“Professor Lin,” I say.
“Unless you’re my student, call me Angelina.” She wears a floral scarf around her shoulders, and her hair is tied into a bun. She points to the chair and says, “Take a seat, if you’d like.”
“Is my interview with you?”
She shakes her head. “There’s no interview today.”
“But the woman on the phone told me—”
“Miscommunication,” she says with a wave of the hand. She turns toward the cabinet and grabs some papers, placing them on the desk in front of me. “Just fill this out and leave it here on the desk. Frank will take care of it in the morning.”
I stare at the paperwork and back at her. “I’m a little confused. Should I come back tomorrow for the interview?”
“What’s there to be confused about?” she asks. “I said there’s no interview. A referral from me is all you need.”
“A referral?”
“You can thank Kevin for that,” she says, pushing up the rim of her glasses. “Speaks very highly of you.” She closes the cabinet.
I’m not sure what to say. I didn’t expect him to actually get me a job. Especially after my behavior at his event the other day. Not to mention the fact that he’s not with Jasmine anymore. I’ll have to figure out a way to thank him later.
I grab a pen from the desk and fill out the forms. This might not be the job of my dreams, but it’s a step above washing dishes for Mr. Antonio. I mean, the Chicago Theater is a great name on a resume, even if I’m only selling tickets at thebox office window. And who knows what other opportunities it could lead to?
Once the paperwork is finished, Angelina walks me to the door and says, “We’ll have you start this week. Once Frank takes care of everything.”
“I really appreciate it.”
When I woke up this morning, I had no idea I would be stepping foot in here. Suddenly I’m starting a new job. I have something to look forward to now. Maybe I’ll even make some new friends, too. As I’m heading down the stairs, I think about Jasmine again. I know she would be happy to hear this. If she were still living here, I could take her to see a show or something. Part of me is still mad at her for leaving the way she did. But I have to share the news with her. As I pull out my phone, someone leaving the theater makes me nearly drop it. He’s wearing a red sweatshirt, and his hair is a familiar brown that looks just like…
“Daniel?”
For a second, I think I’ve lost it again. But the next thing I know, I’m rushing out the doors as I grab him by the shoulder. The moment he turns around, I realize it isn’t him at all. I pull my hand back immediately. “I’m so sorry,” I say. Now that I’m standing close to him, he doesn’t look like Daniel at all. His hair is a different brown, and the sweatshirt is more of an orange. “I thought you were someone else.”
He gives me a weird look.
“Sorry,” I say again. I step backward, embarrassed bymyself.What’s wrong with me?Of course it wasn’t Daniel. I wanted to see him so badly, I forgot he was dead. It feels like losing him all over again. I turn around, wanting to make a run for it. As I step off the sidewalk, a bell goes off. I stop just in time as several bicycles race past me, blowing leaves everywhere.
It’s not until they’re gone that I notice him standing on the other side.
“Told you to look out for bicycles,” Haru says. A slight smirk rises on his face.
It takes a second to collect myself. Then relief floods through me as I wrap my arms around him. “Haru!What are you doing here?”
“Looking for you.”
“Where did you go this morning?”
“I got up early and didn’t want to wake you,” he says casually. “Did you find the gift I left you?”
The paper star on my desk. “Yeah, I did.”
“A thank-you for letting me stay over.”
“Of course. You don’t have to—”
“Is something wrong?”
Haru runs his thumb over my cheek, wiping away a tear. I didn’t even notice I was crying. All because of Daniel. I lower my head and say, “It’s nothing. Just something in my eye.”
