I KNEW AFTER THANKSGIVING, the rest of the semester would fly by. There were only a few weeks left, after all, and now here I am, packing up the last of my belongings in the little cube I’ve called home all semester.
The Monday after the holiday had started off with a bang, the entire team full on mashed potatoes and drive to make the Bare•ly event successful. We’d all joined forces and thrown our all into it, and two weeks later, we’d rocked that event like I knew we would all along. It was chic, elegant, modern and classy — everything our clients had asked for. And for the first time, I’d been in charge of an event from beginning to end, handling the crises as they came and putting out fires left and right, all while never dropping the illusion that everything was going exactly as planned. It was a perfect launch party, and Mrs. Delure had assured me I had a high recommendation letter coming from her whenever I graduated and set out looking for my first job.
“I knew you’d be the last intern out of here,” Mykayla says, propping her hip against the wall of my cube as she watches me pack up. “But then again, I knew you’d be different from the other interns the moment I met you.”
I toss my sticky notepads into the box, the contents now threatening to spill over the top, and pause to face her. “Aw, Mykayla. I’m going to miss you.”
“Same here, girly. But,” she clarifies, stepping into my cube with outstretched arms. “I’m serious about you coming to Happy Hour with us every now and then. Your sorority sisters can share.”
I laugh, hugging her tight. “Absolutely. You have my number. I’m there anytime.”
She sighs, squeezing me once before letting me go. “I’m going to finish up some emails and then we can walk out together, if you’re finished?” she asks, eyes on my now very empty desk.
Picking up the last highlighter and tossing it into a vacant corner of the box, I nod. “Yep. I guess this is it…” I swallow, glancing at the office down the hall with the door still open. “I just need to say my goodbyes to Mr. Church and I’ll be ready.”
Saying his name out loud makes my stomach lurch, though Mykayla is oblivious, taking my box from the desk. “I’ll hold this for you. Poor Mr. Church, hope you don’t make him cry. He’s already going to be here working all weekend long. Add that to the fact that his favorite intern is leaving?” She smiles, nudging me. “You were everyone’s favorite, truthfully.”
“Oh, stop.” I laugh. “Why is he working all weekend?”
She shrugs. “I dunno, last minute event or something. He mentioned it in passing and I told him to let me know if he needed anything, but you know him. He’ll work his weekend alone in quiet, suffering, and leave the rest of us alone.”
“Yeah…” My eyes find his office again, his face hidden but hands visible as they type away on his keyboard. “Sounds like him.”
“Anyway, let me go send these emails and you go say goodbye. See you in a sec!” And with that, she trots off.
When she’s gone, I blow out a long, shaky breath, flattening my palms over the skirt of the same dress I wore on day one. Flashes of Brandon in the elevator, of our first exchange, mingle with the intimate way I came to know him over Thanksgiving break as I walk slowly down the hall toward his office. It’s after five on a Friday, leaving only a handful of associates in the office. Usually he’s gone by now, but something tells me he was waiting for me to come say goodbye.
True to our word, we haven’t crossed any lines since the jet touched down back in Miami that Sunday after the holiday. He’s kept his gaze neutral in meetings, just like I asked, and with so much of my focus being on the Bare•ly event, I only really had time to pine over him in the privacy of mine and Erin’s room at the sorority house.
But I’m not immune to him. My breath still hitches when our hands brush, my heart still skips when he calls my name at an event or in the office, and my body still aches with need for him every night when I lie down in my empty bed.
I wonder if he aches for me, too.
He seems so unfazed by me now, like he truly did itch his scratch and has no want or need for me anymore other than to be a good intern. His gaze never lingers over mine longer than it should, he never winks when no one is looking, he never texts me late at night with wistful thoughts. He has kept his word, and I never thought that would hurt as much as it has.
“Mr. Church?” I rap my knuckles on the doorframe to his office, causing him to pause mid-type and look at me. Just that glance alone nearly has me doubling over. “Sorry to bother you, I’m just… I’m about to head out, and I wanted to say goodbye.”
His expression is blank, completely void of emotion. He watches me for a moment before standing, fastening the button at the bottom of his suit jacket and stepping around his desk. “It’s been a pleasure having you on the team, Miss Daniels,” he says, extending his hand for mine. “If you ever need a reference — or anything at all — don’t hesitate to give us a call.”
My heart sinks, pulling my smile with it as I let him take my hand. He shakes it firmly, like he would anyone else, and I try not to let it show just how badly that hurts. “The pleasure has been mine. I can’t thank you enough for the opportunity.”
His jaw ticks, like he’s biting back the words he can’t say — the words I long to hear. I try to hold onto his hand longer, try to feel connected to him for as long as I can, but he pulls back after our handshake, sliding his hands into the pockets of his slacks with his eyes still on me.
“Bye, then,” I say, excusing myself. When I’m just past the door, he calls out my name.
“Miss Daniels?”
I turn, finding just a hint of longing in his dark eyes, like he’s fighting with every ounce of power he has to keep his hands in his pockets and off of me. It was the look I asked him not to give me, the one I missed, the one I wasn’t sure still existed.
“Keep in touch, okay?”
Smiling, I nod, holding his gaze for as long as he’ll let me before finally turning for good. I walk slowly down the hallway, hoping he’s watching, and when I reach Mykayla’s desk, she’s already waiting and holding my box for me.
“Ready?”
On an exhale, I nod, looking around the office with an ache in my chest. “Ready.”
As we wait for the elevators, I feel his eyes on me, but I wait until Mykayla steps in and it’s my turn to let him know it. My eyes find his down the hall, and without any words exchanged, I finally feel it.
He’s going to miss me, too.
He smiles, offering me a slight wave, and I smile in return before stepping onto the elevator, all the while wondering if that’s the last time I’ll ever see Mr. Church.