Chapter 352


    Chapter 352 Change Of Heart


    E


    “Well,” I said, offering my colleague a warm smile. “How about we go together?”


    As I made the suggestion to Sarah, her eyebrows shot up in surprise. “Lunch, together?” she echoed, a


    touch of incredulity in her voice.


    I shifted slightly, wondering if I had made a mistake. It had been a spur of the moment decision,


    partially fuelled by the pains in my stomach caused by a distinctck of lunch. “Well, yes,” I responded,


    trying to maintain a casual air. “I mean, if you don’t want toe, that’s-”


    “No,” Sarah interrupted, a soft chuckle escaping her lips. “It’s just… unexpected, that’s all. Sure, let’s


    go.”


    Relief washed over me, and a small smile yed on my lips. “Great,” I said, genuinely pleased.


    We decided on a cozy bistro just a few blocks away from thew firm. It was on a nice street, with


    metal tables outside and coffee served in real cups instead of the usual cardboard takeout cups. We


    decided to sit outside beneath a yellow birch tree and listen to the sounds of the city. I didn’te here


    often, but it was asionally a nice reprieve from the hustle and bustle of the fast-moving world ofw.


    As we waited for our food, Sarah seemed a little fidgety, asionally stealing nces at me. It was


    clear she had something on her mind. Taking a deep breath, she finally broke the silence just when I


    was getting ready to ask if everything was okay.


    “I know I’ve been… well, let’s just say not the nicest colleague,” she began, her voice hesitant.


    Internally, I felt Ema stir. “A bit?” she growled, clearly annoyed from her hunger. “She’s been a real-”


    “Hush, Ema,” I thought, quieting her and refocusing my attention on Sarah.


    “What changed?” I asked, genuinely curious. While her sudden friendliness was wee, I was also


    confused by it. Just a few weeks prior, I had thought that she hated me. But now, it seemed as though


    those old feelings had dissipated.


    Sarah took a moment before answering, choosing her words carefully. “You’ve always been really kind


    to me, even when I didn’t deserve it. At first, it irritated me more, made me see you as weak or too


    much of a people- pleaser. But after a while, especially today, seeing you stand up not just for yourself


    but also for what’s right, I… I began to respect you.”


    A touch of color appeared on her cheeks, as if she wasn’t used to admitting such things. “Between that


    speech you gave this morning and the vending machine incident,” she continued with a softugh, “I


    think I might even look up to you a bit.”


    The realization was profound. To think that someone, especially Sarah, who I’d always seen as an


    adversary, could view me in a positive light was both surprising and heartening.


    “Thank you,” I said softly, a little flustered but genuinely grateful for her words. “You know, I’ve always


    believed that there’s more to people than what meets the eye. I always tried to see the good in you,


    even when you made it… particrly challenging. No offense.”


    “None taken,” Sarah said, grinning sheepishly. “I guess I’ve been a piece of work, huh?”


    I couldn’t help butugh. “A piece of work, sure, if that’s how you want to put it,” I said. “But… I’ve


    always wanted to say this: I really admire how you always speak your mind.” I paused, thinking for a


    moment, and then a grin spread across my face. “Like when you sorted out that one life insurance


    fiasco a couple months ago…


    Sarah nodded and listened, her face flushing a tinge of red as I brought up a time in the past when her


    expertise and strong spirit had been helpful for us.


    She was always quick to speak her mind, and I remembered how she had berated a man who kept


    trying to badger the employees to sell them shoddy life insurance policies. I could still hear how she


    had yelled at him when he had shown up for an entire week in a row, and had nearly convinced the


    rookie intern to sign his life away for a $100,000 policy that was definitely a scam.


    “Get out of here and don’te back!” she had yelled, her brown hair falling into her eyes as she


    chased after the life insurance salesman in his oversized suit and beat-up loafers. “And tell your boss


    that he can suck it! Vultures, all of you! Vultures!”


    It had been both hrious and helpful, and I never had a chance to thank her for things like that.


    We bothughed as we remembered that day, the previous tension between us dissipating. As our


    sds arrived, and we began eating, our conversation flowed more easily, ranging from work-rted


    topics to personal interests and hobbies. For the first time, I felt like I was seeing the real Sarah, and


    she was seeing the real me.


    Our lunch was a blend of easy chatter and moments of reflection, and before we knew it, we had spent


    more than an hour at the bistro. We split the bill and made our way back to the firm, our faces aching


    fromughing.


    “Hey,” Sarah said, a slight smile gracing her features as we climbed the steps to the firm. “Um…


    Thanks for today. We should do it again.”


    I couldn’t help but smile, a renewed sense of hope settling in my chest. “Yeah,” I said, nodding.


    “Definitely.”


    We headed back inside and returned to work, but the smile didn’t leave my face all day. I couldn’t stop


    thinking that perhaps, after all this time, I was finally making a genuine friend in this vast, overwhelming


    city.


    A spark of light in the darkness. A fountain covered in graffiti that only needed to be scrubbed clean.


    The rest of the day at the office passed in a blur. Sarah’s revtions during lunch had left me in high


    spirits, and I tackled my workload with newfound energy. As the hours went by, the memory of our


    conversation remained fresh in my mind, bringing a smile to my face every time I thought about it.


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    That evening, after I had made my way home and settled into my cozy apartment, I found myself


    lounging on the couch, lost in thoughts about the day’s events. The city’s usual cacophony of sounds


    was a distant hum, almostforting in its familiarity.


    Iid back with a guilty pleasure show on my television, sweatpants on and a messy bun on top of my


    head, and two slices of greasy pizza from the bodega next door. An ideal night.


    However, a loud, persistent car honking disrupted my reverie.


    Annoyed, I got up and went to the window to see what themotion was about. My eyes widened in


    surprise when I spotted a sleek, red car parked right outside my building. And behind the wheel, with


    that all-too-familiar smirk stered on his face, was Logan.


    Leaning out of the driver’s window, he called up to me on the balcony, the yful lilt in his voice


    unmistakable.


    “Wanna go for a joyride?”