Chapter 2
Back in middle school, Jessica would finish tennis practice and head out for ice cream with her teammates. I'd sit on the sidelines with my backpack and wait until the sun stretched our shadows across the court.
She'd grab my arm and pull me up with a groan. "Ryan, are you seriously glued to me or something?"
But she'd still break off half her strawberry popsicle and hand it over.
She hated it when people pointed out that I followed her everywhere.
One time, we went shopping, and her friends started teasing her. "Jessica brought her little boyfriend along," one of them said, and Jessica got so mad she dumped her entire smoothie in the trash.
The next day, I stayed home with a fever and missed school. Jessica ditched class and climbed through my window to check on me.
She tossed crumpled notes through the glass with terrible jokes scribbled inside.
When we got to high school, I caught Jessica staring at me all the time.
She'd watch me chew on my pen during math homework. She'd watch the wind catch my hair. She'd even watch me when I put my head down for a nap.
Her gaze felt light and fleeting, like it could disappear the second I noticed.
I turned around without warning one afternoon and caught her eyes before she could look away. "Hey Jessica," I said. "How do you solve this problem?"
Her pen clattered onto the desk.
Morning light poured through the window, illuminating her ears until they glowed bright red.
"I—" She fumbled to pick up her pen, and her hair brushed against my hand. "You just plug in the X here and—"
Her voice grew quieter and quieter until it became a mumble.
I propped my chin in my hand and watched her.
The girl who used to throw punches for me without blinking was blushing because I leaned a little closer.
Flower petals drifted through the window and landed on her open textbook.
The night our parents proposed the arranged marriage, she dragged me into the stairwell.
The motion-sensor lights flickered on and off, and her palm was sweaty, but she gripped my fingers so tight it hurt.
She said, her voice strained, "Think about this. We're still young. What if we meet someone better down the road—"
I stood on my tiptoes and pressed my hand over her lips. "Jessi, you're the best person in the world."
She trembled and suddenly pushed me against the wall and kissed me.
In the dark, I felt the scar on the back of her neck, the one she got in eighth grade when she shielded me from falling debris.
Moonlight filtered through the metal grating, casting dappled shadows across us.
It made me believe we were in love.
After college, I joined Evans Group and became Jessica's subordinate.
Right when we were about to get engaged, Colin showed up.
He was the company's new intern and Jessica's secretary.
On his first day, he brought coffee for everyone and said with a bright smile, "Hope you all can show me the ropes!"
When he got to me, he suddenly stopped.
He covered his mouth and laughed. "Oh my god, are guys still using Hello Kitty thermoses? That's so girly!"
When I didn't respond, he blinked at me and continued, "Sorry, I just speak my mind. I'm not saying you're gay or anything." He paused. "But how old are you? I thought guys in corporate jobs would be more mature. You know, better taste and all that."
Everyone in the office turned to stare at me.
My cartoon keyboard, figurines, and the anime stickers plastered all over my monitor were on full display.
Jessica used to laugh and call them Ryan's kiddie collection. But now everyone stared at them like they were evidence at a trial.
My ears started ringing, and it felt like someone had poured acid straight into my skull.
It was the first time anyone had mocked me like this in public, and the shame burned through me.
"Sorry, I'm just being honest here," he said and tilted his head. He tapped my Hello Kitty coaster on the desk and added, "You can take a joke, right, man?"
My knuckles turned white as I gripped my sleeve.
"Enough," Jessica said from behind me.
I turned around and saw her lips curve into a dangerous smile.
Sunlight poured through the floor-to-ceiling windows behind her and outlined her silhouette in gold. For a second, she looked like that girl from middle school who got into a fight for me.
Colin looked at me with clear irritation and whined, "I was just joking around with him, Ms. Evans. You're not gonna make a big deal out of this, are you?"
"The office isn't a place for you to chat and waste time, Mr. Brooks," Jessica said coldly. "If you want to chat, I suggest you quit so you can chat all you want."
Colin reluctantly walked back to his desk.