I Got Laid Off And They Celebrated Her Promotion Chapter 02

Sophie had a few drinks, and she wobbled when she stood up.

Luke steadied her. Charlie grabbed her purse, and Noah held the door open for her.

I followed them out to the front of the restaurant.

Luke turned to me.

“Get yourself a cab and text me when you’re home.”

“Okay.”

The three of them got into a car with Sophie.

I stood alone at the curb for more than ten minutes before I could get a cab.

When I got home, there was already a message from Luke on my screen.

[Sophie’s not feeling great. I’ll be home late. Go to bed without me.]

I looked at it, then reopened the information Emma had sent about her company.

This time, I didn’t want to wait around for an answer that would always put me last.

The next day, I went to my old office to finish the paperwork for my departure.

The HR rep studied my expression before handing me the paperwork.

“Ms. Bennett, are you sure? This was a departmental restructuring. It wasn’t personal.”

“I know.”

I turned to the last page and signed my name.

Before leaving my desk, I packed the contents of my drawers into a cardboard box, one item at a time.

A mug, a few books in my field, and a mint plant I’d kept alive for three years.

Sam Miller from my team came over to help me carry it, but our manager called him away.

I put the last pen in the box, picked up my phone, and posted to the group.

[I’m leaving at six. I have a lot to carry, so don’t forget to pick me up.]

Luke answered quickly.

[Got it. I’ll come straight over after work.]

Charlie wrote:

[I’ll drive. I’ll bring some extra boxes.]

Noah added:

[I’ll meet you there after work.]

Their replies made me feel a little steadier.

At six sharp, I carried the box out of the office.

It was already getting dark, and the streetlights had just come on.

I waited by the steps. Ten minutes passed.

At six twenty, Luke still hadn’t arrived.

Neither had Charlie or Noah.

I looked down and sent a message.

[Are you guys here yet?]

The group stayed silent.

A few minutes later, I called Luke.

It rang until the call disconnected.

I was about to try again when a new post from Sophie appeared on my social feed.

She stood in a spacious living room with stacks of boxes behind her.

[Finally got the keys to my new place! So much stuff, though. No way I could do this alone.]

In the next photo, Luke crouched on the floor assembling a shelving unit. Charlie carried a bookcase, and Noah held a floor lamp.

I zoomed in on the picture, then slowly zoomed back out.

So that was where they all were.

A security guard saw me standing with the box and came over to help.

“Your boyfriend still isn’t here?”

I forced a smile.

“Something came up.”

He loaded my box into the cab’s trunk and set the mint plant beside me on the seat.

Only after the cab pulled away did Luke message me privately.

[Hannah, are you still at the office?]

Another message followed.

[Sophie was moving today. I thought Charlie was picking you up.]

Charlie messaged me soon after.

[I thought Luke had already gone.]

Noah wrote:

[I thought you two had worked it out.]

I read their three explanations and almost laughed.

Each of them had expected someone else to take care of me. That was why I’d been left alone outside my office.

Luke sent another message.

[Do you still want me to come?]

I looked at the marks on the back of my hand and replied:

[No need.]

That evening, I opened our front door and found Sophie sitting in the living room beside a suitcase.

She wore her coat and held a toiletry bag against her chest.

“Hannah, I’m sorry to intrude.”

I paused as I took off my shoes.

“What happened?”

“The water heater at my new place is broken. The building manager said it won’t be fixed until tomorrow at the earliest. Could I stay one night?”

Luke came out of the kitchen and took her suitcase.

“Of course. The guest room’s empty.”

Charlie took the bag from her hands.

“Tell me if you need anything.”

Noah had already turned on the guest room light and made the bed for her.

Sophie stood in the doorway and said to me:

“Just one night. I’ll leave tomorrow.”

I nodded.

They carried her things into the guest room one by one.

My cardboard box, which someone had just unloaded from the cab, still sat alone in the entryway.