Teacher's Girl (Aflyingwhale)

Chapter 98: Boiling Point 

EMMA’s POV :

----- THREE MONTHS AGO - - - - -

"You're gonna do great,"

Elliott said as he took my shaking hands.

"You got this, E,"

Tristan gave me a reassuring smile.

Elliott, Tristan, and I were standing in front of the massive structure that was the Hudson Yards in New York City.

It was a very special day today, I was having my first ever job interview in the famous New York Magazine.

I was absolutely over the moon when I got the call for an interview.

Sophie, Tristan, Elliott, and I were having dinner together at a restaurant when I got the news.

They were excited for me too.

So much so, that Tristan offered to drive me to the city for the interview.

Sophie had a meeting with her professor today, so she couldn't come.

But she promised that she would be waiting at home with pizza and champagne.

We were gonna celebrate this moment no matter what, because whatever happens, at least I got to tell people that I was getting interviewed by David Haskell, one of the greatest editors of all time.

This was pretty much my dream job.

If I ace this interview, I could be the next editorial assistant to David Haskell or to the other great editors that worked in the magazine.

I would be living in New York City right after graduation, working at one of the greatest publishing companies in the world.

I mean, what else could be better than that? "Oh God, I'm so nervous, I think I’m gonna hurl,"

I was taking deep breaths and trying my best not to hyperventilate.

"Just go in there and be yourself.You don’t have to worry about anything,"Elliott said.

"Yeah, they'll be crazy not to hire someone like you,"

Tristan agreed.

I still didn’t feel ready, but there was no more time to waste.

I nodded at them, took another deep breath, and curled my hands into fists.

With confidence as strong as the croissant I ate this morning, I turned to my heels and climbed the stairs towards the entrance.

"Here goes nothing,"I mumbled to myself.

Walking into the grand lobby of the building, I suddenly felt so self-aware that my heels were too loud.

Slowly, I made my way to the receptionist and told her I was here for the interview.

She directed me to the waiting room area and told me to wait there.

There were several other people waiting alongside me.

There was a guy who kept twitching and fixing his glasses every ten seconds.

And there was a girl with a severe case of the hiccups.

I waited for about twenty minutes before they finally called me in and said David Haskell was ready to see me.

I saw a glimpse of the room where the interview was taking place and I gulped instinctively.

I saw David Haskell sitting there, alongside two other people who I assumed were other senior editors in the magazine.

"No matter what happens, I’m here for the experience,"

I repeated the sentence like a mantra as I stood up.

"I'm proud of you even for just going in here and trying,"

The lady that escorted me into the room probably thought I was weird, talking to myself like this.

Excuse me, but I had never been so nervous in my life before.

This interview was gonna determine my future for the next, I don’t know how many years.

And with that thought in mind, I took a deep breath and stepped into David Haskell’s office.

"So? How'd it go?"

Elliott and Tristan’s faces were full of questions and expectations as they saw me walking out of the building.

They were waiting on my every move as I stepped down the long stairs slowly and carefully.

I wore my extremely tall high heels today, as I wanted to make a good impression.

If I walked too fast, however, I might just do the opposite.

"It went...kind of great!"

I told them.

I couldn’t stop the smile forming on my face.

"I was so scared and intimidated at first, but David Haskell is such a great person.He’s down to earth and he listens, you know?"

"I'm glad it went well, love.

I knew you could it,"

Elliott pulled me into his chest as soon as I was an arm’s length away from him.

He kissed me on the cheek and smiled brightly.

"You were in there for a while, what did you guys talk about?"

Tristan asked.

Tristan’s dream was also to work for a newspaper or a magazine. Belongs to (N)ôvel/Drama.Org.

He preferred something heavier on the journalistic side than the New York Magazine, though.

New York Magazine heavily emphasized on lifestyle, culture, politics, and the world of arts in New York City.

He preferred something more like The New York Times or The Wall Street Journal.

"First, I had to wait about twenty minutes for David Haskell to finish his other interviews.

There was this guy that kept twitching and this girl with the hiccups, but anyway, I went in after them and we did the typical introductory stuff like where you're from, et cetera, et cetera.

Then he asked me about my school, the dean of my department which happened to be great friends with him, and then we talked about my year in Paris.

He took a look at m resume again, saw some of my portfolio, and then he asked me if I was willing to relocate to the city.

He never actually said the words ' you're hired’, but I still think that was a good indication,"

"Wow, that sure does,"

Tristan nodded approvingly."He said someone will be in touch within the week to let me know further details,"

I continued.

"Further details? Dude, that pretty much means you're in,"

Tristan said matter-of-factly.

"Oh, I don’t know, T. I don’t wanna get my hopes up, but I sure hope so!"

I yelped with my fingers crossed and my eyes closed.

This was totally a great opportunity for me, or for anyone, really.

To be able to start working right away after college and in a place like the New York Magazine, this must be a dream.

"This is great news, right? We should celebrate,"Elliott said.

"Yeah, what do you have in mind?"I asked him.

"Well, we have a couple of hours to kill, maybe we can start with some lunch?"

"Oh, I know a great sushi place not too far from here,"

Tristan said.

"Sounds good to me.Come on, I’m starving.I haven't eaten all day because I was afraid I’d hurl,"

I said and motioned for Tristan to lead the way.

"Ew, TMI,"

Tristan rolled his eyes.

