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I blinked, ignoring the reprimand on my tongue for her language at work because she was technically my superior, “Oh.”

“You haven’t taken a day off in over a year, Jacqueline,” Brandon added, “You only took the day off when the rest of the company already had it off. You have almost a month’s worth of sick days added up because you’ve never taken a sick day either.”

I frowned, “…Is that a problem?” I had a feeling Brandon took as many sick days as I did. It felt hypocritical coming from him.

“For a capitalist society, no, not really,” Brandon replied, frowning a little.

I was immediately confused.

Nicole shook her head at him before looking at me again, “What he means to say is,” Brandon looked a little embarrassed at her need to step in, “It’s important to us for Sun Steer employees to take breaks. To unwind and maintain a healthy balance. Working eight to ten-hour days, five days a week, fifty-two weeks a year, isn’t sustainable. It’ll eventually catch up with you, whether you want it to or not.”

Why did I feel like crying?

I thought I was doing so well, I thought I was meeting expectations.

Maybe even exceeding them.

Turns out, I was just messing up again.

“Oh,” I didn’t know what else to say.

“You’re not in trouble,” Nicole sat up, lifting her brows at me with what looked like an encouraging smile, “We are proud of you and want to do everything we can to keep you happy here. We don’t want you to look for work elsewhere because we aren’t providing enough support for you. That’s why we want to hire more people to work in Human Resources.”

Trust that she will be honest with you, Jacqueline.

“Got it,” I was starting to feel embarrassed from all the reassurances Nicole was giving me, “No worries. I just wanted to make sure I wasn’t slacking anywhere.”

“Not at all,” Brandon shook his head, “You’re probably the hardest worker here.”

“Definitely,” Nicole pulled her buzzing phone out of her pocket and smiled at the screen, “Are we good here? My partner is waiting for me downstairs to have lunch.”

“We’re good,” I replied, while Brandon hummed his agreement.

“Excellent,” Nicole stood, leading Brandon out of my office with one last look over her shoulder, “If there is anyone you know who you think would be a good fit, let us know. If not, we can start looking for potential interviewees whenever you’re ready.”

“Alright,” my smile wobbled, “Thanks again.”

“Of course.” And with that, the two of them left my office, closing the door behind them.

I exhaled and dropped my head in my hands, I could feel my arms trembling.

They’re not mad at you.

They like you, and they want to keep you around.

Trust that they’ll be honest with you, Jacqueline.

I don’t know how long I sat there, breathing through my anxiety over a work conversation that, logically, I knew shouldn’t have triggered such a physical response from me. I felt like there was a firm grip on my lungs, attempting to crush them against my heart. I felt heavy, so heavy.

I needed to lie down.

I eventually stood up and left my office, turning off the light and shutting the door behind me. I turned the corner, out of upper management’s wing, and walked past the empty front desk.

Thank god, because I didn’t think I could handle keeping up with a casual conversation with Signe right now.

I finally made it to my destination, the label on the door bringing me a hint of relief when I saw the unoccupied sign hanging from the handle.

Sensory Room.