"It is a pleasure to meet you miss Lily" The young man was tall, he had short soft black hair that looked windswept. He had an average looking face and a short stubble, but his bright grey eyes looked clever, and his smile was inviting. Lily was sure she had seen him before, she knew it. He was wearing a simple black shirt with a green plaid tie, and black pants "My name is Ayr Lite, miss Lily, again a pleasure to make your acquaintance" he offered his hand and Lily took it, it felt warm and gentle, curiously as his hand was very large.
"Please take a sit miss Lily" He offered her a light blue armchair, and she instinctively went to it, he pulled the armchair for her and then he sat in front of her on an ashen wooden chair. He arranged his tie and sat with natural confidence smiling at her. 'Where do I know this man? she thought, I am sure I've seen him somewhere, wait, his name is Ayr Lite… the MAC pilot? why would a MAC pilot be here?.
"Would you like something to drink miss Lily"
"No, thank you Mr. Lite, Mrs. Abigail was kind enough to offer me some tea, before I came inn" his question had broken her line of thought.
"I am sorry miss Lily, I did not ask if you had come early, I have kept you waiting for me"
"No, it is alright, I was… am a little nervous, I came early to tried to calm down, and Mrs. Abigail helped a lot" Lily answered waving her hands. 'Come on Lily, get it together', she grabbed her hands together and smiled "I have always wondered what this room from the inside was, I like it" she said calming herself.
Office 1A, had the same style as the lounge, it was a big open space, the walls were exposed concrete, and one was made with red bricks. It had a sofa and some chairs and armchairs arranged surrounding a wooden worktable, they were all facing a com display, on the opposite. The room had two windows letting natural light filled the space, room 1A had like some of the other rooms an entrance from outside the building.
"Thank you miss Lily, I am glad you liked it, Mrs. Abigail and I both fancy it as well, the 20th Century Industrial Style Architecture, that is" He smiled and she could not help but smile as well, it was contagious "Please miss Lily, there is no reason for you to be nervous, I am sorry for not being more open regarding this interview or about the job offer we originally made for you" he paused for her.
"I confess, I was a little suspicious when I was contacted about the job opportunity, I was only told I had an interview in a company named Strive Works, the agency had worked with them before, and they were onboard with my requests. I looked for information about the company, but I could find is that they did consulting and training of personnel" She paused as she noted she was rambling on, but he was only smiling, 'He is very young, he must not be much older than me' she thought.
"Again, I am sorry miss Lily, it was my fault, that we have to keep the information to a minimum" He looked troubled for it.
"Don't be, after I had the interview with Mrs. Abigail and Chief Trainer Delan, I was trembling with emotion about the opportunity you provided me with, I really thank you for it" She interrupted him, and gave a small bow, she wanted to convey how much this year had meant for her.
"I am very glad you feel that way, miss Lily, but please, let me explain the whole situation, and why I had called you for an interview today" the man stopped her.
"Yes, sure, I'm sorry, please continue" She answered blushing 'Damn it SNAP out of it Lily'.
"I am working on a project that is missing a lot of key personnel; however, the nature of the project requires a lot of discretion for some time, and I am embarrassed to admit, but I am in a way, a very public figure" he paused, and Lily nodded 'LILY YOU KLUTZ, he is AYR LITE, THE BETA PRIME MAC PILOT, that is why she had was sure she had seen him. He was a local hero; he was raised in the Farmlands and was one of the best pilots in the MAC Pro Circuit.
"Hence why, everything about the offer, to the training, up until this interview had been kept with as low information as possible, you see I am part of the Strive Works shareholders, so everything about the proposition made to you had to be done this way. Once more, I apologize for the inconveniences it may have caused you miss Lily" this time, it was him, who gave her a courteous bow.
"Don't worry about it, now I could brag about being working under a famous MAC pilot" She tried to sound cool, but she wanted to scream.
"You follow the MAC scene, miss Lily?" The formal young man, smiled like a kid when he asked that.
"I did, but the last seasons I could not truly watch them, I mean unless you live in a cave, you still hear about MAC racing, but I could not follow the season as I used to" She was embarrassed to admit it, and more so, when she looked at how the man expression calmed down, she had not noticed how stunning his eyes were.
"Oh, don't be miss Lily, the purpose of this interview is not about MAC racing, I sometimes get carried away, but rather, about how we have found your performance during the training plan set for you, outstanding" Lily could not help but smile a that remark "In more ways that we had expected, you delivered what I was looking for" He recompose himself and smiled "I mean, we assessed the performance and results from every course you went through, as Mrs. Abigail and Chief Trainer Delan told you, by the end of the course we would know if you met the qualifications, we initially looked for, or based on your results, accommodate you in adequate position. Were you not satisfied with the proposition, or if your performance was no good, we would give you a compensation, and would gladly extend you a letter of recommendation and the official certifications of all the courses you had taken, is this correct?"
