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He doesn’t respond. I look up at him to find out why, and he’s staring at me while clicking a pen in his hand.
He looks at Greta and says, “I’m going to need Ms. Bailey for a special project. As of today, you are free to work with HR to post two new job openings for your department.”
“So, I’ll be losing Quintessa?”
“She’ll still be in your department, but her focus will be directed mainly to other… efforts,” he explains.
“All right, sir.”
“That was all I needed for you, Mrs. Wilburn. You can go back to your desk while I fill Ms. Bailey in on her new assignment.”
“Okay,” Greta says, standing. “Well, congratulations, Quintessa.”
I don’t say anything in response to her and then she quietly leaves, closing the door behind her after she exits. And now I’m alone with him.
I look up at Essex, holding his gaze like it’s something physical in my arms. He finally breaks his silence saying, “Don’t stand there like you’re afraid of me, Quintessa. You can have a seat.”
“No. I’m good right here.”
He frowns, releases a slow breath, and says, “When I look at you, so many memories come to my mind. I remember when I first moved to Florida with my family. I didn’t want to go to high school because I knew the same thing would happen in Tallahassee that happened in Detroit—I would be picked on, spit on, teased and tortured simply for being who I was. And I was right. I remember you helping me pick up my books off the floor. Do you remember that?”
“Yeah.”
“I was shocked. I had no idea why this beautiful girl was talking to me. I thought it was a prank. That’s what I was used to. But that same day, in the cafeteria, I had nowhere to sit. I looked up and saw you waving me to your table. As I got closer, I didn’t see an extra chair, so how was I supposed to sit there and eat? But you stood up, gave me your chair, and sat on the floor since you were done with eating. Do you remember that?”
I nod, remembering it all.
“And then you asked me to go to prom with you and your friends. The pretty girl asked a loser to go to prom.”
He knows how to get to me. A tear slides out of my eye when I reply, “You weren’t a loser. Stop saying that.”
“I’m speaking my truth, Tessie, and I think you need to hear it, so listen to me. I never expected to go to prom. I never expected you to befriend me in any way. But you did, and it was genuine. You liked me. No, you didn’t like me. It wasn’tlike. It was love. You loved me. Am I right?”
I pinch the tears from my eyes.
He says, “If I’m not, just say so, but if I am…I need to know.”
“Yes, you’re right, Stewart.”
“Don’t call me that. I’m not Stewart anymore. My name is Essex.”
“Okay, then you’re not wrong,Essex. I did love you.”
A pained stare stalks me. He says, “You will never know how much it hurt when you left me.”
I raise a brow. “Left you?”
“You went to college.”
“So did you, Stew—Essex. We were starting our lives.”
“What life?” he yells, pushing away from his desk. He stands, rubs the back of his neck, and says, “I didn’t have one without you!”
“I couldn’t stay, Essex, and I couldn’t go with you. Trust me, if I could, I would have. Everything was already tied up with FSU.”
“I understand that. I do,” he says, pacing the area behind his desk. “I’m just telling you how much it hurt me. I never thought I would see you again, Quintessa, so when I started losing weight and gaining more confidence, I tried my hardest to replace you. I ran through so many women I lost count, but I could never duplicate that feeling I had when I was with you. That’s how I knew I had to find you. But I wanted to do one better. I wanted to be successful. I wanted you to be impressed with me and who I’ve become. After years of doing that – of reinventing myself – I hired a private investigator to find you. Then I connected with a recruiter to contact you for a job here and it worked out. You’re within my reach the way I wanted you, and you should know that I will fight for you, Tessie. I will fightyoufor you. I’ll climb whatever mountains I need to climb to get us back to where we once were. I’ll swim across oceans if it would bridge the distance that separated us since that day I lost you. I know all of this – thenewme – will take some getting used to, but I will not lose you again. It’s just not going to happen.”
I walk around his desk. His eyes follow me as I make the transition – walking closer to him. My heart steadily races at the thought that it’shim– after all these years.
