A week before their high school graduation, Ellie's boyfriend walked her to her door and kissed her goodnight, just like any other night. But there was nothing ordinary about what followed. Austin disappeared without a trace, never to be seen again...
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So I went a little overboard. Maybe I was too anxious to sleep, knowing I'd be seeing Austin in a few hours. Or William. Although I was pretty sure they were one and the same.
My mind raced through memories of the first time I met Austin in class, to us going on a date, going to prom, to seeing him again in St. Louis. I spent most of the night tossing and turning. Butterflies mixed with uneasiness in my stomach.
The sky had barely started to lighten when I finally gave up on sleep and got out of bed, way before the alarm clock went off. I was nervous, but excited.
I spent a ridiculous long time on perfecting my appearance. Way more than I'd ever spent before, and that included my prom and Aubrey's wedding. But knowing I looked good helped my self-confidence a tiny bit, and I needed that boost.
My hair was lightly curled, and my makeup was nearly perfect. I dressed in a soft pink blouse with a scoop neckline and bell sleeves, which I'd found in the last store I stopped in after my nail appointment. The color matched my nails perfectly. I smiled, knowing my niece would've approved, and hoped that William would as well. Paired with my favorite black pants and heels, it looked professional, but also cute and a little flirty.
The meeting didn't start until nine, but I was on site shortly after eight. The hotel wasn't far from the office, but since I wasn't sure how long the commute would be with traffic, and I absolutely didn't want to be late, I gave myself plenty of extra time. And maybe I'd catch a glimpse of William before the meeting...
Despite everything going the way it should and feeling confident about the work meeting, my nerves were all over the place. They ranged from excitement to seeing William again, to being terrified of what he'd say to my face. It was one thing to hear something over the phone, and a completely different thing to have someone tell you things you didn't want to hear when you looked them straight in the face.
I worried he'd break my heart all over again, even though I tried to tell myself there was nothing there to break.
BioloGen was located in a twelve story building in central Boston where it occupied the top three floors. I followed a middle-aged man in to the main entrance. My heels clicked on the gray tile flooring as I made my way over to the security guard station to have my id scanned before I took the elevator upstairs.
I was greeted by the familiar BioloGen logo as I stepped out of the elevator into a small but brightly decorated lobby on the tenth floor. A hallway led to an open space filled with cubicles.
"May I help you?" a female receptionist asked from behind a large desk.
"Yes," I smiled and showed her my badge. "I know I'm early, but I'm here for the management meeting."
"That's no problem," she smiled, showing me lipstick smeared teeth. "A couple of others have already arrived. I'm not sure they've finished setting up, but the meeting is on the eleventh floor in the executive conference room. One floor up. You can't miss it."
