Don’t Let Me Break by Linda Verji

 

 

CHAPTER 11

 

Now that the weekend debacle was resolved, Sebastian had no reason to seek Marley out personally. Were she any other employee, he wouldn’t have tried to have any more contact with her other than for the once-a-week meetings he had with each team. However, she wasn’t any other employee.

He couldn’t get her out of his thoughts. After everything that had happened between them, he wanted to know more about her. It started with checking out her personnel records where he noted that she’d only worked with About It for one and a half years. He also noticed that the company had personally head-hunted her after seeing one of the videos she’d edited for a popular influencer while working freelance.

After watching most of the videos she’d edited for About It, he understood why she’d been head-hunted. She was very, very good at her job. She was so great at what she did that she was one of the few editors who received compliments in the comments’ section of their videos. HR considered her their best editor and had raised her salary even though she’d only been around for a year and a half.

Given how meek she normally was, her being so skilled was a pleasant surprise. It raised his interest in her by several notches. Before he knew it, his eyes would follow her whenever she was anywhere within his line of vision. When he was climbing the stairs that led to his office, his gaze immediately swept to her desk. He noticed that she was always working even while her team members were gossiping.

When he went to the cafeteria, he noticed that she mostly hang out with Eugene, Zion, and a lady who he’d since learnt was called Quinn. When they were in meetings together, he noticed how she never spoke unless someone drew her into the conversation. It almost seemed like she was trying to blend into the background. But it just made her more fascinating to him.

At this point, she was almost an obsession and he couldn’t understand it himself.

“Bash!” A voice cut into his thoughts.

“Yeah?” Sebastian looked up to find Nora at his door. Immediately, he regretted answering because he’d been trying to get her to stop using that nickname. But she wouldn’t stop because in her mind that made them closer. Frowning, he scolded, “I told you not to call me Bash.”

“Sorry.” Nora gave him an insincere smile. She pointed behind her. “Let’s go.”

“Let’s go where?”

“Lunch.” Nora pointed to the wall clock. “It’s one p.m.”

Sebastian didn’t want to go for lunch with her. However, this was usually the time Marley and her friends went for lunch too. So he stood.

As he and Nora took the stairs down, he noted that Marley’s desk was empty, which meant that she was probably at the cafeteria. However, when they got there, he saw her friends but didn’t see her.

“Let’s sit there,” Nora suggested once they had their lunch. She was pointing to a table right in the middle of the cafeteria.

“No.” Sebastian shook his head. “Let’s take a table by the window.”

Yeah, he did like being hit by the sun while he ate. And if that table just happened to be adjacent to the one Eugene, Zion and Quinn were at, then… providence.

As it turned out, luck was really with him because soon the trio began to discuss Marley.

“She’s not eating lunch again?” Eugene asked with obvious worry in his voice.

“No.” Quinn shook her head. “She said that she ate some snacks so she’s good.”

“Snacks?” Zion snorted. “More like one cupcake.”

“Just one?” Eugene asked. When Zion nodded, he exclaimed, “Well damn! How is she not a sack of bones?”

“Y’all don’t understand the struggle of girls like us,” Quinn said. “Twigs like you two can eat a house and still look like models. Meanwhile, some of us out here only have to breathe in the air from something frying and we gain twenty pounds on the spot. Leave Marley alone.”

“One cupcake isn’t enough though.” Eugene still sounded worried. “Maybe I should get her something while we’re here.”

“I’ll grab her a sandwich,” Zion immediately offered.

When he started to stand, Quinn stopped him. She said, “She’s probably up on the roof anyway. You can give it to her when we get back to our desks.”

With that, the trio changed the topic. However, Sebastian now had all the information he needed. He stood up.

“Where are you going?” Nora looked up at him in surprise. “You’re not done with your lunch.”

“I just remembered an email that I need to send.”

“Now?”

“Now.” He nodded. “It’s urgent.”

Before Nora could ask any more questions, he left the table. After getting rid of his half-full tray, he headed to the counter to buy both him and Marley sandwiches. However, he changed his mind when he got there because he realized that taking a sandwich with him would make it obvious that he was searching for her. Empty-handed, he headed up to the rooftop.

As expected, Marley was on the rooftop. She was seated at one of the tables, watching a video on her tablet while taking notes by hand. So engrossed in the video was she that she didn’t even notice Sebastian until he was right at the table.

