Circling Back To You

Chapter 1

Now

Kyle

It's my awareness that most people would jump at a second chance when given it by the universe. When faced with the rare opportunity to start over on something you messed up, I guarantee there's a good chance that you would take it. But unfortunately, I'm not in that side of the population.

The office lights are all on, causing a glaring brightness in the room when mingled with the sunlight streaming in from the floor length windows. There's a kind of frenzy about, even people who aren't mildly involved rushing about with a manner of great excitement and business. We're supposed to have our first meeting with a potential client today - but not just any client. The kind of rich, affluent, shrewd business man who wants a design bigger than the state of Texas, no doubt dropping enough cash on the deal to give everyone in our firm a huge raise. There's an air of mystery surrounding him that makes this anticipated buzz even thicker, as we've mostly corresponded through his assistant, a sweet woman called Miss Greenwood who stresses how busy her employer's schedule always finds itself.

All in all, whoever this client is, they are important. Getting this deal down, even more important. And guess who it's up to? Bingo, me. Though obviously, with the other two in my team - Don and Lisa, the design and tech architects respectively. We operate primarily as a trio, and anywho, I don't think I would trust something as big as this to myself alone.

"Hey team!" Lisa says cheerily as she clicks in with her heels and grey pencil skirt. "Ready to smash this meeting out of the ballpark?"

Don nods at her, putting our very limited notes about the client in a file. "Hell yes, let's do this."

A little cheer rises from everyone else in the office, all showing various degrees of encouragement and anxiety. Someone hands me my iced coffee, another fixes Lisa's hair, someone else smooths out Don's shirt. It reminds me of the scene at the start of Legally Blonde when Elle goes to meet her boyfriend, but hopefully this meeting will end better than that.

"Right. First meetings are usually mostly about making a good impression anyway, and getting a feel of the client. It won't be difficult for us, as long as we nail the first impressions and don't act like total idiots who don't know what we're doing."

Lisa grins at me, half nervous, half teasing. "Okay, as if you're capable of making a bad first impression. I'd think we'd all be much more surprised to meet someone who didn't like you right off the bat."

"Flattery doesn't get you a raise, Lisa." Don supplies haughtily.

"Oh be quiet for once, would you?" They continue bickering as we enter our conference room and take our respective seats. I watch the clock with interest as the seconds tick by, each decibel that passes bringing the meeting closer.

Abruptly, the background noise from people outside halts. Lisa and Don stop their arguing and both turn to look at me in an almost scarily synchronized motion. I shift in my seat and sit a little taller, the three of us waiting with bated breath for the big reveal.

The first to step through the door is a tall, brunette woman who looks to be about my age, wavy hair done up in a business-like bun. Her skin is a warm olive tone and for some reason, there's something vaguely familiar about her features that I frustratingly, can't seem to pinpoint. I know her last name is Greenwood, but it doesn't help ring a bell as to why I feel like I should know her. It's like I somehow knew a distant version of her that I briefly recognize but can't see that person anymore. I gesture her to her seat, smiling, and try and figure out where the familiarity lies. I'm so preoccupied with it that when the second person walks in, I barely notice.