Protect My Heart

five

[05]

Madison slept over and we talked through the night. I forgot how nice it felt to just chat with her. There were no boundaries with us. We talked about everything under the stars, and for once, I felt like a teenager all over again.

It wasn't that I was old - God no. It was more like my profession forced me to grow up and mature, so I missed much of the college experience; the partying, the clubbing, the drinking.

Sure, I could do it now, but it didn't have the college feel.

I was surrounded by adults. Full-grown adults who lived, breathed and shit weapons. There was no way partying with them would be like partying with college kids.

Being one of the youngest in the firm, I'd gotten used to the fact that I would never have the chance to properly enjoy my youth. And I was fine with that, honestly.

It was only sometimes when Madison would come over to my house, drunk and giggling that I felt a twinge of envy. I couldn't stop myself from wondering what it would have been like for me.

When my alarm rang in the morning, I hastened to switch it off so that I wouldn't wake Madison.

Tiptoeing to the toilet, I quickly got ready for my meeting with Harvey Black. Today was the day I would be meeting my new employer. Putting on my skirt suit, I hoped to exude a professional and competent aura.

Then, I left a note on the table telling Madison where I was and slipped out of the house quietly.

The doorman immediately called a cab for me the moment he saw me and I smiled at him in gratitude.

As I got into the cab, I felt my stomach suddenly erupt with butterflies. When I repeated the address to the driver, I couldn't stop my voice from trembling.

Oh god. I was going to meet Harvey Black. In the flesh.

I was so nervous that I didn't pay attention to how the cabbie was driving. Normally, I would've been scared out of my wits because New York cabbies were atrocious at driving. They cut through lanes like how I go through ice-cream - in the blink of an eye.

It came as no surprise that I reached my destination in less than half an hour. Thanking the driver, I got out after paying the cab fare.

Yet the moment I did, I stumbled on my feet. I was not prepared for the sight in front of me.

The building that was Black Publishing was towering over me, and it seemed to stretch on forever into the sky. Majestic was the only word to describe it.