, her voice raw with tears. “I did this to myself.”
“What are you talking about, sweetheart?” I asked gently. “How is this your fault? You didn’t even get the chance to prove yourself to them.”
“Ronan didn’t tell you?” She pulled back enough to look at me. Those pretty green eyes were even more striking through the glassiness of her tears. Her lip trembled. “William Johnson found out about us. I don’t know the details but I’m sure that’s why they canceled my interview. They probably wouldn’t want someone like me working for a company like Muller & Co.”
What?My thoughts started racing and I tried to get them in line, tried to figure out an immediate plan of action as the swell of rage I was suppressing only intensified.
June’s face crumpled and her shoulders began to heave. She was trying not to weep again. “The worst part is that it’s not just about me who fucked up my own life, Oren. I fucked yours up too. And Lucas’s and Ronan’s. It’s only a matter of time before the consequences of my stupidity reaches you guys too.”
I let go of her, knowing that if I stayed in this apartment and watched her cry any longer, I might end up making a far more reckless decision than the one I was going to settle on. But it was the combination of seeing June this upset and of having someone as weaselly as William Johnson be the cause of her suffering that propelled me off the coach.
I cupped her face, giving her chin a gentle but firm squeeze. “Stop talking crazy. None of that is going to happen.”
“But—” she began.
“I promise. Trust me,” I told her.
June settled upon hearing that. After everything we’d been through and everything we shared, all I needed was for her to put her faith in me once more. She looked confused but didn’t question it.
“I do trust you,” she whispered back.
I offered her a tight-lipped smile before turning around and leaving. I’d be back soon enough, right after I fixed this mess at the source. And this time, I didn’t plan on leaving anything up to chance.
*
