When I get back to the office I put away my phone. I needed to not think about the lunch, the meeting, the opportunity. It doesn't feel real. I'm not ready for it to feel real. I need a beat to make sure I'm not lost in some crazy, unexpected dream where I get exactly what I need for the first time in my life. I need to pretend the last four days didn't happened. That Noah didn't happen.
I throw myself into the write up of the analysis I did on the cost efficiency of our south Asian shipping routes, making it the only thing that matters for the next few hours. The last few hours before Noah is supposed to make good on his promise. The hours between me and a life changing email. I let myself sink into the numbers and charts and jargon so I can forget about what Noah's done. What he's going to do.
It's nearly five when I put the period on a sentence that sums up the issues we're having moving things in and out of Mumbai. A message flashes at the lower right corner of the screen. Stop cutting out words from your prose to distract yourself and check your damn email, Ella.
I quickly type back Stop messing with my flow, Noah. I'm almost done.
I swear to God, Ella, if you don't stop what you're doing RIGHT NOW, I'm going to make your ass regret it.
Promise? I reply, but I lock my laptop and get out my phone. There's a notification from my email app displayed just below the time and temperature on the lock screen alerting me that I have a new message from R.Lance@KLGroup.com with the subject "Regarding the position of Middle East and South Asian Logistics Lead"
My hand shakes as I punch in my code and pull up the email. I read Ms. Mariov, We are pleased to offer you...before my eyes skip down to the number a few sentences later. My jaw falls open, then my eyes start to blur and my lungs go tight. It's so much more than I thought it would be. The hard thunk of my phone hitting my desk barely registers as I try to process what those words are making me feel.
"Are you okay?"
I start, nearly tipping over in my chair. Amelie, the project manager that sits in the cube next to mine, peaks over top of the dividing wall. She's looking at me like I've stuck my finger in an electric socket and my hair is smoking and standing on end.
I nod, blinking the tears that have started to form in my eyes away and swallow the choking feeling that's taken up residence in my throat. With only a hint of a croak, I say, "I'm good."
"Okay. For a minute there..." Amelie starts. She looks me over and asks, "Ella, what's going on? You're smiling like you just found out...Did you get the promotion?!"
The promotion. Fuck. I'd actually forgotten about it even though it was the thing that set all of this in motion. Distantly, I reply "The promotion...It doesn't matter. Something better...I just found out I got a job at Margot Kinkaid's new start-up."
"You...WHAT?!" Amelie comes around the wall and throws her arms around me. "Ella! This is amazing! Why didn't you say anything about it before this? She's...this is so great!"
I sit, stunned, as she squeezes my arms and chest in a tight hug. "I...I didn't...I just...Noah, he just told me about it today. He brought me to lunch with Margot. It happened so fast."
"I surprised her with it."
I try not to slip out of my chair again and drag Amelie to the ground with me. She jumps, letting me go and whipping around to where Noah has snuck up on us. Shocked, she demands, "You...I thought you were going to announce Ella's promotion this afternoon? What happened?!"
He smiles, that sly grin of his on full display. "I was. I still will, if that's what you want, Ella. I know you'll do a great job in whatever role you fill, but when Margot got in touch asking if I knew anyone who would be good fit for her new venture, I realized I'd be selfish not to tell Ella about it, so I set up a meeting."
"Oh I see," Amelie says with a knowing smile. "You're so noble, Noah."
"I wouldn't say that," Noah laughs a little too quickly.
"He's something," I mumble as heat flushes my cheeks. I try not to look at either of them.
Amelie's eyes dart back and forth between the two of us, but she doesn't press. She's good like that, knowing when and when not to go digging. Instead she declares, "Well, this calls for a celebration!"
"I does," Noah agrees, his grin growing huge. More loudly than necessary, he announces, "Tomorrow. It's too late to get everyone out for a proper congratulations, and I owe Ella a dinner."
Amelie's smile freezes as her eyes dart back and forth between the two of us. She starts, "You owe her a wh-"
"He does!" I cut in, too quick to sound anything but guilty.
Noah manages much better than I do, adding, "I promised her a meal after she stayed late last Thursday to help me with the quarterly update for the division VP."