I shake my head. I don’t really have any other questions but I know I’ve got a golden opportunity to really sell how excited I am to be here. ‘No, that’s perfect. Thank you again. I’m so excited to get started and help you take Eternally Yours to a higher level.’
Did I really just say that? God, why does everything I say sound so cringeworthy and like I’m AI?
Fortunately, Sadia doesn’t comment on how awkward I’m being. Instead, she smiles widely. When I look at her, I can’t help feeling like I’m in good hands.
‘Right, I’m hoping to induct you and the other assistant at the same time, so why don’t we get you over to your desk for now and make sure your laptop and login work?’
Sadia introduces me to the other employees in the office. She says that the office is usually much less crowded as the matchmakers are often out meeting with potential vendors oronboarding clients, before guiding me to an empty desk with my name printed in big letters on a piece of paper tacked onto my closed laptop. When I’m all set up on my laptop, Sadia tells me to have a look at the paperwork she’s left on my desk – some more background on Eternally Yours, which might be useful for me to read through while we wait for the other new starter – and lets me know that the kitchen is fully stocked with coffee, tea and fruit that I can help myself to. Then she disappears back into her office.
I try to read the papers, but find myself unable to focus as my stomach is grumbling. I press against it so the others can’t hear, but it feels like it only becomes louder. I was in such a panic about being on time and making a good impression this morning that I forgot to eat breakfast, and I also stupidly forgot to pack any snacks. I’m not sure when lunch is, but I probably shouldn’t ask Sadia that question just yet. I could ask one of my colleagues, but I don’t want them to assume that all I think about is food and make a bad impression on my first day. Then I remember what Sadia said about there being fruit in the kitchen, so I head that way. Fruit isn’t my number-one choice – it shouldn’t be anyone’s – but desperate times call for desperate measures.
I finish an apple before making a tea and heading back to the office. I am mid-sip when something – or rather someone – catches my eye. The sight of them is so unexpected that I suck in a surprised breath, accidentally inhale my tea and choke, at the same time spilling some tea down my front. I cough until my eyes water, blurring my vision slightly but not enough to stop me seeing the person turn in my direction.
‘Poppy?’ an all-too-familiar voice says, confirming that I am not having a nightmare and that this is all too real.
Because the one person I was hoping to steer clear of for all eternity is standing right in front of me.
3
‘Wh-what are you doing here?’ I sputter, still recovering from choking on my tea. A few more coughs escape me, but at least the tears forming in my eyes have stopped. I know I’m a walking liability, but out of all the days to spill something on myself, it just had to be on my first day, when I’m wearing a white top,andin front of my ex.
‘Nice to see you too, Pops.’
Pops. Nobody has called me that in ages.
‘Salman.’ His name gets stuck in my throat as memories of our past flash through my mind. I try to divert them and focus on the present. On the fact that the Salman from six months ago is not the same Salman who is standing in front of me.
At least, physically.
He looks different from the last time I saw him. His once fluffy hair has been replaced with a buzzcut, which gives his face a sharper, angular appearance. His jawline is more defined than it used to be. Gone are the long-sleeved tops he used to wear like a uniform, replaced by a dark grey drop-shoulder jumper that hugs his figure, perfectly coordinated with a pair of loose-fitting black jeans. All things considered .?.?. he looks good. Somehow, he looks even fitter than before.
Not that I’ll admit that out loud. He doesn’t deserve the compliment after the way he ended things.
I clear my throat. ‘You can’t be here. This isn’t – no, we have clear rules and –’ I pause, a chill running down my spine. ‘Wait,don’t tell me you’re a client?’
He crosses his arms over his chest, a smirk on his face, as if he’s enjoying watching me squirm. ‘What if I am?’
I frown at him, irritated, caught off-guard and totally confused. If he’s here to be matched with someone, I genuinely don’t know what I’ll do.
‘I mean, you’re so young, and Eternally Yours isn’t exactly for –’
‘So, it’s not because of our past that you’re objecting so much to my presence at a dating agency? You’re worried I’ll find the love of my life, aren’t you?’
‘N-no, why would you even say that?’ I stumble over my words, feeling heat rise to my cheeks and panic bloom in my chest. I’m losing control of the day already. ‘What a ridicu—’
‘Salman!’ Sadia strides into the room, cutting me off and saving me from making a bigger fool of myself. ‘I see you’ve met my personal assistant, Poppy.’
I try my hardest to rearrange my face into something resembling a smile, not wanting Sadia to catch on to my inner turmoil.
‘Come, Salman, follow me into my office and we’ll have a chat. I’ll let you get acquainted with the team shortly.’
Acquainted with the team?So heishere to sign up for the agency? Nowhere online did I see that we took on clients as young as seventeen. Could it be something Sadia is trialling, as a way to engage with Gen Z? Is that why she hired me in the first place, because I understand the younger crowd? Wait, she doesn’t wantmeto find Salman a match, right?!
Sadia gently places a hand on Salman’s shoulder and guides him into her office. His strides are long and elegant, just as I remember. Before the door shuts behind them, he looks over his shoulder and shoots me a wink, as if he didn’t put a metaphorical knife through my back six months ago.
God, why is hehereof all places? Did he know I would be working here, and he’s joining the agency as a way to dig the knife in? Was it not enough for him to break my heart?
Through the glass walls of Sadia’s office, I keep my gaze fixed on Salman, trying to decipher what they’re saying. Sadia is at her desk while Salman sits in the chair opposite her. He’s saying something and she’s scribbling things down in the notepad on her desk. Why is she humouring him by taking notes on whatever he’s saying?
