“And I’m sorry that it’s taken this long to tell you, but I wanted to do it in person because you’ve been such a great intern and I’ve been away on a press trip. An email seemed too impersonal,” she says, her hands clasped together in front of her on the desk. “I want to reiterate, Harper, that you have been a fantastic addition to the team and I have no doubt that you will make it in this industry. But in this instance, we felt Ryan was just that bit better suited to the role.”
I nod. “I understand.”
“I promise you I will give you a glowing reference. We’re going to miss your sunshiny personality around here!”
“Thanks,” I say, managing a smile. “And thank you for the opportunity.”
I leave her office, distraught but determined to be happy for Ryan. I know that if it was the other way round, he’d do the same for me. He deserves this job, maybe more than I do, and he’s going to be brilliant at it. I can’t resent him for that. I don’t want toresent him for that. I don’t know what we are yet, but we seem to besomething.For the last couple of days, he’s been grabbing me for secret kisses in the kitchen when no one’s looking, sending me flirtatious messages while sitting right next to me, and making me honey tea each afternoon at exactly three o’clock. Every morning I’ve been waking up excited to see him.
It’s both strange and wonderful how quickly and easily I’ve allowed myself to be completely consumed by my feelings for him.
I decide to go straight over to congratulate him. He was called to Martha’s office right before me, so he’ll know I didn’t get the job, and, no matter how happy he is that he’s got it, I’m sure he’ll be worrying about my reaction.
Before I get over to our desks, Celia catches me on her way to the kitchen and insists I join her, looping her arm through mine.
“I’m so sorry, Harper, I really was rooting for you,” she says, stopping by the kettle and giving me a hug. “If it was up to me, you would have been the clear winner.”
“Thanks, Celia. That means a lot.”
“If anything comes up atFlair,I’ll be in touch, okay?”
I smile, reaching for her hand and squeezing it. “That’s so kind of you, thanks.”
She sighs. “If you want my personal opinion—and I’m only saying this because we’re both leaving—I think Martha should have taken a bit more time with the decision-making process, you know? It’s like she made a snap decision, and I’m sure it will bite her in the arse. She’s going to regret not keeping you on.”
“Thanks, but it wasn’t exactly a snap decision,” I point out. “It took her almost five days to tell us.”
“No, she told Ryan on Friday evening, like half an hour after your interview,” she informs me, rolling her eyes. “Although, I do have some good news for you. Have you seen the paper today? Your picnic piece is in there! So that’s something. Your first byline! Exciting, right?”
I freeze. She must be mistaken. Ryan couldn’t have known this whole time. He couldn’t have. It would be too…humiliating.She must have gotten that wrong.
Leaving Celia in the kitchen, I walk toward our desks, slowly at first, but then I break into a determined march, desperate to hear Ryan deny what she’s just told me. He looks up from his screen as I appear next to him and looks pained.
“Harper—”
“Did you find out on Friday?”
He blinks at me, taken by surprise. “W-what?”
“Did you find out about the job on Friday, Ryan?”
His eyes drop to the floor. He doesn’t say anything. He doesn’t have to. I know what that means. I turn on my heel and walk away from him, overwhelmed by the need to get out of that building.
“Harper, wait,” he says, hurrying to keep up with me as we pass the reporters too busy with their stories to notice another spat between the interns. I don’t bother to wait for the elevator, not wanting to be in such close quarters with him, so I race down the stairs, bursting into the lobby and through the swivel doors out into the cold where it’s started to drizzle.
“Harper,” I hear him call out behind me as I quickly wipe the tears from my cheeks, “please listen to me. I couldn’t tell you—”
“You lied to me. This whole time, you lied. Do you know how mortifying this is? How embarrassed I feel right now? I was lying in your bed talking about how much the job meant to me and… the whole time youknew.”
“I’m so sorry,” he says, desperately trying to grab my hand as I recoil from him. “I’m sorry. She called me on Friday night, and I knew if I told you, you wouldn’t want to spend time with me. And we were finally having fun together. If I’d said anything, you would have left that pub straightaway, I know it.”
“Oh my god, that phone call you got at the pub.” I push my damp hair away from my eyes as it starts sticking to my foreheadfrom the rain. “You knew then, before we’d even ordered our drinks.”
“Please forgive me, Harper, she told me not to say anything, that she wanted to tell you herself. It was horrible keeping this from you, but I—”
“You spent the whole weekend lying.”
“No!”
