Chapter 389
We talked about everything. Not just what happened, but everything before it too. We talked about Chloe, about Brook and Noah.
We talked about things I had pushed aside long before all of this. Things I had ignored. Things I thought I had already dealt with.
We unpacked it slowly, piece by piece, until I could sit with it without feeling like it was going to consume me.
I’m not done; I know that. I still have sessions. Still have things I need to work through, but I’m not where I was before and that’s enough for now.
I open my eyes again, staring at the ceiling for a moment before pushing myself up from the couch. I walk slowly across the room, my thoughts shifting as I move.
I can’t go back to Bio-Renew; that much is clear, but I do need a job. I need a new start.
For a moment, I consider working somewhere else. Starting over in a different company, somewhere I don’t have history tied to every corner, but the thought doesn’t sit right.
I pause near the window, looking out without really seeing anything.
I’ve spent too much time reacting. Too much time adjusting to things happening around me. I don’t want to do that anymore. I want control. I want a place where I can control everything that happens around me; that way nothing will ever fall apart ever again.
The idea pops in my head before I can even stop it.
What if I build something of my own? I have the credentials, the knowledge and the research.
I never thought about it that way. I’ve been working on it for a while now, something I never got the chance to fully develop, but I always thought that I would sell it to the highest bidder, but what if I don’t have to?
It’s something I believe could change things, shake up the medical field… so why develop it and sell it when it can be the engineering component of my own company?
I start pacing slowly, my mind already moving ahead, even as the idea digs it claws deep inside me.
Starting a company isn’t simple. It needs structure, planning and a lot of funding. And yes, sure, I have the money from Bio-Renew, but that money isn’t enough for something like this.
I exhale slowly, already thinking. I need investors and partnerships.
Lilly is the first name that comes to mind, but even that isn’t something I would go into unprepared. She taught me this part, so I know for something like this I’d need a proposal.
I stop mid-step, my mind already on grabbing a notebook, when a knock sounds at the door. I move towards it, expecting to see Lilly, but I pause when I find Adrian standing on the porch, hands in his pockets, looking unsure.
My mind goes back without warning to the last time I saw him before everything fell apart. I push the thought aside before it can settle because none of it matters now.
“Hi,” he says, his voice low and unsure.
“Hi,” I reply.
He studies me for a second, like he’s trying to read something in my face.
“Can I come in?” he asks.
Before, I wouldn’t have hesitated, but now things are different because I’m not sure what letting him in means anymore.
After a moment, I step aside and he walks in, glancing around briefly before turning back to me.
“It’s good to see you,” he says.
“You too.” The words come automatically, almost like I practiced them.
He waits, like he expects more, but I don’t add anything. I couldn’t even if I tried.
“I, uh… I heard you got back today,” he says. “I’m glad you’re back safe p>
“Thank you.” I mumble, not really sure what else I’m supposed to say.
“How was the trip p>
“It was fine p>
He looks like he’s about to say something else, then stops. I watch him for a second, noticing the hesitation, the way he seems unsure of where to go next.
It’s funny how we always had something to talk about but now there is nothing but silence and awkwardness between us. It should bother me, and before it would, but it doesn’t now.
“I came by yesterday,” he says after a moment. “There were a lot of people, so I didn’t stay p>
I nod slightly.
“I saw you at the airport,” I say.
“I wasn’t sure if you did p>
“I did p>
We both pause because it’s clear the conversation isn’t moving.
After a moment, he exhales lightly, running a hand through his hair.
“I just wanted to check on you,” he says.
“I’m fine, and thank you for checking up on me.” I give him a small smile.
“Don’t mention it p>
He studies me again, longer this time, like he’s trying to figure something out, but I don’t give him anything to work with.
After a while, he nods slowly.
“I’ll see you around, Sierra,” he says, before giving me one last look and leaving.