Page 104 of Exchange of Heart

My stomach churned knowing I’d hurt her. ‘Can I start at the beginning?’

She nodded, just once, but enough for me to finally explain everything properly.

‘So, Muay Thai. There was this new guy I got talking to, and it turned out he needed a job.’

‘So, you offered him mine,’ Nora interrupted.

‘No,’ I yelled louder than I meant to.

Passengers’ heads swivelled to us again.

‘Sorry,’ I whispered.

Their heads turned back in front of them, but I couldn’t help but notice their ears stayed slightly turned to us. It was like being in class all over again.

‘I mean, technically, but I offered him that job because I knew you’d never be happy working for my father.’

‘I think that’s for me to decide, not you,’ Nora’s voice rose.

I recognised the pitch, the same tone I’d used for the last two weeks when I didn’t feel seen.

‘I know, but you work so hard. So fucking hard. And you deserve so much more than what he could offer. After my dad sent you that email, I sent your CV from my account to a company that’s been after me for years. He was impressed, as he should have been.’ I lowered my voice. ‘I interviewed as you one evening before I came home.’

‘You what?’ Nora’s eyes narrowed.

‘You heard me. I’m not going to apologise, we had no idea if we’d switch back by that point. I almost considered going into illustration, but then I couldn’t stand the idea of switching back and having ruined your career progression.’

‘What’s the job?’ She crossed her arms.

‘The Finance Manager of Jerbus Electronics.’

Her narrowed eyes immediately widened, blood draining from her face. ‘That’s a really big company,’ she whispered.

‘Biggest in the country.’

‘I’m not qualified for that,’ she shrieked.

‘Not qualified?’ I lowered my voice so no one could hear us. ‘You slotted into my job and no one even noticed the difference. You’re a month off getting your diploma, you’ve got the experience considering you were doing more than your role required, and you’ve got the drive. You’re more than they could ask for.’

Jerbus had been sending me fruit baskets, flowers, and tickets to soccer games in an attempt to lure me to their company. Before the switch with Nora, I’d drafted an email in class accepting their offer which had increased four times over ten months. Now I knew why I hadn’t accepted that position sooner. The universe stopped me because they were sending someone better their way. Besides, that wasn’t the job my heart begged for. It was time for me to stop living a shadowed life and step into the light.

‘You’re serious?’ Nora fiddled with her seatbelt clasp.

‘Dead serious. They’re expecting you to start next month. I was going to surprise you before you stormed out, and I haven’t been able to speak to you since. I was starting to think I’d have to take the position and start another shitty life scraping through numbers.’

It was time for me to show Nora I was no longer the peppermint asshole sitting in front of her in class. My proof waited in the brown leather bag at my feet. A ridiculous flutter tickled my stomach as I reached down and pulled a piece of paper from a folder. Nora plucked it from my hands and absorbed the words excruciatingly slow.

CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

Nora

‘You’re quitting?’ I fluttered his resignation in the air.

‘You’re crumpling it.’ He grabbed it and smoothed the creases.

Once safe back inside its folder, he turned and shrugged. Shrugged! Resigning from a position in his father’s company that would set him up for the rest of his life and all he had in response was a simple lift of his muscular shoulders.

‘Oh, of course.’ I gave a dramatic shrug back.