He Erased Me From The Photo I Erased Him From My Life Chapter 09
On Monday morning, I started at my new company.
HR showed me how to use my keycard, pointed out the meeting rooms, and led me to my desk. The woman sitting next to me looked up and smiled, extending her hand.
“Naomi Brooks. Want to grab lunch later?”
No one asked why I’d moved from Chicago. No one glanced at my bare ring finger. The office chatter was about projects, deadlines, and the perpetually jammed coffee machine.
At noon, Naomi made good on her offer and took me to a taco place around the corner.
“The beef is the best,” she said. “And if you like to hike, you should try Green Mountain this weekend—but don’t start with the south trail. It’s a killer.”
She went back to dousing her taco in hot sauce, never asking about my ex, my canceled wedding, or my past. I didn’t have to invent a breezy, palatable story. I didn’t have to strain to keep the conversation light.
But for a fleeting moment, I thought of Owen’s friends.
To fit in with them, I had memorized everyone’s drink orders and food allergies. I’d organized parties and carefully weighed every joke, terrified of saying the wrong thing.
And no matter what I did, I was always the outsider who needed to “be more understanding.”
Naomi pushed a taco toward me. “Try this one.”
I took it from her. “Thanks.”
So this was how simple it could be.
I could just be a new coworker. Just Natalie. Not some “future family member” who had to constantly prove she was worthy of being let in.