If she’s still reaching for the door, then I’ll slam it shut.
I have loved her too well to leave anything to chance.
THIRTY
olivia
I wake slowly,surfacing for the second time this morning.
I had stirred earlier, half-caught between sleep and consciousness. Nathaniel had drawn me back with the soft drag of his mouth along my shoulder, his voice brushing against my skin with low, unguarded endearments he saves for early hours. His knuckles skimmed my jaw, gentle and intent, as if coaxing me was a pleasure in itself. He told me to rest a little longer, that he’d take care of breakfast, and something in the way he said it eased me right back under.
Today is Saturday, our last full day in New York before we fly back to Boston, and the thought sits in my chest with a strange blend of calm and anticipation.
Of course, the fact that we managed to skip an entire week of classes in the middle of the semester without consequence still amazes me.
Yes, we were ahead on coursework, butonlyNathaniel could make an academic calendar bend to his will, as if Halford answered directly to him.
Tonight, we’ll be having dinner with his parents, and the ease with which that settles over me now feels almost unreal. Somuch has shifted in such a short time. In the space of one week, I’ve slipped into something that resembles belonging—genuine and unexpected.
It’s impossible not to compare it to the first time we left this city after winter break.
Back then, my head had been a crowded place—our future, my plans, the distance between what I wanted and what I feared.
Now, that fog has cleared. Everything that was once tentative has taken shape. I’ll be coming back with him after graduation. I’ll be joining Baxter in Manhattan. I’ll build a life beside him, and the certainty of that settles inside me with a conviction that feels wholly my own.
Today, I will write to Castor & Wyatt to formally decline their offer.
A part of me wonders if he’s sensed the shift in me too. He has a way of reading the currents beneath my moods, catching the slightest change in how I breathe around him, and yesterday he felt…different. More buoyant. As if he’d caught wind of a decision I hadn’t voiced.
Last night, after he picked me up from Caldwell Tower, we ended up cocooned inside his apartment with tacos we abandoned halfway through and a movie neither of us truly watched.
The moment I leaned into him, his hands settled on me with that hunger he gets when he wants more than he says—fingers slipping under the hem of my shirt, the heat of his palm urging me closer until I was straddling his lap without even thinking about it.
We kissed for so long the room seemed to tilt around us, our breaths catching in the spaces between touches that kept drifting lower. The couch moved beneath us with each shift of my hips, every drag of his mouth along my throat, and I allowed myselfto sink into it. It felt natural to let myself be lost in him without questioning what came next.
I reach for my phone out of habit, expecting the usual mindless scroll before I make myself get out of bed. I find two new email notifications, both unexpected enough to make me pause.
The first is from Castor & Wyatt.
I frown.
From:[email protected]
To:Olivia Bennett
Subject:Update on Your Offer – Castor & Wyatt London
Dear Ms. Bennett,
I hope this message finds you well.
I am reaching out regarding the communication you recently received from me concerning the International Management Associate Program.
Following an internal review, we identified a system error that incorrectly flagged the vacancy as open, which resulted in the offer being extended to you incorrectly. Please accept my sincere apologies for this oversight and for any disappointment caused by this miscommunication.
To clarify, the position in question is no longer available, and we will not be able to proceed further at this time. This administrative mistake does not reflect on your qualifications or candidacy in any way.
We appreciate your understanding and wish you continued success in your future career pursuits.
