After the Heartbreak

Chapter 9: A Crossroad

One month after my situationship with Gino ended, life started taking a new direction. Just when I thought I was stuck in a loop of reflection, a new opportunity arrived—a job offer.

I remember staring at the email for what felt like hours, unable to believe my luck. It wasn’t the perfect job, but it was something—something that meant forward movement. After months of uncertainty and feeling adrift, this was a step forward.

I smiled, feeling the spark of hope reignite. "This is it," I whispered to myself. "A fresh start."

The job was at a Publishing company. Ironically, it was the same company where Gino worked. I hadn’t applied there because of him, though. In fact, I had gone out of my way to avoid that place. The last thing I needed was for our paths to cross again, especially so soon after our last encounter.

But as fate would have it, I didn’t have many options. I needed the job, and the offer had come at just the right time. After weeks of searching, turning this down would have been foolish.

"Maybe it’s a big enough place," I thought, trying to reassure myself. "The chances of running into him are probably slim."

Still, on my first day, I wore a face mask, just in case. It was a habit I’d developed during the pandemic, but today it served another purpose—protection. I didn’t want Gino to recognize me if, by some stroke of bad luck, we did cross paths.

The building was huge, and I was assigned to a different floor from where the more experienced employees worked. I told myself there was no way I’d bump into him anytime soon. As the days passed, I started to relax. The job itself was challenging, but not in a bad way. I enjoyed learning new things, and I found myself slowly settling into a routine.

The best part? The people.

I met some incredible colleagues—people who were warm, funny, and supportive. Mark, one of my coworkers, quickly became a close friend. He had a knack for making everyone around him laugh, and he was always the first to offer help when things got tough.

“You’re fitting in pretty well,” Mark said one afternoon, flashing me a grin. “Not bad for a newbie.”

I laughed, rolling my eyes. “I’m trying my best. But seriously, you guys make it easy. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

“You’d be fine,” Mark said, shrugging. “But hey, we’re glad to have you.”

In those moments, I realized that for the first time in a long while, I wasn’t thinking about Gino. I wasn’t dwelling on the past or replaying old conversations in my head. I was present, enjoying the company of new friends and focusing on my future.

It felt good.