Leyla
I wasin my office on a conference call with Luke as Jaz furiously took notes on her tablet when I felt a headache coming on.
“We’re removing the word ‘clinical’ until the claim is substantiated. I don’t want legal risk buried in marketing copy. Please update the label before they ship, no matter the cost,” I said firmly.
“It will be taken care of immediately,” Vanessa said on the other end of the phone.
“I appreciate it. Thanks for your cooperation.” A few minutes later, the call ended. It had lasted almost an hour, and I was mentally ready for a break.
“I’ll start working on this now. Let me know if you need anything,” Jaz said, squeezing my hand before she left.
“Thanks. Appreciate it.” Blowing out a long breath, I rubbed my temples. Hoping to stave off the pain, I closed my eyes.
“Still don’t want to talk about it?” I jolted, having forgotten Luke was on the sofa nearby.
“Are you a ninja or what? And nope. Not now, anyway.”
I heard the cushions creak as he stood up and walked closer. “Sofia is really sorry she pushed you two the other night. She,we, really thought it was a good idea at the time.”
“I told you both already it was fine,” I said, slowly opening my eyes, but not for the first time wishing there were blinds on the wall of windows in my office. I was going to have to work somewhere else today.
“You were so upset you left without even eating. Did he at least explain his side?” my best friend asked, concern coloring his voice.
It was true. I stood outside in their backyard for a long time, replaying that conversation in my head, trying to make sense of it. Then I told them I wasn’t in the mood for dinner, hugged them, and left.
“Yeah, he did. Maybe getting your perspective might help,” I answered, leaning my elbows on my desk as he sat across from me.
“I hope it will. Hate seeing you so upset, goofball,” he quipped, making me relax a bit.
Blowing out a long breath, I answered, “Basically, he said he was sick, got an email from Logan’s TA asking for documentation for my findings. When I didn’t answer multiple emails, he did his own digging and found a former student’s report. The one that matched mine down to the last detail. Not only the solution but the exact experimentation, chemical reactions, steps taken, all of it.”
“I remember now. It’s rare for that to happen, but I know you, and you’d never copy someone else’s work.”
“Exactly! Niko and I were friends, colleagues. He knew my work ethic. Knewme. But he went to Logan alone, looking out for himself. He should’ve waited for me, found me. Something. I had been warned that he would do anything to keep his GPA,but I didn’t believe them. My phone had died, but when I got a little charge back and saw Logan’s urgent email, I rushed over.” I threw my hands up in frustration.
The movement made me slightly dizzy, and I regretted it instantly. Great. A migraine was all I needed.
“Don’t burn my flesh off with your laser eyes, but didn’t you say Logan mentioned how pale Niko looked and had almost passed out at that meeting?”
“Who are you?Sherlock?” I asked, my annoyance growing.
“I’d look great in that hat, but no. It’s been a long time, but the pieces are coming back. I have no idea what the deal is with him and emails, but it seems clear to me now. But if Niko wanted to throw you under the bus, he had the opportunity. Hold on,” he said when I tried to interrupt him. “Yes, he gave him the documentation up to the point where you found the solution because that’s all he had. He was defending you both on your mutual findings with all he had at the moment.”
My head hurt just thinking about how I might have gotten this wrong. I softened my tone. “He did say he was willing to take the blame with me if it came down to that. Logan never told me that. All he cared about was me explaining what I’d found. He was livid and I was just lucky it was him and not someone else. Logan had always been fair.”
Luke shrugged. “Sounds like a perfect storm. For what it’s worth, I believe him.”
He looked at me more closely. “Are you getting a migraine?”
I would’ve rolled my eyes if I weren’t worried that the migraine would make my head blow off the top of my body. That was ridiculous. All these years, I knew I had the correct narrative in my mind. But that same mind was now tripping over Luke’s perspective and Niko’s words.
“You. I did it for you. To protect you because I cared about you.”
Every time I thought of those words, a shiver ran down my spine and goosebumps rose on my arms. His eyes had blazed with emotion when he said them. It took great effort to ignore the feelings his words evoked and hold on to my righteous indignation.
Tapping my desk, he stood to leave. “Text me if you need to go home. I’ll hold down the fort.” Then he was gone, leaving me with my thoughts flitting around like a butterfly in the wind.
Hours later,tucked away in an empty office down the hall from my own that thankfully had no windows, I took a break and stretched my arms above my head. I’d retreated there for the day to stave off the migraine brewing from the glare in my office and to avoid going home if I could help it.
