Page 25 of Prove Me Wrong (The Sunburnt Hearts #5)
Chapter Eighteen
MIA
T he email stares back at me, my fingers on the laptop keys.
Moving to Barrenridge to be with Gran, I was forced to leave my cosy, stable job at the bookstore, which was possibly the best place to work.
Stocking books, changing signage, making sure everything was in order, and having very basic interactions with quiet customers was perfect for my anxiety, but I had to leave it all behind.
I’ve been applying for graphic design companies since I left university at the end of last year, and they always give me the same generic response that I don’t have enough experience yet, which defeats the point of being a graduate. Of course, I don’t have experience yet…
And don’t get me wrong, I am thoroughly enjoying looking after Jade—she is a delight of a toddler—but Mum’s words constantly flow through my mind, reminding me that it’s not a career.
She’s work-driven, passionate about her business and profession, and has instilled in my mind since I started school to strive for the greatest career.
It makes me feel this intense pressure and guilt that I’m letting her down, despite how much I try to shove it aside. I should be happy, not suffocating.
Right now, I can imagine a smile spreading across Mum’s sharp face as I stare at an email from a well-known design company in Sydney inviting me to attend an interview in a few weeks' time for a junior position. I have no idea why they are offering me this opportunity since I don’t have any experience, but it’s a dream offer.
All I can do is read it over and over, my throat drying as I try to comprehend the words that don’t seem to stick in my reeling mind. I never thought a popular company like this one would even offer me anything , let alone a junior position.
Palms beginning to perspire, I lean back against the headboard of my bed, laptop resting on my folded legs.
I pick up my phone. I don’t know why, but I need someone to talk to me so that I know this opportunity is real.
I almost wish someone could pinch me right now.
Putting the phone on speaker, I wait for him to pick up.
“Hey.”
“Sin, something happened and?—”
His gruff voice cuts me off immediately. “I’ll kill him. Where’s he at?” he growls into the phone.
Pressing my eyes shut, my head shakes in confusion. “No, what? No, shut up and listen.”
“Did you just tell me?—”
“Yes, now do it!” I snip back at him.
My brother remains silent, and I let out a sigh before telling him about the email open on my laptop screen.
About the opportunity, and how good this would be for my career.
That it’s not something they offer to people like me.
As I explain the situation, there’s a small voice in the back of my mind reminding me about Jade and how much Noah needs me to help him.
“What do you think?” I ask when I’ve shared everything with Sinnett.
“That you really have no manners,” he grumbles bitterly .
My eyes roll slowly. “About the interview, Sin!” I jump off my bed and start pacing around the small bedroom.
Moths are back in my stomach, because as much as I want to go for this interview, I’m being tugged back to this small town, knowing that I can’t just leave Noah and Jade.
He needs me here, and I don’t want to let him down.
Sinnett is quiet for a long minute, making my erratic nerves burst through my veins when he asks, “Is it what you want, Mia?”
My fingers pinch my top lip as I consider him momentarily. “I mean, this would be a dream. They rarely offer this sort of position to anyone, and I have the chance to interview for it.”
“Hmm,” is all he hums out, and it makes my stomach knot.
“What?”
“I mean, if I were in your position, then I’d go for it.”
My pulse beats widely as my gaze locks on the laptop again, the words CONGRATULATIONS spread across the top of the screen makes me feel fuzzy and jittery inside. “You would?” My voice shakes a little.
“Well, it’s what you chose to study at uni. What’s stopping you from going for it?”
My jaw slackens, lips parted, but no words reach the tip of my tongue. There shouldn’t be anything stopping me from leaping at this opportunity, but someone is.
Actually, two people. One and a half?
I drag my hand over my face as I think about Jade and Noah next door and how much I love looking after her.
I know it was never going to be a full-time thing, that eventually I’d stop when he found someone better, or when I moved away again, but now that I know them, a part of me is stuck here, and the thought of leaving doesn’t sit right with me .
I’ve been here for almost two months, and I have felt more at home here than I have ever felt back in the city, but this is also something that I might regret if I miss taking the chance.
“Mia?” My brother’s voice drags me back to the conversation.
“I just…” I search for the right words. “I just don’t know if I should, Sin.”
His exhale is heavy as I hear him sit down on the other end. “Look, twinkle fingers, be serious with me for a second.”
“All right,” I whisper.
“You are doing your babysitting thing for the baby daddy now twice?—”
“Don’t call him that. His name is Noah,” I push out angrily. Why does it bother me so much when people call him that?
Sinnett snickers. “Whatever… You are helping out Noah twice a week. Is it enough money?”
I swallow because I hate the fact that Noah is paying me, since this is definitely beginning to feel like more than me just being his daughter’s babysitter. “I mean, it’s not terrible money,” I answer, but my voice shakes a little.
“Is it enough for you to live off?”
My mouth tightens. “No.”
“Well, then, that’s your answer.”
I let out a sound of frustration, shoveling hair off my face.
“Why are you so annoyed? I thought this is what you wanted?” Sinnett grounds out.
“It was… but maybe it’s not anymore.”
A loaded grunt comes through the phone, followed by, “Are things with Noah… advancing? ”
My whole face scrunches and I nod my head, trying to swallow the anxious feeling creeping up the back of my throat.
“They are.” The words come out like a secret, and it kind of is.
I don’t think either of us expected our agreement to go further than being friends.
But now, there are feelings growing inside of me like vines twining about my organs and veins, and I can’t seem to be able to control them.
“How far?” Sinnett drawls.
I shrug my shoulder. “I’ve only kissed his cheek, but even that was terrifying for me.”
Sinnett snorts a laugh. “Man, we are too different sometimes. Look, take some time to think about it on your own. You have time, and maybe the decision will become clearer to you.”
I hum in response, chewing on my lip. I shut my laptop, not wanting to look at the email anymore. The words are burnt into my brain; I've read it so many times now.
“You’re right. I have some time,” I let out quietly, walking out of my room. “How is training coming along?”
“I'm finally back. Sitting out for an injury sucks,” he draws out, and I just snort a laugh. “I’ll be on this weekend if you watch the game.”
“Of course I will. Gran will want to watch it as well, no doubt.”
I hear something in the background. It sounds like whispering. Pushing the phone closer to my ear, I’m trying to figure out who it is when I hear his best friend laughing loudly. “Hi, Khai.”
“Hey, younger Baxter.” His voice comes through, and a smile pulls in my cheeks. He’s been Sinnett’s closest friend since we were kids, and as roommates, he acts like my unrelated brother. “How’s things?”
“They’re okay. I’ve been watching all of your matches.”
“Yeah, well, luckily your brother can play this weekend. It’s been boring with him being lazy on the bench. ”
Sinnett calls out in the background, “I’m not lazy. I’m injured!”
I lightly laugh.
“Are you going to come visit soon?”
I shrug again as I lean against the kitchen bench, standing in the sunlight to warm up my goose-bumped skin. “Maybe soon. Why? Do you miss me, Khai?”
“Always, younger Baxter. We’re going to the gym now, but good to know you’re cheering for us all the way from Barrenridge.”
“Of course I am. There’s no other team I’d cheer for.”
Khai hangs up, and I lean against the edge of the bench, chin dipped as my mind wanders back to the interview offer.
I don’t know what I want to do. Either I leave Noah and Jade behind, or I give up on a good opportunity for my career, which will show Mum and Dad that studying graphics wasn’t a waste.
Greedily, I want both of them, but ultimately, I know that I can only choose one. I hope I choose the right one.