"By the way, you’re paying for lunch, E.You’re gonna be a paid salary woman now,"

The thought of being a salary woman brought a smile to my face.

I could just picture it; me in my high heels and silk blazer, walking up those flights of stairs every morning with a cup of Starbucks coffee in my hand, going into work.

Look out New York, here comes Emma! "Fine.Get whatever you want, lunch is on me boys!"I exclaimed.

"Yes!"

Tristan put his hands up in excitement.

We got lunch at this place called Sushi Seki in the heart of the city.

It was a warm spring day in mid May, so we decided to take advantage of the nice weather and sat on the outdoor patio.

Tristan was right about the place, it was probably the best sushi I’ve had in my life.

After we finished lunch, we decided to take a walk around Central Park before driving back since the weather so nice today.

Okay, so my heels were not made for walking, but big deal.

I liked how butt looks with them heels on, and plus, I had Elliott and Tristan with me so I was pretty much putting my body weight on them.

I was walking in between Tristan and Elliott, my left arm was linked around Elliott's waist and my right hand held onto Tristan’s arm.

"So this is New York City,"

Elliott's eyes were wide in wonder as he took in all the sights.

The buildings were tall, the trees were green and full, the flowers were blooming, people were out enjoying the sun, and the sky was a gorgeous shade of blue.

"Can't believe you've been in Philly for almost a year and you never visited New York City.It’s only a one hour train ride,"

Tristan said.

Elliott shrugged and looked at me for confirmation, saying, "I guess we just never got a chance?"

A nervous laugh escaped my lips.

Yeah, it wasn’t that we never got a chance to come visit, there were plenty of chances to come visit, but I never wanted to.

The last time I was in this city, I saw my fiancée kissed another girl and we broke up in the middle of the streets under the rain.

It was traumatic, to say the least.

"Why haven't we come here before?"

Elliott muttered casually.

"Well, you know...I was busy with school..."

My eyes darted to the side to avoid eye contact with Elliott, but I caught Tristan’s eyes instead.

That look on his face said it all.

Tristan knew exactly why I never wanted to come to the city.

Our eyes met and it was like we were having a telepathic conversation.

"You never told him about lan, didn’t you?" he asked with his eyes.

"No, and don't you say a word!" I warned him.

We stared at each other in awkward silence for a few more seconds before Tristan coughed and shuffled away.

"I, uh, I'm gonna go get some of those hot dogs.Sophie asked me to get her some.Be right back," he said as he headed towards a hot dog cart.

I let out a small sigh of relief as I watched him go.

Elliott was oblivious to everything.

I had never told him about lan, the topic of ex lovers never came up anyway.

Elliott never liked talking about the past, so our conversations were always about the present or the future.

"So, tell me, when you get that job..."

Elliott said suddenly.

"If I get the job," I corrected him.

"There’s still a chance I might not,"

"When you get the job,"

He insisted, emphasizing on the word ‘when’.

"Does that mean you'll be moving here?"

"Well, yeah.I can’t be taking the train from Philly every day,"I laughed.

"Why?"

"Nothing, it’s just that, I wanna be near where you are, that's all,"he smiled sweetly.

Elliott still got another year of contract with the school he was working for.

If it wasn't for that, he’d probably want to follow me to the city too.

"It's okay if we don't live in the same city for a year, right? We'll figure it out,"

I said, pausing for a moment before continuing, "And like Tristan said, New York is only an hour train ride away,"

I gave him a reassuring smile, but he didn’t smile back.

Instead, he stopped our tracks and turned to his side to face me.

"Emma, do you see a future for us?"he asked in a serious tone.

"What do you mean?" I looked at him quizzically.

"I have left everything behind for you so I'm sure you know that I’m very serious about our relationship.We've been together for almost a year now and I need to know if you're on the same page with me on this.I'm talking about taking the next step with you,"

"What are saying, Elliott? You want us to move in together?"

"Yes, but not exactly," his hand went to his jacket pocket and he fished out a small velvet box.

Slowly, his hand pulled the box open and he said, "This is what I'm saying,"

My eyes widened instantly and my jaw fell to the ground.

Inside the box was a little diamond ring, and it was shining bright at me under the sunlight.

"Oh my god!" I gasped.

"Oh my god," I heard Tristan’s voice as he was coming back towards us.

Elliott took my hand in his and said, "I’ve searched my whole life for someone like you, Emma.

You complete me.

When I look into your eyes, I can see a reflection of the two of us and the life I hope we'll share together.

This past year with you has been the best time of my life.

You’ve made me the happiest man alive and I promise I will do everything in my power to make you happy,"

I couldn't say anything, I was completely caught off guard.

I looked at the ring, then at Elliott’s nervous face, then my eyes darted to Tristan who also had the biggest look of shock on his face.

At that moment, it was like Tristan and I were having another telepathic conversation with our eyes.

"What the flick is happening, E?!"

"I don’t know, T! I don’t flicking know!"

"So, will you marry me and be my wife, Emma Sinclair?"

Elliott said again.

His voice pulled my focus back to him.

His eyes looked nervous, but they were also hopeful.

My mouth fell open as if to speak, but there were no intelligible words coming out of it.

"E...Elliott...I...uh...I Knowing that I wasn’t able to give him a complete answer right away,” he smiled and said, "Don’t say anything.Just smile for a yes or kick me in the nuts for no,"

He was using our little inside joke.

That was cute so darn smooth.

And dammit, I almost smiled! Oh crap...what am I gonna do?