I was at the Singh Foods headquarters.
After a heartbeat of hesitation, I went in. My meeting with Maya wasn’t for another two days, but I had a temporary employee pass that was valid for the duration of our project.
I passed through security and took the elevators up to the executive floor. Everyone was used to seeing me around, and they were too busy with work to pay me much attention anyway.
The only person who stopped me was Ezra, her director of communications.
“Sebastian!” Surprise laced his voice. “I thought your meeting wasn’t until Friday.”
“It’s not, but I was in the neighborhood, and I needed a quiet place to work. Don’t tell anyone,” I added. “I know I’m only supposed to work on the collab when I’m here.”
His face cleared. “Don’t worry. Your secret’s safe with me.”
He didn’t ask any more questions, and I slipped into the office without further interruption.
Now that I was here, I knew why I’d instinctively come to Singh Foods’ headquarters, but I had to wait until everyone was gone.
I lingered, my attention snagging on the whiteboard in the corner. It was covered with notes from our last brainstorming session.
Most of it didn’t make sense. We’d hit a roadblock, and Maya had doodled a bunch of cats along the bottom in the hopes that it would boost her creativity. I couldn’t make the connection between the cats and creativity, but my lips curved at the memory.
It was the end of the workday, so I didn’t have to wait long before everyone cleared out. Once they did, I stepped into the hall and walked to Maya’s office. Like the rest of the floor, it was empty.
You never know when someone will be gone.
I blamed the heightened emotions of the day for what I did next.
I slipped in, retrieved the small box I’d kept in my pocket for months—for no reason other than I couldn’t let go of it—and placed it in her desk drawer. I closed it with a firm click and walked away before I changed my mind.
It might be three months too late… but I wanted her to have it anyway.
CHAPTER 19
Maya
THE HOLIDAYS WERE OVER IN THE BLINK OF AN EYE.Christmas was a big deal in my family, so the weeks between Thanksgiving and New Year’s were jam-packed with endless parties, dinners, and festivals.
By the time I emerged from the champagne-soaked revelry with a hangover and one missing heel (thank you, New Year’s Eve blowout bash at the Vault), I’d made up my mind: no more parent-arranged dates. I’d find my own.
My grandmother had been right. I’d gotten too comfortable with being alone, and it was time I pushed myself out of my comfort zone.
So, I went on dates. Lots of them, with men I met at the café and the bar and out jogging in Central Park. By the time February rolled around, I had a contact list filled with suitors, many of whom were duds, but there were a few I wouldn’t mind going on a second date with.
Honestly, it was already better than last year’s batting average.
However, that didn’t stop my stomach from coiling into knots as I walked into work on Friday. Sebastian and I had an in-personmeeting scheduled for—I checked my watch—right now. It would be our first face-to-face since my birthday, and though I’d tried to put him out of my mind since then, all my anxieties came rushing back to the surface as I approached our shared office.
Breathe. There’s nothing to be nervous about.
We weren’t on bad terms. Our emails were perfectly cordial, and we’d even exchanged virtual greeting cards on Christmas. But I couldn’t forget the echoes of what happened—
Stop it.
Last year was last year. It was time to put the past behind me—including whatever vibes IthoughtI’d felt with Sebastian.
I reached our office. I braced myself and twisted the knob, expecting to see Sebastian’s rumpled hair and lazy smirk waiting for me inside.
“Sorry I’m late. I—” I stopped. The room was empty.
