WHEN I WAS 7 YEARS OLD, I CRIED AND SAID I WAS GOING TO MARRY MY NEIGHBOR. I WENT TO A JOB INTERVIEW 15 YEARS LATER — THE GENERAL MANAGER LOOKED AT ME AND SMILED: ‘THE GENERAL MANAGER… DID YOU APPLY TO BE HIS WIFE?

Connor raised his hand slightly and spoke calmly, asking them to leave the room for a few minutes so that we could talk privately.

One by one, the committee members stood up and walked out, and the door closed softly behind them, leaving an even heavier silence in the room.

I remained seated, unsure whether I should laugh, cry, or simply run away from the overwhelming emotions that were building inside me.

“You have grown up a lot, Avery,” he said first, breaking the silence with a gentle tone.

Hearing my name from his lips made something inside me tremble in a way that I could not control.

“You too,” I managed to reply, although my voice sounded weaker than I expected.

He stepped closer to the table and admitted that he had recognized me the moment I walked into the room, even though he tried to remain serious.

I smiled slightly and reminded him that he had never been very good at hiding his feelings, even back when we were younger.

He laughed softly and said that I had not been good at hiding mine either, especially when I was seven years old and shouting in the courtyard.