ARIA
I barely touched my lunch.
Sarah didn't comment. She just talked about some campaign revamp and kept the space between us easy and undemanding. I appreciated that. I didn't have the strength to pretend I was okay. Not today.
Not when my stomach felt like it was twisted into knots and all I could manage to swallow was the thick vanilla milkshake I ordered out of guilt for wasting the food. Even that felt too sweet, like it didn't belong in the mouth of someone who was already rotting inside.
When we got back to the office, Rose gave me a soft smile from behind her desk. She looked up from her computer, probably waiting to say something. Maybe a good afternoon. Maybe to tell me he was here.
And I wanted to ask. God, I almost asked.
Is Kael in his office?
But the words lodged in my throat, thick and shameful. I just kept walking, clutching my drink like it was some kind of shield.
