6: My Future Awaits

My legs bopped up and down involuntarily as I waited in the reception area for my interview. My hands were clasped together at my knees, mainly to stop me from biting my nails. I was a bag of nerves; my heart thumping a million miles a minute in my chest.

I absolutely hated interviews. How I wished they could just give you the job without having to go through such a horrible process. I had been to so many interviews, that I was now an expert at them. I just now needed to know how to become an expert in landing a job.

It seemed like everyone else my age knew what they were doing. They were either getting married, having kids or had already landed a job straight after graduating college which would guarantee them a lifetime of success. I had neither of those. The only successful thing I had managed to do after graduating college was not stealing the Oreos from Liz's cupboard. I considered that quite the achievement considering the amount of Oreos I went through while I was studying.

I was surprised to get the phone call for this interview as I had only applied the day before, but Mr Baker seemed eager to meet me and discuss my CV further. He seemed pleasant on the phone and was happy to meet me as soon as possible. He mentioned he was looking to fill the space in his finance team as soon as possible.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath to calm my beating heart. The hustle and bustle of the office was still not loud enough to block out the noise of the heartbeat thrumming in in my ears. I set my attention on the array magazines that lay in front of me, hoping it would provide enough of a distraction of my impending doom.

"Rosie?"  a voice broke me out of my thoughts. I jumped, slightly startled at the disruption and was greeted by a smiling face. "Rosie, I thought it was you. What are you doing here?" Jason smiled down at me.

Because the interview was so last minute, I had barely any time to tell Liz or Jason about the interview. To be honest because I was too busy panicking, it had slipped my mind that Jason worked here.

"Hey, I've got an interview" I said, glad for the distraction.

Jason took the seat beside me and raised an eyebrow "Liz didn't mention anything about it" he stated.

I gave a light chuckle "That's because I didn't tell her. I was so busy prepping for this interview that I completely forgot to mention it to her. And it was so last-minute"

"Mr Baker is a nice guy, so you have nothing to worry about. I'm sure you'll do great"

To that I rolled my eyes "Oh yeah, which has been proved by my very successful hiring rate"

"Don't stress too much" Jason assured me. "Just think of how amazing it would be if we were to work together"

That made me smile "It would be good to see a familiar face every now and then" I smiled. "Any last-minute advice before I go in?" I asked him.

"Just be yourself, you'll win Mr Baker over by being your amazing self" my cheeks heated up at that comment, I just hoped he didn't notice. "Did you do some research on the company?" he asked.

I nodded "Yeah, Cerulean Ltd specialises in outsourcing business activities" I recited what I had researched the night before.

"Don't forget to mention we focus on small to medium companies and that we have expanded in other countries, including Scotland" he clarified.

I blew out a breath and nodded. "Thanks, I almost forgot that" I said, grateful for him being here and giving me advice. "Anything else I should know?" I questioned, my leg still jiggling up and down in nervousness.

"First stop bouncing your legs, it's very distracting" he chuckled. I immediately stopped for about two seconds, before they started to move again. Jason laughed and took my hands in his "Close your eyes and take a deep breath"

I did as he said, closing my eyes and taking the deepest most calming breath I had possibly ever taken, letting the feel of his warm hands calm me down. I opened my eyes to see him smiling back at me "Feel better?"

"Much" I nodded.

"You're going to be fine. Like I said Mr Baker is a really nice guy. You show him what you have to offer, smile, and be yourself and you will for sure get hired. Trust me". I smiled at him, too scared to say anything. I was grateful for his support and it eased my nerves a little, but I was still jittery.  "How about we meet up during my lunch break? You can tell me all about it and it might make you feel a little better. Plus, you can't turn down an offer for a free lunch. It'll be my treat"

I chuckled, my nerves easing slightly. "You're right, I would be crazy to pass up the opportunity for a free lunch"

"Rosie, Mr Baker will see you now" the receptionist called out and my heartbeat harder than it did before.

I hadn't realised Jason still held my hand until he gave me a reassuring squeeze. "You've got this" he smiled and got up of the seat, giving me two thumbs up before he walked away. Jason's words echoed through my mind, 'Just be yourself'. I took a deep breath and entered the room, where my future awaited me.

I cradled the warm coffee cup in my hand, letting the heat spread through my cold body. It was a chilly afternoon, and everyone in the café was covered in their thick jackets and and hats to keep them warm.

"I told you it wouldn't be so bad. I don't know what you were worrying about" Jason chuckled, to which I rolled my eyes.

"I still don't know if I did good enough to get the job" I countered, not wating to get my hopes up. The interview had gone great. I managed to answer all the questions he threw at me. It helped that Mr Baker was a nice person, like Jason said, and had made me feel at ease. It would be great to be working for a boss like him. He spoke about his company and how he wanted to see it flourish. I admired him for his passion and commitment towards his company, it made me want to work for him even more.  He had such a lovely bubbly personality; Jason was right in saying that I had nothing to worry about.

The café was swarmed with people for the lunchtime rush. I was surprised we had managed to get a table. Jason looked at me, scrunching his eyes slightly, as if he was wanting to tell me something.

"What is it?" I asked, curious to know what he was thinking.

He chuckled to himself "I don't think I should tell you. I might get into trouble" he smirked.

"Now you have to tell me" I squirmed in my seat; hating being kept in suspense. He smirked in response, knowing he was messing with me. "You can't do that to me. You have to tell me" I exasperated like a little kid. He knew I hated being kept in dark.

