Priya
You've got this.
Nadia
Go show them what competence looks like.
Liv
Knock 'em dead.
I type back a quickI'm fine, even though my pulse is hammering against my throat.
I close my eyes and count backward from five. The elevator dings. The doors slide open.
I step outside and nearly walk straight into Tom.
My hand flies to my chest. "Tom! You scared me."
He grins. "Sorry. Morning."
"What are you doing here?"
"Escorting you to your office."
I blink at him. "You didn't have to do that."
He steps closer. His voice drops. "I know. But I couldn't do this in front of your office."
His arm slides around my back as he effortlessly tips me backward into a dramatic, sweeping dip. I let out a soft gasp of surprise, my hands instinctively flying up and sliding into his hair as his mouth covers mine.
I kiss him back, pulling him closer as the world tilts sideways. I forget where I am. I forget what building this is. I forget that I have a presentation in seventy-three minutes that will determine whether the last four months meant anything at all.
When he finally pulls back, I sway slightly.
His hand is still resting gently on my waist. "Still nervous?”
I blink. Once. Twice. My brain is trying to reconnect to my body. "I—what was I nervous about?"
The corner of his mouth lifts. "That's what I thought."
The knot in my chest has loosened. Not gone, but manageable. I can breathe again.
Tom steps back, lets his hand drop. "You're going to be incredible."
I nod. I don't trust my voice yet.
He gestures toward the door. "Subway?"
"Yeah," I say, "Subway."
***
"I'll take any questions you have."
I click to the final slide, lower the remote and look around the room. The floor-to-ceiling windows face east, and the sun cuts straight across the polished table, throwing hard shadows across the printed binders stacked in front of each Committee member.
I stand at the head of the table, waiting.
