12 Chapter 12
I was swamped with graduation prep at the time, so we barely interacted.
Before I could process what happened, the Director’s voice came from inside. “Get in
here.”
Five years later, the tired student had transformed so completely I barely recognized
him.
He looked familiar, but I couldn’t place him. He feigned a heartbroken sigh, though the smile in his eyes gave him away.
We sped back to the research center. I hesitated at the door to the Director’s office, not daring to go in. Before I graduated, he had tried so hard to convince me to stay.
He was not happy with me on that call. When Emma had called two weeks ago, I could tell he was still annoyed.
His second invitation came when this new project was starting.
He didn’t seem to mind, grabbing my arm and pulling me toward the parking lot. “Come on, Sherry. The Director is getting impatient.”
Marcus naturally took the lead, joking as we walked. “Glad to see you still remember me. I was worried I’d faded into obscurity.”
After years of Albert’s cold indifference, I wasn’t quite sure how to interact with someone so warm and outgoing.
Five years ago, just before I graduated, my mentor took on a new student, Dr. Marcus Chen.
My only real memory of him was seeing him pull an all-nighter in the lab, desperate over some experimental data.
My eyes went wide as I instinctively slapped a hand over his mouth. It landed on his lips just as he was speaking. We both froze. I snatched my hand back as if I’d been burned. Marcus averted his gaze, but I saw the tips of his ears flush red.
I turned to see a handsome, cheerful man walking toward me. “Excuse me, are you…?”
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12 Chapter 12
Just as I was about to call Emma, I heard someone call out, “Sherry!”
“Sherry, don’t tell me you’ve forgotten me after only five years. My heart is broken!” But I was fresh off Albert finally becoming my boyfriend, and my head was full of him. I’d followed him to Portland and turned down the Director’s offer.
Emma had texted before I took off, saying she’d arranged for someone to pick me up so I wouldn’t get lost. The airport was bustling, but I didn’t see anyone holding a sign with
my name on it.
After a two-hour flight, I finally arrived at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center in
Seattle.
I had been there to grab something and saw his bloodshot eyes. I offered to help, and after he explained the problem, I meticulously checked every step and found the error.
He called me personally and pleaded with me for a long time. But by then, Albert and I had been together for five years. I couldn’t bear to leave him and refused once again.
I rubbed my nose, feeling a little awkward.
Seeing my hesitation, Marcus decided to give me a push. He leaned toward the office and yelled, “Director Evans, Sherry’s back!”
The image of the exhausted junior from the lab five years ago slowly superimposed itself over the confident man standing before me. “You’re Marcus!”
