Until the knock on my door came, sharp and impatient.
I dragged myself out of bed, my hair a soft mess around my shoulders. i cracked the door open—and immediately groaned.
"Good morning to you too," Tomika said, already pushing past me with a plastic bag in one hand and a judgmental frown on her face. "You didn't call me all week, so I figured you were either dead, kidnapped, or emotionally wrecked. Judging by the look of you... I'm going with all three."
i rubbed her eyes. "Hi to you too."
Tomika dropped the bag on the kitchen counter and opened it—pastries, two iced coffees, and something warm wrapped in foil. "Eat first. Complain after."
we curled up on the couch, legs tucked under throw blankets, the soft hum of the ceiling fan filling the space between them. i barely took a bite before the words started pouring out.
"It's been horrible, Tomi."
"I knew it," my friend said, sipping loudly. "That Zayn Anderson guy? I've seen his name everywhere. Cold as an ice bath. You looked terrified in the picture you sent me on your first day."
"He's—" i sighed, running a hand through my curls. "He's intense. Like, he has this list of things he expects. And if you miss even one—if the coffee is two degrees off, if the mug isn't placed perfectly—he acts like you've burned down the entire building."
Tomika's nostrils flared. "I swear, give me five minutes alone with him and a stapler. I'll humble him."
i laughed, weakly. "It's not just him. The girls there—meera especially—they hate me. And the worst part? I don't even blame them. I feel like I'm always messing something up."
Tomika's voice softened. "You're not. You're just trying to survive. But Jane... you can't keep going like this. You're shrinking."
She looked down. "I know."
There was silence again, the heavy kind that comes when the truth settles in the room.
"I met someone yesterday," i said quietly.
Tomika perked up. "A someone someone?"
i gave a soft smile. "His name's Levi. He helped me my first day—remember I told you someone helped on my first day to work?
Tomika nodded, eyes narrowing with interest.
"We met up again. He gave me his card, asked me to think about working for him instead."
my best friend leaned forward, suddenly alert. "What? Girl, why is this the first I'm hearing of this?! What's he like? Handsome? Creepy? Rich but secretly into ducks?"
i laughed properly this time. "He's kind. And smart. And—he owns Monroetech
Tomika blinked. "The Monroe's?
"Yeah."
my friend leaned back slowly, like trying to absorb the shock. "Okay, wow. So let me get this straight. You're being tortured by Ice King Zayn, but you've got an actual prince offering you an escape route?"
I shrugged. "It's not that simple."
"It is. You just don't want it to be."
i didn't respond. Because maybe Tomika was right.
Just then, the bedroom door creaked and a sleepy voice called out, "Is there food?"
i turned toward the hallway, her heart softening. "Zayn, come get yours."
my younger brother stumbled in, hair sticking up, still wearing his Captain America pajamas. At seventh, he was taller than me now, but somehow still looked like the little boy who used to sleep in her bed whenever there was a thunderstorm.
"Hi, Tomika," he muttered, sitting at the table and digging into the pastries.
"Hey, baby j," Tomika replied with a wink. "Still skipping class?"
"Only the boring ones," he said with a sleepy grin.
As i watched him eat, something clenched inside me. i needed this job. No matter how Zayn treated her, she had responsibilities. A brother to raise. Rent to pay. A father to make proud,A life to hold together.
But for the first time in a long time… there was a maybe waiting outside the door. A soft "what if" wrapped in Levi's smile and the business card i still kept in my bag.