"Yes, this was all explained to me" Lily could feel her nervousness rising inside her again.
"As I have already told you miss Lily, we are genuinely happy with your results, as such, the purpose of this interview is, if you would consider the possibility of working with me, of course we would have to review your salary, compensations and any other request you might have, before we proceed to the contract, if is alright with you miss Lily" He stopped to let her think on his words.
Lily was petrified, she was enchanted with the year she has had. She had come thinking this would be a last evaluation, and she was certain that even if she failed it, what she had learned this year would allow her to have a firm grasp on her future. She had already stopped blinking when she heard him say, they were happy with her performance. She had already passed, and he had said she would be working with him.
"Miss Lily?" He called on her worried "I am sorry, if this feels like we are imposing on you. We know the original contract was for a year, but I am truly interested in making you part of my team, and I insist, we will go through the details and arrange your compensations, so, please consider my offer" He was looking straight at her, and she felt a intensity coming from him.
"No" She said, as she was lost looking at his eyes.
"I see… I am sorry to hear we are not what you are looking for miss Lily. I respect your decision, and personally, wished the best of lucks on your next endeavor. I am certain you would be a fine addition to any team you decide be part of, and in the future, if you change your mind, please don't hesitate to contact us" He was calmed, but he was visibly disheartened, why was that?, why? Lily thought.
"Wait, WHAT?" Lily finally snapped and had gotten up.
"I am sorry, what... what?, miss Lily" the young man asked confused, he had stood up as well.
"Are you trying to hire me or not? Haven't you just said you were happy with my performance" Lily asked confused.
"I said we are genuinely happy with your performance, and indeed I am trying to hire you, mis Lily, but you said, No" He answered in a polite and amused tone 'BRILLIANT LILY, WAKE UP'
"I am sorry, Ayr… Mr. Lite, what I meant, is that there is no need to improve the conditions of my employment, I am really happy with the opportunity you provided, I really enjoyed the training course. I am truly interested in you… in working with you, I mean" Lily had gone completely red and felt she was missing air. 'DAMMIT DAMMIT DAMMIT'
"So, miss Lily, what you are saying is that, you would like to work with me?" He had a smile from ear to ear.
"Yes, I would love to work with you" She cleared her head and managed a smile as she was blushing.
"Thank you, miss Lily, I am certain we will make a great team. I know your original contract ends next week. I think you should take this last week, as a small vacation. To be honest, I really need your help" He smiled gently at her, and Lily bite her lip "The information regarding the new contract will be send to you by mail, please review it and if there was anything you would like to address, my contact will be provided as well. Let me know if you have any doubts, we can arrange a meeting and discuss them. Mrs. Abigail will also send you all the information regarding your position, take some time to review it, and likewise don't hesitate to contact me if you had any doubts" His eyes were sparkling and he looked happy.
Lily looked at the hour on her pcom, as she left office 1A. She had been talking with Ayr for more than two hours? She had felt they had just chatted about the courses and as Mrs. Abigail had noted, he asked her about her MAC team, and she understood right there why the older lady had smiled at her response. Ayr first year in the MPC had with team Nova Nebula, she had seen that season, he was thrilled about it.
She sighed 'I did it', she had come hoping to have an opportunity, and it had gone all gone well, truth be told, Ayr seemed like a really nice dude. He always portrayed himself to be polite and sincere on broadcasts, but in reality, well, he indeed was very polite, but he was also intense, and straightforward. 'Get it together Lily, he is going to be your boss now, one of the best pilots in the galaxy, was going to be her boss'.
"I told you everything would be fine dear, Mr. Lite is a real gentleman, isn't he?" Mrs. Abigail make her snap to reality, she was sitting just outside office 1A, Lily did not miss that last remark now, she smiled at Mrs. Abigail comment "I will send you all the information regarding the contract and your new position by the afternoon dear, now go and have some fun. You've earned it" Mrs. Abigail gave her a small wink and a cheeky smile.
"Thank you, Mrs Abigail, and you are right, he really is a gentleman" Lily replied to Mrs. Abigail and went outside. She was ecstatic not only had gotten the job and now had a small vacation, 'You have to review everything they send to you, so that you can relax later on the week Lily, now is not the time to slack off' She suddenly stopped and returned to Mrs. Abigail.
"I am truly sorry Mrs. Abigail, but with the news about getting hired, I think, I forgot to ask what my new position would be" Lily was screaming inside, you talked for over two hours, and never asked what your new job was, well Ayr had not talked about it either.
"Did Mr. Lite, not told you, my dear" Mrs. Abigail looked confused, and Lily had never seen her that way "Why did you two talked about in there?" the older woman, now had changed to her usual mischievous smile.
"He might have, I don't know, I kind of disconnected after he told me you were happy with my performance" Lily admitted embarrassed.
"You are going to be his personal assistant, dear" Mrs. Abigail answered with a grin on her face, and Lily felt like she had just been hit by a gravcar.