When she looked up and saw him, surprise filled her expression. “Mr. Levy?”

“Sebastian,” he corrected.

“Huh?”

“Headphones!” He pointed to his own ears, and even as he did so, he couldn’t help smiling because he always had to remind her.

“Oh!” With a sheepish look, she lowered the headphones to her neck.

“Fancy meeting you here again.” He took the seat opposite her. Pretending like he hadn’t been actively looking for her, he asked, “Aren’t you having lunch?”

“I’m- I’m okay,” she said. Curiosity shone in her eyes, and he could tell that she wanted to ask him what he was doing up here. But she didn’t.

He answered the silent question for her anyway. “I wanted some fresh air.”

“Oh!” She nodded, but soon wariness replaced the curiosity in her gaze. If Sebastian were to take a guess, she was probably wondering why he’d come to her table. There were several other tables around them.

That was a question he didn’t care to answer, so he asked, “What are you watching?”

Confusion lit her eyes. “Hmm?”

“What are you watching?” He pointed to the paused video on her tablet. “You seemed really immersed.”

“Oh- oh this.” She glanced at the tablet. “Zion’s trying- He’s trying his hand at editing and asked me to take a look at his work. That’s- that’s what I’m doing.”

“Oh.” Sebastian moved forward slightly so he could see the screen better. “Is he any good?”

Marley shrugged. “Decent for a beginner.”

“Let me see.” Sebastian rounded the table so he could have a closer look at the video.

It was only after he settled next to her that he realized how uncomfortable his closeness might make her. Her immediate stiffening and swift intake of breath proved him right. Marley was like an abandoned kitten. If he didn’t want to frighten her into running away before he got to know her, he needed to handle her gently. So, after taking the tablet, he scooted a little further away from her.

“You’re right. It’s decent,” Sebastian complimented after he watched the four minute video. “But it still has many problems. Like the transitions. They’re not as smooth as they should be.”

“Yeah.” Marley nodded. “I noticed that and noted it down.”

“But he’s not that bad. I’ve seen trained editors who do a rougher job.” Sebastian frowned. “The sound is bothering me but I’m not sure why.”

“It’s the music,” Marley said. “The video is about how birds find their mate, but he’s put in a song that feels like a funeral dirge. It’s jarring.”

“You’re right.” Sebastian smiled. “I knew there was something wrong but I couldn’t put my finger on it.”

“The audio is a little inconsistent too,” she said then went on to explain why it was inconsistent.

Sebastian listened carefully, but as he did, he noticed how she didn’t stammer when she was talking about her work and how animated she got. It made him oddly happy.

It also made him doubt himself.

After the hospital and nightclub incident, he’d surmised that Marley might have a mental disorder. It was the only thing that could explain the odd personality changes and the refusal to go to hospital for a brain checkup. But for the last two weeks that he’d watched her, she’d seemed so normal that he was starting to think he was wrong.

Maybe having a father who was schizophrenic had made him see mental illness where there was none. Maybe Marley had just had a moment, and he’d overreacted. Maybe she was just fine.

“You really know your stuff, don’t you?” he complimented once she finished explaining the things that were wrong with Zion’s video.

She looked down shyly. “Thanks.” Then she surprised him by saying, “You too. Were you a video editor?”

“No.” He smiled. “But you know how it is. When you deal with online media for as long as I have, you learn some stuff even without meaning to.”

“Ah!” She nodded, but didn’t say anything more.

Their conversation should’ve ended there, but he still wanted to talk to her. Why? He didn’t know either.

“How long have you worked here anyway?” he asked even though he already knew the answer.

“One- one year and a few- few months,” Marley responded.

“That’s not long,” he commented, noting that her stammer was back. “How do you like it so far?”

Marley shrugged. “It’s fine.”

Sebastian would’ve liked to prod for more details, but right then her watch rang. It was its alarm.

“I- I have to go.” Marley gathered her stuff. “Lunch is over.”

Actually, she didn’t have to go. About It had a looser environment, which meant that there was no set time to be at your desk. You just needed to finish your work before the deadline. However, Sebastian could tell that Marley had already stayed with him past her comfort-level. So, he let her go.

But as he watched her go, he couldn’t help wishing that she’d stayed a little longer. It was nice talking to her.