As I sat back heavily in the chair, Luke made a face I couldn’t read. This was all very uncomfortable. I was already rethinking this career move. But I wasn’t going to give up within the first hour of this new job. Having watched my father navigate job after job, I promised myself to see this through.
“Nevertheless, I’m excited to be a part of the team. Earth Organix is exactly the kind of company I have wanted to work with for a long time.”
There. I can be nice even though she looked like she might wring my neck.
“Well, let’s get you started,” Luke said quickly. There was tension in the air that even I picked up on. “You’ve filled out all the paperwork with HR already. Appreciate you being so thorough, Niko. We’re usually running behind the new hires for a week to get them done. Right, Leyla?”
Narrowing her eyes at me, she answered, “Oh, Nick, sorry, I meanNiko,as you apparently go by now, is nothing if not thorough.”
I bit the inside of my cheek to keep from answering what was an obvious reference to what happened back in college. It had taken me weeks of us working together to fully understand her sarcasm. It didn’t come naturally to me, but that was sarcasm at its best.
My mother always said I had a long fuse when it came to getting angry, but Leyla was pushing past unprofessional and bordering on rude.
“Yes,Leyla. I do pride myself on seeing things through to their completion. I don’t know any other way. Following through is important to me. It keeps unexpected repercussions from happening.” My voice was calm but firm, something that only seemed to make the fire in those emerald eyes flare again.
I loved it. I hated it.
But one thing was clear: Leyla had declared war, and I wasn’t going to be the one to back down this time.
I wanted this job. But I also wanted to prove myself to her. Maybe if I showed her that I was strong enough to fight for her attention, even if it meant going head-to-head with her at work, she would see me as a person of worth.
I was already calculating the various ways to achieve this goal. There would no doubt be a pie chart being made that night.
CHAPTER FIVE
Leyla
Nine Years Earlier UC San Diego
“Um, hey, Leyla.”
I closed my textbook, trying to look calmer than I felt. I didn’t have to look up to know who had just said my name. I’d recognize that deep, velvety voice anywhere.
I wonder if he does any audiobook work?
Apparently lost in that little fantasy, I forgot he was still standing over me, whispering my name in the library. Chills ran down my spine, sparking something new inside.
“Leyla? Are you all right?” he whispered, leaning toward me where I sat.
My head popped up, making my hair start to fall from the short, messy bun I’d thrown it in earlier. “Sorry, hey, Nick. Was lost in some formulas.”
He smiled tentatively and went to sit down, as if he wasn’t sure he belonged there. Instead of his usual button-down shirts, he wore a midnight-blue polo shirt and a pair of dark-washjeans. On anyone else in San Diego, it would’ve looked odd in a sea of T-shirts and shorts, but he pulled it off well.
Realizing I was still staring, I flashed him a wide smile, hoping it would let him know he was welcome, but he stumbled over the chair leg, nearly knocking it over. The loud scrape was jarring in the quiet space.
Students glared in our direction, and I waved politely, mouthing “sorry” to those closest.
“Are you okay?” I asked, watching pink color his tanned skin. My poor heart stuttered in my chest, causing me to inhale loudly at the sight of it. I wasn’t sure what was happening, but I liked it. Seeing his cool, calm demeanor slip slightly, his adorable blush did something to me. Wow.
“Sorry. Did not s-see the chair leg,” he stammered, finally sitting down with a resigned sigh.
“You didn’t see the chair leg? You mean the same ones you’ve been sitting in for almost three years?” I teased, hoping to defuse whatever weirdness was going on again. But his only reaction was to look at me, brows low, eyes squinting.
Okay. Didn’t like jokes. Tough room.
He cleared his throat. Twice. “I was aware of the chair. I guess I just tripped.” Our whispering made the moment charged with a frenetic energy like we were sharing a secret.
“Nick, I was teasing you,” I said lightly, not understanding why he didn’t see what was so obvious.
