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We pulled up outside the building, and I swiped my card to pay the driver, declining a receipt and bounding out of the vehicle and up the stairs, halting at the doors.
Would he even be here?
Maybe he sent Frank?
I had come rushing over here like some romantic fool, but what would I even say?
My fingers drummed against my upper thigh as I stood by the front doors. The building was open, and when I took some steps backward and glanced up, the occasional window was lit with a late-night worker getting in some final hours as the evening closed in. Evidently, I loitered out the front for too long, and the security guard came outside and walked toward me.
“Everything okay here, sir?”
I almost smirked.Sirwas said with a tone that implied he was purely being polite but made clear he felt I shouldn’t be here at all. “I’m here to see an old friend,” I blurted out, immediately correcting my tone as I continued, “It’s been a while. I’m nervous.”
“Who are you here to see?”
“Mike Conner.”
“It’s after office hours, but if you give me your name, I can call up.”
Hesitating, I nodded slowly and followed him to his desk, where he punched something into the panel. The second Mike’s voice came through the small speaker, I tensed, then relaxed, then tensed again. I wanted to pace or run up the stairs or run away, but I needed to get moving because standing still was torture.
“Yes, Eric?” Mike said, voice slightly crackling at the beginning of the question with static.
“I have someone here to see you… says he’s an old friend.”
“Who is it?”
The guard looked at me. “Who are you?”
“Jacob Macintyre.”
Eric went to repeat the name, and Mike’s voice crackled through, “I heard.”
There was silence, and Eric looked at me, the silence growing awkward. “Shall… shall I send him up?” Eric questioned.
There was more silence, then finally, achingly.
“Yes.”
“Very well, sir.” Thesirhe gave Mike was genuine, and so he should. Mike deserved his respect. Eric pointed to the elevators to my left and handed me a swipe card. “Swipe this, then level twenty-two. Bring the card back on your way out.”
Nodding, I accepted the card as he scribbled my name in a sign-in book, my hand trembling as my fingers closed around the plastic, and I shuffled my way to the elevator. All my nervous energy seemed to have diminished into simply nerves, and I paced the elevator car as it moved smoothly upward, using the last few seconds to check my hair in the mirror.
“Shit,” I muttered, seeing the giant smear of grease on my forehead. No wonder the guard was looking at me funny. “Shit, shit.” As I went to wipe it, the smear only increased, thinning it out but taking up a larger section of skin. I was still muttering and wiping at my face when the elevator dinged politely, and I rushed out before the doors closed, moving down the hallway and through a glass door with the company name proclaimed in elegant black text.
The office was silent, and unsure where to go, I took a few tentative steps in.
Man, how did I work in places like this? Just being back in an office made me feel out of place.
“Jacob.”
I stopped and turned, seeing Mike at the end of the hallway. His voice was smooth and dark, and I trembled slightly, excitement once again pulsing through me. I’d forgotten what his voice could do to me. He beckoned me, and I walked toward him, trying not to look as nervous as I felt. Why was I even nervous? He had leftme.But that was just the point, wasn’t it? Mike had leftme.Was I in some way ignoring his wishes by showing up when he had already made his position clear?
Mike didn’t look angry, and his neutral expression turned into a smirk as I approached, his eyes flickering to my forehead. The moment struck me as so obscure I simply grinned back, my shoulders relaxing as I followed him, stepped into his office, and sat in one of the luxurious chairs opposite his desk. I expected him to move around the desk and sit in his chair, but instead, he came and sat in the chair next to me, on the edge and leaning forward to rest his elbows casually on his knees. He studied me for a moment, and I was pleased there was no malice in his eyes, no anger at my being here, only curiosity and a hint of sadness.
“I missed you,” I blurted out, and Mike’s eyebrows shot up.
“I missed you too.” The simple confession took my breath away for a beat, and I cleared my throat.
