I watched as it went from Sent to Delivered and then to Read. As usual, he didn’t respond. The entire routine was sort of comical at this point, and maybe a little sad.
I shoved my cell into my pocket and headed to the subway. I didn’t have to turn around to know Marcus hadjoined me for the walk. Usually he stayed almost a full block behind me. Sometimes I walked fast and tried to lose him, but then I’d inevitably see him getting out of the subway car next to mine.
I did my regular routine once I got to the office, making a coffee and going to listen to the daily briefing. To my surprise, today Jagger was already in the conference room when I arrived. He was in the middle of a conversation with Will Twible, the director of the algorithm-engineering division, but his eyes latched onto me as I entered.
I looked away, not giving him the satisfaction of thinking I was still pining over him, even if I was, and I was thrilled to see Jack standing on the other side of the room. Normally I kept my distance from him when I could, because I knew his interest was more than as a friend or coworker, and I didn’t want to lead him on. But today I approached with an overfriendly smile and made sure to touch his arm more than once as we chatted and waited for the meeting to start. When I chanced a glance back over at the boss, Jagger’s eyes were searing into me.
Good. Serves you right.
The meeting began, and the boss shared the news that Apex had reached an agreement with the DOJ. Everyone clapped and cheered, including me. Even if I wanted Jagger to suffer on a personal level, I admired everything he’d built and how hard he’d worked. While he spoke, I couldn’t help but notice that he didn’t look so good. His normally tanned skin was sallow, and dark circles rimmed his eyes. He was probably just exhausted from the chaos at the office and at home, but it hurt to see him looking that way.
After Jagger finished, a few more executives gave updates, and then the daily fifteen-minute briefing broke up.
“Are you going to happy hour tonight?” Jack asked as we shuffled with the crowd toward the door.
I wasn’t feeling very happy, and a heavy heart didn’t mix well with alcohol, yet I shrugged. “I’m not sure.”
“Sutton?” A voice called. I turned to find Will waving me over. “Could you hang back a minute?”
“Uh-oh,” Jack teased. “Are you getting in trouble with the teacher?”
“I hope not.”
The room continued to empty out, and I waited as Will made his way over. Unfortunately, Jagger was by his side. Once they got to me, Jack waved goodbye. “I hope you come tonight.”
Without turning, I felt Jagger’s eyes burning into me and forced a smile at Jack. “Actually, I think I might.”
“Excellent.” Seeming completely oblivious to the scowl on the boss’s face, Jack waved to him too. “Congrats on working things out with the DOJ, boss. Have a good day.”
Not surprisingly, Jagger didn’t reciprocate the well wishes. Up close, he looked even worse than he had from a distance. His eyes were bloodshot and puffy, like he’d been drinking, and I was pretty sure he’d lost weight. Though even at his worst, he was still a ridiculously attractive man, and my body felt a physical pull toward him.
Once the last person left the room, Will smiled. “I have some good news for you.”
“Oh?”
“Apex has selected you for their executive training program. Congratulations.”
My mouth dropped open. “What?”
Will shoved his hands into his pockets and laughed. “Don’t look so surprised. You’ve impressed my entire team. You’ve taken the lead on projects. You’re confident in yourabilities without being arrogant, and you’re adaptable and goal oriented. Not to mention...” He thumbed toward the man standing next to him and smirked. “You can kick this guy’s ass in solving complex equations.”
I looked at Jagger. We both knew that last part wasn’t true. But like any other time he’d been near me in the last few weeks, he averted his eyes.
“I…I don’t know what to say.”
Will’s smile widened. “Well, I’m hoping you’ll say yes.”
My head was spinning. I hadn’t given the executive training program much thought since I started. And it was certainly the last thing on my mind lately.
“When do I need to let you know?”
“The deadline is the fifteenth, so only about a week.”
I didn’t want to come off as ungrateful, so I forced a smile. “Thank you so much for selecting me. I guess I’m just a little shocked.”
“You shouldn’t be. It’s well deserved.” Will patted my shoulder. “I have to run to another meeting, but congratulations. HR will be reaching out to discuss the details of the program and salary with you soon.”
Jagger’s eyes flickered to me. “Congratulations.”