"You know, I don't think I will. I'm enjoying watching you squirm"

"You know how much I hate it"

"Which is exactly why I'm keeping you in suspense" he chuckled. I huffed and sat back on my seat, not looking his way. "Are you going to be angry with me?"

I didn't respond. I took a sip of my coffee and looked around the café, taking a sudden interest in the surroundings around me. Customers waited in line for their orders, the smell of coffee wafting around as the baristas were hard at work making the coffee. Toddlers sat patiently with their mothers, one even napping on his mother's shoulder, obviously having finished their tiring day at kindergarten. "So, you're not going to speak to me?" he asked, a small smirk on his face.

I shook my head in response, not wanting to speak to him. He chuckled and got up off his seat. I frowned, wondering where he was going. When he returned he slid a chocolate bar my way. A smile tried to make it's way on my face, but I held it back, pursing my lips. He knew my weakness was chocolate.

"A peace offering" he smiled, still with that mischievous glint in his eye. I eyed the chocolate, really wanting to take it but I folded my arms. I wouldn't give into the temptation.

"Fine, I'll tell you" he smirked.

"That wasn't so hard now was it?" I smiled as I grabbed the chocolate greedily. He just chuckled and smiled at me as I devoured the chocolate. "So, what is it that you want to tell me that might get you into trouble?"

He placed his hands on the table and smiled at me, my stomach swarming with butterflies in anticipation. "I overheard Mr Baker say that he's found the perfect candidate for the job and that he was really impressed".

I raised my eyebrow "And how do you know he was talking about me?"

He shrugged "I don't, but I have a good feeling it was you"

I shook my head, wanting to believe him but not wanting to get my hopes up. "It would be great if I got this job, this seems like a great company to work for."

"It really is. Can you imagine us working together? How great would that be?" Jason smiled.

I chuckled "It would be good to see a friendly face every day"

"I don't know if you would call me a friendly face first thing in the morning. I usually don't wake up until about two hours after I've arrived" he joked

"I think I can handle it trust me; I've seen you in the mornings remember? Bedhead and everything" I laughed

Jason rolled his eyes "I suppose the perk of you being my little sisters' best friend is that you've seen me at my worst"

"That was not your worst" I smirked "I remember that time you had the flu" I laughed at the memory.

Jason groaned "You know I never get ill"

I continued to laugh "You were constantly complaining. You were acting like a whiny little boy who didn't get his way. It was hilarious to see. I think your bed head was the least of your worries then"

He shook his head and chuckled "Back then you were at our house, like, all the time. No wonder you've seen me at my worst"

"Hey, I wasn't there all the time. I just so happened to be there quite a lot" I mumbled.

"It was like having another little sister around" he rolled his eyes.

"Yes, except this sister you can kiss" I blurted out before I realised what I had said.

The coffee that Jason had lifted was paused halfway to his lips. It was as if the whole café had gone quiet and I could only hear how loud my heartbeat was. I could feel my face heat up. I couldn't believe that came out of my mouth. I pursed my lips, trying to think of something to combat this awkward situation.

There were less people around now that the lunch time rush was over, the café now a bit quieter.

Jason was the first to break the silence "My lunch break is over soon. I should start getting back"

"I'm sorry" I said quickly before he stood up "I know we promised never to mention it again and it just flew out. I don't even know- "

"Hey, it's okay" Jason chuckled, reassuring me. I was still embarrassed, and my face was heating up even more if that was possible.  "Actually, I know we agreed not to speak about it, but I wanted to ask- "

The trill of his phone interrupted us as he looked down at his phone and sighed "Sorry, I'll have to get this". I nodded in understanding and he went outside to take the phone call.

My heart was still beating erratically, and my stomach was in knots over the embarrassment I was facing. I couldn't believe I had said that aloud. He came back inside not long after, his lips pursed "I'm sorry, that was work. I'll have to get going, there's a slight emergency with one of the clients"

"Don't worry about it, you go ahead. Thanks for lunch"

"No problem. Oh, and don't worry about that interview. I know you've got this" he smiled before walking out of the café.

I sipped at my coffee and pinched my face, the coffee now cold. I was left alone with my thoughts and didn't know what to make of it. What had Jason wanted to ask me? I really hoped it wasn't anything to do with the night at the club. I was already embarrassed about that night; I didn't need a reminder of it.

I still didn't know what to make of that night. I didn't remember much of it, but that kiss was the one memory that lingered. I brushed my finger to my lips, still feeling the tingling when his lips had touched mine.

I furrowed my eyebrows. Although we were trying to get our friendship back on track, back to the way it was, I could feel there was some tension between us. I had a feeling our friendship would never be the same again.

I just hoped we could remain really good friends. I was always at Liz's house and I didn't want to make things awkward between us. Liz hadn't mentioned anything again since she pulled me up for it. I definitely didn't want to ruin the friendship between Liz and I either.

The more I thought about it, the more I wondered what would happen if we did sit down and talk about what happened? What would he say? What would I say? Where would our friendship go? Would it lead to something further?

I shook my head, of course it wouldn't. This was Jason, my best friends' big brother, it wouldn't be going anywhere. Maybe it was best we never mentioned it again. We would try our best and get our friendship back on track and be civil for Liz's sake.

I mean, how hard could that be?