Page 122 of The Quit List

I hadn’t, actually. Not that I wasn’t paying attention to my surroundings, but Douglas worked in a side office and he never seemed to come out. Never interacted with us staff members. I always assumed he was holed up in there, being antisocial.

“I’ll level with you, Holly. He didn’t work out.”

I keep my face carefully neutral. “I’m sorry to hear that.”

“The promotion is yours. Congratulations. You’re our new marketing manager.”

Dylan says this like it’s a gift. Like I’ll jump up and down with joy, overwhelmed with gratitude. A few short weeks ago, I would have.

But right now, I just feel… annoyed.

Bothered by the fact that Dylan’s lips are all wet from where he keeps licking them. Bothered by his smug expression. Bothered by how weirdly pointy his hands look with his chin resting in them.

And beneath all that, I’m bothered that, once again, I was a second option to him. Something on the backburner for when his first plan didn’t work out.

I can’t believe I ever had feelings for someone like this. Now that I’ve fallen for someone like Jax, it is amazing to know what I’ve been missing all this time.

“Nah,” I hear myself saying, sounding exactly like Jax with his casual nonchalance. “I’ll pass.”

“W-what?” Dylan splutters, his face falling.

“Pass.”

“Why?!” he demands.

I smile sweetly. “It’s just not the right time.”

“Excuse me?”

His questions are getting repetitive. But luckily, I have only correct answers for him.

“You heard me. It’s not the right time. I don’t want the promotion. And on second thought, I don’t want to work for you in any capacity. I quit.”

Dylan scoffs. “You’re being ridiculous.”

“No,” I say with a smile, remembering how Jax called my hit list ridiculous. “The only ridiculous thing I did was wait way too long for you to choose me, when you were never going to. So now, I quit. I’m done.”

“What’re you gonna do?” Dylan demands.

I shrug, feeling about a thousand pounds lighter. “I’ll see where it goes.”

“This is not like you, Holly.”

Another smile plays on my lips. Because Dylan never knew me, not really. “Yes, it is actually. It’s exactly like me.”

“Is it that guy, Jax? The tattooed van-man?” He sniffs. ‘You’re really choosing that man over me?”

I shake my head. “No, Dylan. I’m choosing myself.”

Find someone to complement you, not complete you.

All this time, I was waiting for some Prince Charming coded fairytale to come along and save me. But Jax taught me how to save myself. How to stand on my own two feet and fight for what I want. Grab life and all it has to offer.

I want a partner, not a savior.

And I want that partner to be Jax. No matter how that looks, I choose to be with him, because I’ve already chosen myself.

So, with that, I turn on my heel and strut right out of Dylan’s office and right out of his life like the badass that I always hoped I could be.