Chapter 4
1067 Words
The meeting room is bigger than I expected.
That’s the first thing I noticed.
The second is that I absolutely should not be here.
I pause just outside the door for a second, adjusting my grip on the notebook in my hand like that’s going to magically make me look more prepared. It doesn’t, but it gives me something to do instead of overthinking.
“You’re fine,” I whisper under my breath.
I’m starting to say that a lot.
It’s starting to work less.
When I step inside, conversations are already happening. Low voices, quick exchanges, people who clearly know each other and exactly what they’re here for.
I do not.
Great.
I slip into one of the chairs closer to the end of the table, trying to make myself small without making it obvious. Not hiding—just… not drawing attention.
That lasts about five seconds.
Because someone looks up.
Then someone else.
And suddenly I’m aware that I’m the only unfamiliar face in the room.
Fantastic.
“New?”
The question comes from a man across the table, not unkind, just curious.
I nod. “First day.”
A few glances are exchanged. Nothing dramatic, but enough to make my shoulders tighten slightly.
“Good luck,” he says, and it sounds half genuine, half amused.
“…thank you,” I reply.
I’m not sure which part I’m responding to.
The door opens again.
And just like that, the room shifts.
It’s subtle, but it’s there.
Conversations stop. People straighten. The atmosphere tightens just a little.
Adrian walks in like he doesn’t need to announce himself, like the room adjusting to him is just… normal.
I hate that I notice that.
I hate it more that it makes sense.
His gaze sweeps the room once before settling briefly on me.
Just for a second.
But I feel it.
Then he looks away like nothing happened and takes his seat at the head of the table.
“Let’s begin.”
And just like that, we’re moving.
I try to keep up.
I really do.
I open my notebook, pen ready, and start writing down what I can catch—names, numbers, things that sound important.
Which is… everything.
Great.
They’re talking fast, jumping between topics like everyone already understands the context. Words I recognize mixed with ones I don’t, and I’m trying to piece it together in real time without falling behind.
It’s… not going great.
“…timeline needs to be adjusted.”
“…that’s not realistic.”
“…we can’t push it further without—”
Okay.
Right.
Write something.
Anything.
I scribble down what I can, my handwriting getting messier the more I try to keep up.
Don’t panic.
Just listen.
“And the projections?”
That’s Adrian.
Calm.
Clear.
Everyone stopped talking over each other immediately.
Of course, they do.
A man across from him starts explaining something, and I try to follow, but halfway through I realize I missed the beginning.
Which means I don’t understand the middle.
Which means the end is completely lost.
Perfect.
I glance down at my notes.
They make no sense.
At all.
It’s like I wrote down words just to prove I was doing something.
Which… I kind of did.
“Miss Eliana.”
My head snaps up.
Oh.
No.
No, no, no.
Adrian is looking at me.
Not annoyed.
Not impatient.
Just… waiting.
Which somehow feels worse.
“Yes?” I say, trying to keep my voice steady.
“What did you note down?”
My brain goes blank.
Completely blank.
I look down at my notebook like the answer is going to appear if I stare hard enough.
It doesn’t.
Of course it doesn’t.
“I—” I start, then stop.
Think.
Say something.
Anything.
“I… might need you to repeat that,” I admit, quieter now.
There’s a pause.
Not long.
But long enough for me to feel it.
I brace myself.
For correction. For that quiet disappointment. For something.
Instead, Adrian turns slightly back to the man who was speaking.
“Repeat the last point.”
Just like that.
No comment.
No pressure.
Nothing.
The man does.
Slower this time.
Clearer.
And suddenly, it makes sense.
Not perfectly, but enough.
I write quickly, more focused now, catching the key parts this time.
“Got it?” Adrian asks.
I glance up.
“…yes.”
“Good.”
And that’s it.
We move on.
It takes me a second to process what just happened.
Because he could’ve—
He could’ve called me out.
Could’ve made it obvious.
But he didn’t.
And for some reason…
that sticks with me more than anything else in the meeting.
The rest of it goes better.
Not perfect, but better.
I start picking up patterns, understanding more as they talk. Still behind, but not completely lost anymore.
Which, honestly, feels like progress.
When the meeting finally ends, I let out a breath I didn’t realize I’d been holding.
People start gathering their things, conversations picking up again like nothing happened.
Like that entire experience didn’t just mentally exhaust me.
I close my notebook slowly, glancing down at the pages.
Still messy.
Still not perfect.
But… readable.
That’s something.
“Not bad.”
I look up.
Zara is standing near the door, watching me with a small smile.
“You were in there?” I ask.
“Briefly,” she says. “You didn’t crash and burn, so that’s a win.”
“I almost did.”
“But you didn’t.”
I let out a small breath. “That was a lot.”
“It always is at first.”
“At first?” I repeat.
She laughs softly. “You’ll get used to it.”
I narrow my eyes slightly. “Everyone keeps saying that.”
“And we’re all right.”
I stand, gathering my things.
As I turn, my gaze catches on Adrian for a second.
He’s still talking to someone, focused, composed, completely in his element.
Like none of that was difficult.
Like it was just… normal.
For him, it probably is.
For me?
Not even close.
But as I watch him for a second longer than I should, one thought slips in quietly—
Maybe I don’t want to feel this out of place here forever.
And maybe…
that means I have a lot more to learn than I thought.
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