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Idrove home in silence, thinking about our date and all that had transpired in such a short amount of time. When I signed up for the dating app, I never expected to find someone that I liked, let alone a person like Nathan. Though he was more image-conscious than I’d like—it would have been nice if he wanted to protectmefrom Daniella and not the public image of our relationship—he was unexpectedly awkward, wonderfully protective of me in a way that left me breathless. And what of our almost-kiss? I lost the ability to think coherently when I thought about it, touching my lips and letting my imagination run wild.
When I pulled into my driveway and turned off the car, I sat back in my seat and looked at the house. I had lived in this house my whole life, had seen it in all its many stages of renovation when I was younger. My mother was an artist, but she knew nothing about painting and renovating a house. Still, she attempted to paint the outside of the house a seafoam green with dark blue shutters. I remember the day she finished painting it. My dad and I stood outside on the front lawn, looking up at her handiwork. Finally, my dad had said, with much consternation,Phaedra, I don’t know if this is how it’s supposed to look.And we all laughed.
Finally, I got out of the car, making my way up the driveway with slow steps. While on the inside, I was giddy with the excitement of being with Nathan, my physical body was exhausted from the day’s activities.
I pulled out my keys, unlocking the door, then immediately toed off my shoes to put on the shoe rack. I searched for my phone in my bag so I could text Nathan.
Ciara:Hey! I’m home.
Nathan:Good ????Sweet dreams, pretty girl.
Ismiled.
While my conversation with Nathan on our froyo date was fun, it was the after-date that made my mind spin. As he leaned into the car to say goodnight, one singular thought, a silent demand, pushed its way to the forefront of my mind.
Kiss me.
I could picture us having a dream marriage. After I finished my animation degree, maybe we’d travel the world together, see all of the places I had only dreamed of: Italy, France, Bali. While we were traveling, we could fall madly, deeply in love. It would be no surprise to everyone that we would start trying to have children. Maybe I’d work from home so I could spend more time with the kids. Then, we could grow old together, see our kids and then grandkids grow up. It would be magical.
And just for a moment, as he leaned into my car, I envisioned it. A picture-perfect marriage.
I went through the motions of my bedtime routine before I climbed into bed. I couldn’t stop seeing my life with Nathan and all the possibilities, my mind racing with all the thoughts and the tension between what was and what could be. Finally, I drifted off into a tense sleep.
When I woke up the next day, blinking myself awake, I squinted at my window. The sun looked much different than it did at this time of day. I reached for my phone to see what time it was and gasped when I saw it.
Nine o’clock. I was already two hours late for work.
“Oh God,” I moaned. “Daniella’s gonna kill me.”
I leapt from the bed, racing to my closet to find something work-appropriate. My hands shook as I tore things from the hangers, quickly buttoning and snapping things into place without really seeing if they matched or were put on properly. I hurried to the bathroom to brush my teeth, then hopped in place, trying to put my shoes on. Grabbing my keys, I ran to my car and raced down the street at far above the speed limit.
When I got to campus and parked, I slammed the door and ran into work. Sometimes, I could sneak past Daniella, but today was not my lucky day. She was at the register, with two men I didn’t recognize, laughing and chatting. When she saw me, she narrowed her eyes before returning to her conversation.
I rushed to the back room, putting my things in my locker. Janine was back there, and she took the time—as she always did—to taunt me.
“Looks like Little Miss Perfect is late,” she sing-songed, flipping her waist-length braids over her shoulder. She puckered her lips while applying her lipstick, smacking them when she finished. The deep red of the lipstick stood out against her rich brown skin, and as always, I marveled at how beautiful—and evil—she was.
“Sucks to be you,” she continued in a sweet but malicious voice. “The COO decided to do the site visit early, and he was not happy.”
I frowned, and my heart began to race. Whenever Frederick, our COO, came, and he wasn’t happy with what he saw in our store, Daniella blamed me. “What was wrong?”
Janine shrugged, raising one perfectly done eyebrow. “Dunno,” she said, in a voice that indicated she knew more than she let on. “I’m sure Daniella will tell you about it soon.”
She closed her locker and giggled, the sound like venom, poisoning my soul. “Or maybe she’ll actually fire you this time,” she added, leaving the room.
I gulped, feeling my airway tighten with stress. I had never been fired from anything, had never made anyone unhappy with my work. Before Daniella, anyway.
I couldn’t afford to lose this job. I needed the money, even beyond paying for the animation program. Though my dad was a manager at Firehouse 61, he still needed help with bills. I paid for our utilities, but I couldn’t do that if I lost my job.
Quickly, I closed my locker and made my way out of the back room. But before I could get to the sales floor, Daniella called out, “Ciara—a word.”
As my stomach dropped down to my knees and I literally thought I was going to throw up, I walked to her office.She’s had words with me before without firing me,I assured myself.This will be no different.
But then again, I’d never been late on a day that the COO was there.
I reached the doorway of her office, knocking on the open door. “You wanted to see me?” I squeaked.
Daniella gestured toward the only other chair in her office. “Sit.”
