Five Plus One Equals Done

I could hear my heart beating in my ears as I slammed my laptop shut. "So, you're saying that someone else got the contract?" I questioned, my voice tight but breaking on the edge.

"I'm sorry, but yes," the client answered, without looking me in the eye. "Your designs were great, but the board wanted a more... cautious approach."

Conservative. Code means dull, uninspired, and without having any effect. I could feel the heaviness of each word pulling me down. "I don't get it," I said quietly. "This was supposed to be my big break."

He shrugged and said, "Sometimes it's not about talent." "It's all about connections."

Links. The word tasted bad. I pulled my chair back and stood up. The sound of my chair scraping against the floor was louder than I meant it to be. I said, "Thank you for your time," in a frigid voice.

The hallway felt like it was closing in on me as I walked out. Every step made me feel more angry and embarrassed. I made fists with my hands. Years of hard effort thrown away like rubbish from yesterday.

Then I noticed it: the entryway to a stylish hotel bar that shone in the city's dark lights. The sound of soothing jazz floated out, calling to me like a siren. Maybe a drink could help get rid of this anger. It might help the pain go away.

I hardly thought about it for a second before going through the doors. The warmth hit me like a wave. A safe place. Tonight might be different, just maybe.

I sat down on a worn leather stool at the bar, and the chilly wood pressed against my hands. The bartender looked at me quickly and knowingly, as if he had seen too many broken dreams come through those doors tonight.

"What do you want?" he questioned, his voice silky yet exhausted.

I whispered, "Whatever burns the most," my eyes glued to the rows of bottles behind the counter that glowed like small promises.

The first drink felt like fire in my throat, and it chased away the chilly pain that had settled deep inside. Around me, laughing bubbled up in quiet, effortless streams. Couples were wrapped up in their own little worlds and didn't see my storm.

My thoughts kept going over the meeting, the short words, and the nice way it ended. They said connections. Not skill. Not a lot of work. Just names that were said in private.

A shadow moved next to me. I looked to the side and squinted.

He was tall and thin, with harsh angles that were softened by stubble that caught the faint light just so. His stormy gray eyes were eyeing me with what seemed like intrigue... or maybe a challenge.

He remarked, "You look like you just lost a war," in a low voice that sounded deadly.

I laughed bitterly. "Something like that."

He nodded, as if he knew about fights I hadn't told him about. "Callum is my name."

"Juniper," I murmured, shocked to hear my own name.

He lifted his drink and smiled a little. "To wars that were lost and victories that were unexpected."

I clinked my glass with his. The cool metal made something frail, maybe hope, spark. Maybe.

The noise around us decreased, and the bar got smaller until it was just the two of us and the promise of silence between us.

"So, an interior designer who drinks like she's trying to forget something," Callum murmured in a low, teasing voice, his eyes sparkling in the soft light of the bar.

I smiled, and my anger started to fade. "Only if ambition is a bad thing."

He leaned back and tapped the glass with his fingers in thought. "Ambition is a bad thing." It makes people act without thinking.

I looked him in the eye and dared him. "And what about you, Mr. Dangerous?" What careless thing did you do?

For a minute, his eyes turned dark and shadows danced behind them. "Running an empire." Keeping everyone at a distance. "Acting like I don't want more."

There was a true and raw crack in his armor. I sensed it, something I knew in that loneliness.